pooping in house

Question
11 month newfie pooping in house. How do I make restricked area for a big dog and train him to not poop in house? Thanks

Answer
Hi Todd,

You can contain your dog by using a dog crate, or a couple of childgates. There are also indoor dog pens, such as these:

http://www.nextag.com/indoor-dog-pen/shop-html

If you use a dog crate, size matters. You don't want it so big that the dog has room to soil, and also lay comfortably. It should be just big enough for the dog to sit, lay down, and turn around. With the childgate or dog pen options, lay newspaper down over the entire containment area, to make clean-ups easier.  Anytime you can't be supervising your dog (to prevent accidents) it needs to be in the containment area.

The key to house breaking is prevention. That means your dog needs frequent trips outside, and plenty of praise the moment he's successfully finished relieving himself outside. Letting him know that he's pleased you a great deal, will help make him want to continue to please you!

Get your dog on a feeding schedule - what goes in at a certain time, comes out at a certain time! Don't wait for your dog to "tell" you it needs to go outside. About 20 minutes after eating, take it out for a walk.

Never punish your dog for a housebreaking mistake. He won't understand, and the punishment can create new problems. Instead, keep him in the room with you at all times when he is not in his special confinement area. If you see him start to have an accident, just say "No, Outside" as you rush out the door with him. Your goal is to get him to finish outside so you can praise him. Teach him the word "Outside" for going out there, and "Better Go Now" or some other phrase for actually relieving himself--these words are taught just by saying them at the right times, until he catches on to what they mean. When accidents happen, clean the mess with an enzymatic cleaner such as Nature's Miracle or Simple Solution, so your dog won't be as inclined to re-mark the area. If your dog makes a mistake when you weren't watching him, oops, that was your mistake, not his. He is just a dog, and has no idea why we are upset when he relieves himself in the house. But most dogs can learn, if you are consistent, and help him avoid mistakes by being there for him.

You can read more about how to house train your dog, here:

http://www.canismajor.com/dog/hsetrain.html

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/how-to-house-train-your-adult-dog/page1.aspx

Best of luck,
Patti