Dog Lover

House Training for Puppies — Part 3

Lesson 21: What to do when you regress?

In our last lesson on House Training, we talked about how confusing it can be to learn from humans. In this lesson, we’ll deal with the aftermath.

Puppies beware: Once your human decides you are “house trained,” they move quickly from “reward” mode to “punishment” mode, something every dog trainer will tell you is A Bad Thing. It’s all supposed to be about loving reinforcement and treats.

But in case your humans missed that memo, you can take matters into your own paws, and the important thing here is to keep expectations LOW. Lower than the belly of an overweight Corgi.

Will the guilty party please stand up?

It starts with the gray areas and guilt. Lots and lots of guilt.

Let’s say they leave you alone for a few days. (Okay, maybe it was just a few hours, but it felt like a few days, didn’t it?) If they come back and you haven’t had an “accident”, you’re a rock star, and you get a treat!

All well and good, right? Except…

Past performance is no indication of future gains

Not so fast, pooch. The problem is the next time, they’ll expect the same outcome.

And here’s the real kicker: The moment this becomes an expectation, the treats are gone and are replaced by punishment when a similar performance is not delivered.

So, how do you reset expectations?

Here’s a great trick I learned from my dear Uncle Flash:

When they walk through the door after a long time away, wag your tail excitedly and then let loose a flood on the floor.

They will begin to get the idea: You haven’t seen them in SO long, and you’re SO happy to see them (play it up: guilt, guilt, and more GUILT!). How could you help but pee yourself?

If you are adept at the doleful look (see our earlier lesson, That pitiful puppy look), you’ll soon have them giving you a treat instead of punishment, even though you’ve peed on the floor.

This even works if you’re being “crated” while they’re gone because there’s always time to show your love in the wettest possible way, some time between being released from solitary confinement and being escorted to the door. And if they pick you up and carry you to the door, the dam release can be even more effective.

Keep this up! Don’t ever let them think they can get away with leaving you alone for long periods. Keep expectations low, and soon they’ll have you eating out of their hands!

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