This can give the new cue a negative association or make your dog reluctant to perform the desired behavior. If you do, your dog may decide that, even though they get a treat when listening to your cue, it stops the fun of being outside and having the opportunity to walk or sniff. Being outside in the yard or on a walk is likely very enriching for your dog and so they want to spend more time doing it.Īs you’re teaching the potty on cue behavior, keep rewarding your dog with treats and praise but don’t rush back into the house right after they pee or poop. Keep Training FunĪlthough most people’s motivation for teaching their dog to potty on cue is to avoid spending a long time outside waiting in cold or wet weather, it’s important to consider why your dog might have previously been taking their time. Be sure to highly reward these efforts, as it’s a clear sign that your dog understands potty on cue behavior. When they fully understand the cue, they will “try” to potty anytime they hear the cue (even if they don’t really need to go) by lifting their leg, or quickly squatting and trying to squeeze out a small amount of pee or poop. To make it easy, try to keep treats next to your door so it’s easy to grab some any time you take your dog out to go potty. You need to be extremely consistent when pairing your dog pottying with your verbal cue of choice and a reward. When they pee/poop, give lots of praise and rewards.Ĭonsistency is always important with dog training, but especially when teaching your dog to potty on cue. Get your dog to a quiet spot and cue them to potty. Step 6: After several days or weeks of building understanding with your new cue paired with knowing your dog is about to start or is actively going potty, it’s time to use the new cue. When they finish, praise again with something like “yes showtime” or pair with your click (if you’re clicker training) and a treat. For example, as your dog stops circling and squats to potty, say “showtime” or whatever cue you have selected. Step 5: As your dog starts to make the association between the verbal cue and going potty, you can start to use it right as your dog starts to go. It’s important to only use your cue when your dog is actively peeing/pooping, but it’s a good idea to wait until they are nearly done to prevent them from stopping early when they hear the click/praise. Step 4: As your dog is finishing up, start to praise/click and introduce your verbal cue of choice. Step 3: When your dog starts to go, get ready to cue, praise, and treat. Step 2: While your dog is looking for the right spot to pee or poop, don’t say anything. Step 1: Anticipate when your dog is going to need to potty, such as after play or naps, and be prepared with treats when you take your dog out to go. To do this we will be combining an audible marker and a reward, such as a treat, with the behavior your dog is naturally doing, which in this case is peeing or pooping. The easiest way is a training methodology known as capturing, where you add a verbal cue as your dog is already going potty. Starting to teach your dog to potty on cue is a little bit like going back to when you potty trained them as a young puppy-you’ll need lots of treats and patience. This makes training the behavior much easier because you know you have multiple opportunities to practice each day. The great thing about teaching your dog to pee and poop on cue is that you are adding a verbal marker to behavior that your dog already does regularly. Common examples include the obvious “pee” and “poop,” as well as the slightly more subtle “showtime” and/or “business.” Teaching Your Dog to Potty on Cue To make the desired behavior clear, it’s best to have a different verbal cue for peeing than for pooping. It might sound too good to be true, but it’s completely possible to teach your dog to pee or poop on cue virtually anytime, anywhere. Additionally, pottying on cue is a valuable skill when bringing your dog to the vet in case a urine or stool sample needs to be collected or if you have an indoor potty for a senior dog. Not only does it come in handy during bad weather, but it’s also beneficial when traveling, before entering a building, as well as if you plan to show your dog in Conformation or any performance event. Pottying on cue is an extremely useful skill for all dogs to have. Have you ever found yourself standing outside in the rain or snow waiting and waiting and waiting for your dog to potty? Some dogs seem to make a habit of taking a long time to find just the right spot to “go,” but if you’re frustrated with waiting, you can teach your dog to potty on cue.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |