Does Your Dog Have “Stage Fright”?

Once they've housebroken their dog, pet owners sometimes run into a new problem: dogs are just as timid going to the bathroom outdoors as they are indoors. Why is this? After all, you simply wanted the dog to avoid going on the carpet or on the floors; doesn't it understand that going outside is perfectly fine?

The truth is, there might not be a reason for the dog to understand this. When you train a dog, you have to realize that they learn by associations. If they're repeatedly corrected or punished for going to the bathroom, they probably begin to think that they have to conceal it from you in order to avoid punishment. This, obviously, is not the goal: you want the dog simply to go in a place you choose. So how do you get a dog with "stage fright" to go to the bathroom outdoors and not hold it in?

Remember the principles of punishment and rewards for dogs: they'll associate each with the specific action they produced. For example, if you punish your dog for going outside, it might not get the whole picture; it might think that it's being punished for its waste being discovered. In fact, this isn't the whole story, is it? You have to be consistent with your dog and offer it reward when it does go to the bathroom the correct way. This means you'll have to be present.

If a dog goes to the bathroom outdoors in your presence and receives praise or even a treat, it will begin to understand that this is the desirable behavior. Because it knows it is punished if it goes indoors, the dog will begin to hold it in until you can take the dog outside. But what about simply letting the dog out as well?

If you want to train your dog to go by yourself as well as with you watching, you'll probably want to train the dog to go with you present first. This way, they know they won't be punished for it; in fact they'll be rewarded. But once your dog starts coming to you when it's time to go outside, you can simply let the dog out and watch it from indoors, rewarding it when it's done the deed on its own. It will begin to realize that both behaviors - as long as it's outdoors - are perfectly fine and even sometimes earn a reward.

Stop thinking about talking to a dog and start thinking about what your actions say. You'll have to be consistent and deliberate, but eventually a dog will adapt to your actions and begin to act the right way habitually.

Photo Credits: Tambako the Jaguar

This post involves:

carpet, desirable behavior, going to the bathroom, pet owners, presence, problem dogs, rewards, stage fright, truth

... and focuses on:

Tips for Dog Owners

Posted by Dog Training Pet on January 28, 2010 in Tips for Dog Owners. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.