Rolled Up Newspaper for Dog Training
Using a Rolled Up Newspaper for Dog Training
While the whole idea of using a rolled up newspaper in dog training is a common myth, many well meaning people simply don't understand why they should NEVER hit their dog. After all, we spank our children and they seem to learn and not be damaged by it, right? The thing to remember when confronted with this type of rationalization is that DOGS are not PEOPLE! Dog training therefore must take on a whole different dimension to communicate effectively with your pet.
At their core, dogs are very simple creatures. As humans, we tend to bestow on them far more intelligence and ability for rational thought than is warranted. One of the first rules to understand our pets is that they live for the moment. They are easily distracted and have very little capacity for long term planning. This by itself makes hitting a dog with a newspaper in dog training self defeating. Dogs do not think through the whole cause and effect process. They don't think that if they urinate behind the chair in the living room you will be mad and they will be hit with a rolled up newspaper. Dogs don't have that kind of thought process!
What they DO think about is that they need to urinate and find a place where they can go that's out of the way. So the number one rule of dog training is never hit or come toward your pet in anger. This causes them to become wary and mistrustful of you and can lead to bigger problems. Physically threatening your dog can trigger a self defense response that in turn can set up an ugly confrontation. Think growling, hair up on the back, an overall threatening situation. Not good.
So the question always seems to come up;" If I don't correct my dog using a rolled up newspaper for dog training, how can I correct them when they have accidents in the house?"
The answer is that you need to be consistent and use corrective methods that will work with your puppy or adult dog. Just remember hitting doesn't work, with a rolled up newspaper or anything else for that matter.
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This is Lucky. He's one lucky dog who's family cared enough to get him from dog rescue. |
When training your pet, remember that timing is critical when correcting them. If she has already gone to the bathroom and you missed seeing her do it, keep your mouth shut and clean it up. No amount of scolding, etc. will help because the opportunity to train your pup was missed because you didn't catch her in the act. If you did see her begin to squat, you could have quickly and quietly walked over to her, grabbed her by the scruff of the neck, given a very strong "NO!" command and taken her outside to complete the bathroom duties. Once she does her business outside, it's then important to give her lots of praise and make this a positive experience for your pet.
This way, your dog would have learned that
1. You were unhappy with her going to the bathroom inside and
2. You ARE happy when she goes outside.
The fact that your pet has accidents in the house however is a symptom that suggests you are not keeping a close enough watch on them.
There could also be several other reasons why your dog may have accidents in the dog crate while trying to housetrain them of even going inside your home.
I know you would feel terrible if you found out that your puppy had a medical condition that kept him from holding his pee until taken outside. The link above is to a recent article that has several possible reasons why accidents happen.
Crate training is based on confinement, patience and careful babysitting to limit and if possible eliminate the opportunity for accidents in the house. Most accidents are caused by the owner (that's you and me) not paying close enough attention to our best friend while we're teaching them what we want.
Every time you interact with your dog, you get another opportunity to teach them. Hitting with a rolled up newspaper is not house training. Praise works and develops a much closer relationship between you and your pet. Praising her when she is outdoors and uses the bathroom reinforces the idea that you are pleased when she goes outside to relieve herself.
Dogs will do a number of things for attention but do not spend time thinking of ways to "get even" or "get back" at you. Remember that they live in the immediate minute and don't have the mental capacity for long term cause and effect thought. By using praise, you will develop a stronger bond with your pet and get faster results.
The reason for this is that unlike using a rolled up newspaper for dog training, praise and positive actions on your part will help develop the good behaviors you want to obtain. Your goal then is to teach your dog what you want her to do. This is obtained by praising what you want and ignoring what you don't want. This way, your dog learns the best way to please you which believe it or not is very important to your pet.
Never fall into the trap of assuming your dog knows or understands what you expect of them. Although they want to learn and ultimately please you, the fact is that dog training takes effort and patience on your part. Work at setting up your puppy in a learning situation that you can lavish praise and love on them. This ultimately is the best way to train your dog to understand what you want them to do.
Just remember, using a rolled up newspaper for dog training and hitting of any sort can seriously damage your relationship with your dog. Praise and love though can communicate much more than simple words.
Never hit !
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