How to House Train Your Puppy

Everyone loves a new puppy but training him to do the things he has to do outside rather than on the living room carpet can be something of a challenge.

Here pet product manufacturer Rolf C. Hagen offers some helpful advice to make the process easier for both you and your pet.

Dogs learn best by repetition so it's important to get him into a routine. First decide where you want him to go and make sure you take him to that same spot every few hours especially after eating, drinking and immediately after he wakes up.

Remember that very young puppies can only hold their bladders for 2 to 3 hours - including during the night. Be sure to praise your puppy when he performs in the right place and resist the temptation to scold him when he makes a mistake.

Dogs respond well to praise but will not understand if you lose your temper or rub his nose in it, all that will do is to encourage him to do it out of site, such as behind the settee.

One way of encouraging your puppy to return to the right place is to use a training aid such as Hagen's Dogit training mats.

These are scented to attract your puppy and at the same time reduce odours, they're also useful when travelling or staying in hotels.

If you take him to his training mat or a special place outdoors after he heats or drinks he will develop the habit and eventually become accustomed to where and when to go.

It's important not to let your puppy turn house training into a game. A trip to the toilet area shouldn't be an opportunity to go wild in the garden. If after visiting the area he decides not to perform take him back indoors immediately and try again later. Keep a careful eye on him to make sure he doesn't wander off into another room or go behind the furniture.

When the inevitable accident does happen clean up as soon as possible and spray the area with a pet deodoriser such as Hagen’s Dogit BUST-IT stain and odour remover, this will get rid of unpleasant smells and stop your puppy being attracted to the same area again.

A dog’s sense of smell is many times better than our own and conventional cleaners will not remove the residual scents that are still detectable by your dog’s highly sensitive nose.

If your puppy continues to have accidents it’s probably because he does not really understand what is expected of him. Try going back to the beginning and show him what you want him to do. Don’t get cross; just persevere until he gets it right.

Even when house-trained some dogs have little accidents when greeting visitors; every time they get excited a little puddle appears on the floor. 

Again it’s no good shouting or chastising the dog; that will only make things worse.  Try to keep things calm and if possible warn your guests about the problem before they arrive.

Greeting your friends outside the house rather than in the hall is another option, but in any event keep things low key and avoid getting your dog too excited.

Finally, in rare cases medical problems can cause a form of incontinence in young dogs, so if your puppy is continually having accidents despite your house-training efforts it may be worth taking him to the vets for a check-up.
 

 Nuts about young talent – RSPCA competition winners

 

A photo of a quizzical red squirrel peeking out of the woodland dusk has beaten off stiff competition to be named overall winner of the RSPCA Young Photographer Awards 2011 (YPA11).‘Evening Light’ - winning image by Will Nicholls.

Will Nicholls, 16, from Hexham, was presented with his prize at a ceremony at the Tower of London today (Friday, December 16) for his image of the rare animal taken in Keilder Forest, Northumberland. He also won the 16-18 category for the same snapshot of the squirrel pausing for thought as a ray of evening sunlight casts across its face.
Award-winning photographer Danny Green was one of the judges of the awards, and will provide the specialist three-day wildlife photography break which makes up part of Will’s prize. He said: “This is a very intimate portrait of an elusive creature – a truly deserving winner.

“The way the light is shining on the squirrel in this picture makes you feel as if it is you, the viewer, who has happened across it. It is very personal, giving you the impression that you are actually there.

“This is all the more powerful because the red squirrel is not doing too great at the moment – there has been a massive decline and it is now a very rare species.”

Other winners include 17-year-old Sam Rowley from Richmond, who topped the Portfolio category with a selection of images of deer – including stags locking antlers, another bellowing into the dawn mist and a mother cleaning her fawn’s ear.Amy Wilton’s image of Running Whippets.

Two excited Whippets skipping along a beach won 16-year-old Amy Wilton from Fareham the Pet Personalities category; a synchronised caterpillar eating team at the end of the garden meant that Georgia Hardy, 12, of Bristol, topped the 12-15 group; and a misty portrait of a Black Tailed Godwit standing one-legged on a post won 10-year-old Sophie Bramall from Stafford the under-12s category.

The awards were presented by wildlife filmmaker and TV presenter Simon King, who also helped judge the awards. He said: "The standard of the entries this year has been just incredible and it is a privilege to be involved in this competition.

"It is fantastic to see such young talent pour so much imagination and originality into capturing the spirit of an animal and our relationship with them.

"I was particularly impressed with how young some of the entrants were - the under 12 category was just phenomenal."


For further details and information about the competition and its prizes please visit www.rspca.org.uk/ypa.
 

 Three Dogs Dumped Outside
      RSPCA Animal Hospital

Three lurcher dogs were dumped outside the RSPCA Putney Animal Hospital in London  with a note saying their owners had been made homeless and could no longer care for them.

The dogs were found by RSPCA staff at 10.30pm tied to railings outside the hospital. The female dogs - Beauty, a three-year-old, Taura - a one-year-old and Puppy, a six month old were all found together.

It is a criminal offence to dump animals in conditions that are likely to cause them suffering and anyone found responsible could face up to six months in prison or a fine of up to £20,000. The dogs will now be cared for at the animal hospital until a place can be found for them at an RSPCA animal rehoming centre.Anyone who knows who the dogs belonged to is asked to contact the RSPCA in confidence on 03001234999.