Parenting - Training the Human

One of the biggest tools we have as dog trainers and as parents is our powers of observation. Observation helps us learn about our pet or child, and allows us to stop unwanted behavior as soon as it begins, and often before it even starts. When we have a puppy in the house, or a child at the potty-training age, this is especially important as we are trying to teach proper bathroom habits. Of course, the most important bathroom habit is being in the proper place to potty! For humans, that’s the bathroom, and for puppies, that’s outside the house (or in some cases, an inside litter box).

Most toddlers will stop what they are doing just before they urinate. Nearly all will stop what they are doing to defecate, and some will even try to go somewhere private. A puppy will start anxiously sniffing around, and if you know there is no food anywhere nearby, that is a good indication that they may need to go. At those times, if you are not watching, you may end up with a mess to clean up! Observation will also uncover certain patterns in your dog. Some puppies will need to go out about ten minutes after they eat, while some may be able to wait up to thirty minutes before feeling the urge. A friend discovered that her puppy would pee all over the floor when she got excited. She dealt with this by taking her pup outside just before she knew a guest was coming over. If I came over unexpectedly, it was understood that I would immediately grab the leash as soon as I walked in the door and take the puppy out. Of course, this understanding wouldn’t work with people you don’t know, but you might be able to convince your family and friends that regularly visit to call ahead if they don’t want to be standing in a puddle when they come in.

If you are able to be observant, you can watch for these cues, and rush the child to the bathroom, or rush the puppy outside. Even if the toddler doesn’t make it all the way to the toilet, just being in the bathroom can reinforce the association. And eventually, if you keep bringing the puppy outside (even if she’s dribbling all the way), she will get the idea that you want her to go outside before she GOES. If you get to know your animal’s habits and specific quirks, house training will go more smoothly and more successfully for you and your pet.

Puppies and babies are adorable, to most people. They do some super cute, super funny things. But some of those things won’t be so cute, and definitely not funny, when that tiny Collie puppy is now an 80-pound adult, or that silly two-year-old is now twelve years old.

Take the Collie puppy, for example. It is fuzzy, soft, and super cuddly right now, and you want to snuggle with it as much as you can. So you pick it up and put it in your recliner next to you while you watch TV. Sounds fantastic, right? I would certainly enjoy it. Fast forward a year. That Collie puppy is now 70-90 pounds, and she thinks she should still be allowed to snuggle with you in your recliner. However, given her size and weight now, you disagree. It is a battle every time you sit down, because she runs over and tries to climb into your lap.

Now think about that two-year-old. You’re watching a video on your phone that your friend sent of her son, and he takes the phone from your hand. “I see, I see!” he says. It’s cute that he wants to watch his buddy running around in his Superman cape pretending to thwart some imaginary villain. Fast forward ten years. You’re watching a funny video on Facebook of someone in a Pokemon costume running away from a guy in an Ash Ketchum getup. Your twelve year old son grabs your phone away, saying “Oh, let me see that!” Not so cute anymore, right?

I have found that the best way to keep situations like this from happening is to remember this phrase: If you don’t want them to do it at ten, don’t let them do it at two. While it may be cute now, it won’t be cute later. Here are some other situations that might be cute when the kid is a toddler, or the dog is a puppy:

The two year old girl who says, “Here, puppy!” and feeds half her dinner to the dog.

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The ten week old German Shepherd that sits at your feet at the table, staring up at you while you eat lunch.

The toddler who runs away from you in the store, and makes silly faces at you when you tell him to come back to your side.

The puppy that takes your shoe and runs away with it just before you reach to put it on.

While you won’t be able to keep that in mind for every little thing your child or puppy does, it’s definitely a good thing to try to think about before you let them do certain things. If you have a larger breed puppy, such as a Labrador, German Shepherd, English Mastiff, or maybe even Irish Wolfhound, this rule definitely needs to be followed as much as possible.

The hardest part about remembering this rule when it comes to puppies is looking in that sweet face and having to tell the little love that he can’t jump on the couch and snuggle with you. But, you will be happy you did when that fluffy puppy is full grown and not draped across your chest, blocking your view of Family Feud!

If you don’t want them to do it at ten, don’t let them do it at two.

Category: Parenting

For Speedy Training, Observation is Key!

Will it be cute when they’re bigger?