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Always place your puppy in his "Safe Place" when
you are not at home or at night while you sleep. The best "Safe Place" we know of, is a crate that is large
enough to contain bedding and a small food and water dish. Your puppy can safely be left in his crate, even during the
first days you have him/her, for up to three to four hours. As the weeks travel on, this time period can be increased
up to 6 hours but, by that time, he/she will be about ready to "burst at the seams" to go potty so, be sure
that is the VERY FIRST thing you do as soon as you get home. The "Potty
Stop" should ALWAYS be the first thing! When you will be leaving
your puppy in the crate for these hours, it is best not to place any food or water in the crate with him/her. This
will curtail the urge to eat/drink which will reduce the need to potty. Generally, a puppy is not mature
enough to have full control of his/her bladder and/or bowels until they reach 5-6 months of
age. Whatever the size your puppy, be sure the crate is and will be large enough, for at least several months to
come to accommodate his standing fully erect, being able to turn around easily, and stretch out within. Westie
puppies/dogs as well as most any other breeds do not like to soil their area of sleeping and eating. This is why having
and using a crate works so well. Being confined within it helps to teach the pup to control his/her release of urine
and feces. . When your puppy is loose within your home, restrict him to one room where you will
keep a close eye for signs of his needing to potty. Another way to keep a close eye on him is to connect
a three foot lead to his collar and attach the other end to yourself (at the waist). This way, he is never more than
three feet away and you aways know what he's up to. Generally, as we have mentioned before, young puppies need to potty
about every 1 to 2 hours of "awake time" and always upon awaking, eating, and drinking. Many times while
playing, the pup will become so involved with what is happening that he will not pay any attention to his need to potty.
When this need overwhelms him, there will be very little warning for you to notice. Things you'll need to watch
for may be: turning in a tight circle, seeming to be stretching out in a standing position (males), spreading the back legs
apart and squatting (females), whining, or even possibly going behind something or into a corner. Any
given puppy may do any or all of these or give other signs not listed. You'll need to be very observent to
learn which signs your puppy will give. The moment you see any of these signs, you need to quickly scoop him up and
while carrying him (being sure not to be squeezing his belly), keep saying something like "Outside Potty".
This is the wording we use and have used on your La Terra Dios Puppy prior to your taking possession. We have only touched
the tip of this training during the last couple of weeks before he went home with you so, it is up to you to pursue
it into reality. . Once you
are outside in the area where you wish your pup to use, place him on the ground and offer the command "Go Potty".
ONLY use this command at this one spot. It may be good to say it several times as you wait, but don't over
use it to the point that it becomes meaningless. For training purposes, you will want to use the same potty place
EVERY TIME. This is where a portable, folding fence works very well. These are steel, hinged, 24" X 24"
X 8 panel fences can be placed and/or moved very easily. It is best to obtain one whichhas a door in
it for later use. One unit, creates a small 6 square foot area which will work for a small puppy but, as the pup grows,
you may want to add another set of 8 panels to form a larger area. A fence of two sets of panels is plenty
for an adult Westie and the 24" hight is fine for small dogs up to adult Westie size, but larger breeds will need it
taller and probably larger pens. They're available up to 4 ft. high and you can connect as many as you wish together. . Now, a moment ago, I made a statement about being sure you purchase a
fence which incorporates a gate. After your puppy has made the transition into being fully house trained, and you
have used the portable fence as we mentioned above, during that training, that little fence may and probably will become
a fantastic aid to YOU. How you ask? Well, being that inside that fence is the only area you puppy/dog
has ever been allowed to potty, he is now in the habit of going there to do his business. Even though his
play yard is fully and safely fenced, as it should be, if that little fence is located within the yard (even
if you move it from time to time, but not to far from the old spot) and the door is left open, he will most likely seek it
out to use as his potty area. Dogs, especially Westies, are creatures of habit. Just think how this could save
you considerable time by not having to walk all over the yard looking for the "presents" he/she left behind.
