Smorgasbord Pet Health – House training – reward not punishment for you or your dog.

There is nothing more endearing than a young puppy gambolling around the house and garden and bringing a great deal of fun and laughter into our lives.

When I first brought Sam home, when he was just 8 weeks old, it ended 18 years without a pet in the house. I had made the decision that I had to be working part-time before I got a dog, as I feel that it is not kind to leave them on their own for hours at a time.

This is especially the case with puppies – they not only have a very short attention span and get bored very easily but also have very small bladders.

I can remember some advice that I received when I had my first puppy in my twenties and I had not followed it then and I didn’t with Sam. The method of rubbing your dog’s face in any accident they might have had in the house is both cruel and unnecessary. Particularly if it is several minutes or even hours after the event. Puppies are like babies and do not necessarily have all the social graces at first but unlike babies they learn very quickly and can be house trained simply and kindly.

Source: Smorgasbord Pet Health – House training – reward not punishment for you or your dog.