When people see Biscuit, my Saint Bernard, they always ask the same question - How in the world do you keep that giant thing in the house? A large dog is no different than a small one when it comes to care and training - it’s just on a larger scale.
House training a large dog - in my opinion - is easier than training a small one. I think this may be due in part to the fact a large dog has a harder time finding a private place to do it’s business - whereas a small dog can sneak behind the furniture and such. I always wait until my pups are at least 8 weeks old before I begin - and sometimes they don’t fully comprehend going to the door and asking to be let outside until they’re 4 months old - so be patient!
Once your pup understands the concept of going to the door and alerting you that it needs to be taken outside, you can now safely integrate it into your home.
I always begin at night, when the pups energy level is a little less, and getting their attention is a little easier. I suggest you get a dog bed that fits your pup, a dog brush, and a chew bone. Place the dog bed wherever you want your pet’s sleeping area to be, sprinkle well with flea powder. Bring the pup inside and start this routine from night one! Brush the pup well, send it to it’s bed, and give it the chew bone. As long as the pup lays on it’s bed and chews the bone, tell it “Good Boy/Girl!” - but if the pup gets up, take the bone away and send the pup back outside. A few times of this and a pup learns quickly - Wow, I get a comfy bed, a chew bone, and praise if I come in here and stay still, but I get sent back outside if I get up.
The first time that the pup makes it all night in it’s bed, the responsibility of making it to the door in the morning for a potty break is on you! The pup may wake very early - so be prepared to make a run for it! Later on, this will get more predictable, and you can actually regulate it somewhat by cutting the pup off water a little earlier in the evening before bed. I suggest you use breakfast as the reward for making it successfully outside to potty. Feed your pup as soon as it returns, and give lots of praise! If it doesn’t make it outside in time, hold breakfast for about an hour, but put the empty food dishes down for the pup to see that he/she didn’t get fed yet. Once this routine is down and going smoothly - you can now begin to keep the pup inside longer and longer during the day.
If you work during the week, do this only on weekends! This is the most critical part of house training and it requires your full attention. Never leave a pup alone in the house until you know it can completely control it’s behavior! First, work diligently to teach your pup a few key commands - SIT and NO being the most critical! No matter what sort of stimulus your pup may be getting - phone ringing, someone at the door, food on the table - you need to always be able to control him/her with the SIT and NO commands. As you did with the bedtime routine, reward the pup by allowing it to stay inside, punish it by sending it back outside if it fails to respond to the command.
Pups have boundless energy and notoriously short attention spans, so expect the first few weeks of inside training to be very trying on your patience! Offer toys to keep the pup busy and entertained, but if this doesn’t work, you may have to take the pup for a walk, or allow it back outside for some aggressive play time. Only allow it to remain in the house as long as it’s being quiet, relatively still, and calm. Send it out the minute it becomes too active! The pup has to learn that inside the house it has to behave. Each day the goal is to extend the amount of time that the pup maintains control of himself/herself. Reward with praise, toys, treats, or attention. Punish by a quick escort back outside.
It took me about 3 months to fully train Biscuit, now he’s inside all of the time. He only goes out for potty breaks, walks, or play time in the yard.
Good luck!
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OK WERE ARE RURAL BUT WE DO HAVE ELECTRIC RIGHT???
- annaswan
on Jan. 9, 2008 at 9:41 AM