Training a dog in an apartment is no easy task. It takes patience and consistency for any dog owner. If you are a dog owner who loves his dog just as much as you do, or if your dog is young, this can be a particularly difficult obstacle to overcome. This article will give you some tips for how to train a dog in an apartment that will prove most beneficial to both of you.
Before beginning any dog training, it is important to establish how your lifestyle and habits impact your dog’s life. If you are always staying up late at night to feed, train, or exercise your dog, you may only be hindering your pet’s development by subjecting her to constant stimulation. This type of training is called touch training. If you train a dog to keep her potty habits in check by using a positive reinforcement system such as clicker training, crate training, or positive reinforcement, you will not only be teaching your dog the wrong thing, you will also be training her behaviors that are contrary to what you want her to do.
To begin, introduce your dog to the idea of having positive rewards and consequences associated with her behavior. Have her sit or lie down next to a favorite piece of furniture. Allow her to sniff the item. If she picks up something undesirable, say the word “no.” Place a hand on her belly and tell her “no” in a firm voice, while still close to her body. Praise her profusely for behaving properly.
As you progress with your house training, make sure that you start to use the phrase “incomplete” during potty breaks. This way, your dog will associate going outside to urinate or poop with getting rewarded with a treat. You also want to make sure you always have a treat available for when your dog needs to relieve herself. Dogs respond best to treat that they can readily grab.
A great method of house training a dog in an apartment is called nose to tail. For this technique, you will need to take several trainers with you to your apartment and have them lead your dog around the block. Once your dog has gotten accustomed to being led around the block, you and your trainers will take turns calling her name. Once your dog recognizes your voice, she will quickly head to the bathroom. Your nose to tail training will start to work wonders if you continue it on a weekly basis.
If you do not have enough money to hire a professional trainer to train your dog in an apartment, there are several ways to support puppy outside of your home. You can also get great results using a variety of tools including a crate. The problem with crates is that they don’t provide consistent support. With a crate, your dog will learn to hold it over her back so that you can see what she’s doing inside.
A puppy will relieve herself every time she goes out and gets the attention of you and others. You can take her out three times a day, but you can also start training her to relieve herself inside the house. You can set up a crate to help her manage the elimination process in one place and then praise her every time she goes out to relieve herself outside.
House training a dog in an apartment should be fun for everyone. Remember to be patient and keep praising your puppy after every successful outing. It will take a few weeks before you see the results, but eventually your dog will go potty outside as long as you are consistent with house training. Also, make sure you use lots of treats when she goes out to relieve herself. This way she gets positive reinforcement for going outside to use the bathroom.