The chances of this working, if you follow the procedure exactly, are about 85-95%. Much better odds than the local
Lottery! . Back to the house
training. . Once the
young puppy completes his business in the little pen (with the door latched) be sure to offer sincere praise. Let him
know this is a really good thing he has done and should you happen to have a small treat, (the key word is small) on
your person, this would be an excellent time to offer one (1). After the praise and treat, allow a few minutes of playtime
as a secondary reward if that's what he seems to want. After a good potty stop, reward with whatever works for him. . When
you find a mistake your puppy has made in the house, that you didn't see happen, you're going to have to consider this to
more of your mistake than the puppy's. Never make any kind of fuss about potty accidents you didn't observe first hand
and only seconds ago. Within seconds after a puppy potties, his thoughts are on to other things and he will have no
idea why you are upset. Should you become upset with him at sometime after the fact, in his mind you
are just being a nasty person and if this keeps happening, he will learn not to trust you or maybe even dislike and be
hostile toward you. Surely, this is not how you want your little one to feel! He needs to know that
you are the "ALPHA" in his life but also, you are the one he can always turn to for his needs: Food, water,
love, comfort, guidance and security. This is not unlike what a human child wants and needs. He IS
your new child, RIGHT?
Cleaning Up The Accidents . After removing
the worst of the "soil", and before using any other cleaning agent, it is strongly advised that you treat the spot
deeply and throughly with a bacterial enzyme oder eliminating product. One of the best on the market is "Nature's
Miracle". Nothing else has been proven to destroy the sent of the urine and/or feces. Any remaining sent
will draw the dog to use the same area again. Always use the oder eliminator FIRST and be sure to use enough to saturate
the area. If you use another cleaner first, the chemicals in it will generally kill the little bacteria that are
supposed to destroy the oder! . Food and Parasites . Be sure to feed your puppy top
quality food and that he is free of intestinal parasites such as roundworms, hookworms, coccidia and giardia.
Poor quality food, that is full of fillers and such, can cause intestinal up-set leading to unstable bowels and other potty
related problems. Any of the aforementioned can severely compromise your housetraining efforts. Young
puppies will urinate about every hour or so which means they will also be drinking possibly more water then you may think
they would be. Be sure to keep their water dish clean and filled. If you believe your puppy is urinating
excessively, it may be a good idea to catch a urine sample (a very large, 1/4 cup, spoon works well), place it in a very
clean, sealed container, and take it to your Vet. for analysis. The sample must be taken to the Vet. soon, while
the urine is fresh (within, at most, 2 hours of collection). Urine samples that are over 2 hours old will not yeld true
results.
One thing that many new owners find very confusing is the
fact that a puppy can "hold it" for even up to 6-8 hours during the night and many times even while your away at
work (try NEVER to make your puppy wait 8 hours though. It's really hard on their bladder) but, they seem to need
to potty every hour or so when your at home, awake and with him/her. The reason for this is: During the hours
of sleep, nature quiets the bladder and bowels. This is done to allow for thoughs long periods of rest. It's
normal for puppies and dogs to sleep 14-16 hours per day. So, the same hold true for the hours your away at work.
Most of that time will be spent sleeping. Once the puppy or dog awakes, the body need to "catch-up"
on the function of the kidneys which is the cleaning the blood, so ----- the pup will probably need to "go
out" at least twice in the hour or so after this extended period of "holding it". If you have to leave
your puppy to go to work, after he has been asleep for a considerable time, be sure to take him/her outside at least twice,
with 15-20 min. between each time, prior to your leaving the house. . Almost every puppy/dog can be house trained if you work in the right "direction".
That "direction" is not always the same for every puppy/dog. Sometimes what works for one dog may not have
any effect on another. If what your doing is minimising the "accidents" through providing proper supervision;
treating the "accident spots" properly with enzymes; letting your puppy know that you ARE VERY pleased and
offering praise for a "good job done"; letting your puppy know your NOT pleased with his "accidents";
and the BIGGEST THING OF ALL ---- NEVER LOOSING YOUR TEMPER! NEVER! When you lose your temper, you lose control
of the situation. When you loose control of the situation, you've lost "the game". Everything in that
episode is lost! TO MUCH OF THIS AND YOU'LL NOT EVEN BE IN THE RUNNING FOR THE "PLAY-OFFS"! You must
be FIRM. You must be ALPHA. YOU MUST BE IN CONTROL --- AS THE SHE WOLF!
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