Train a Stray Dog | Training a new dog is all fun and games. You can teach him how to respond to your commands and he will work the way you want. When it comes to training a stray dog, it’s not as easy as you think. It may seem too daunting to train a stray dog. However, with undivided attention and consistent efforts, you can achieve the well-trained version of your new stray dog.
Before training a stray dog, it is crucial to assume that your dog has never been trained before. You need to prepare yourself to train the stray dog from scratch. The majority of the stray dogs have never been housetrained before; hence, they may require some extra work. You shouldn’t expect your new dog to have any prior knowledge regarding urination or defecation in one spot so keep an eye on their needs before proceeding with the training.
Here is a list of steps you need to follow to train a stray dog.
First of all, your dog needs to be familiar with a potty spot. You need to take your dog to a certain spot whenever you take him for a passing stool or urinating. Once your dog has become familiar with this spot, he will remember visiting there as soon as he wishes to pass stool or urinate.
Training the dog requires strictly following a daily schedule. When your dog wakes up in the morning, you should make a visit to the potty spot a part of his routine. Be sure to take him to the spot 15 to 30 minutes after he eats something throughout the day. Leave him sitting at the potty spot for a while until he passes stool or urinates. Also, it is crucial to take him to the spot before he sleeps at night.
While the training goes on, you must keep a strict check on the dog’s whereabouts. Be sure that he doesn’t roam around anywhere inside or outside your house. In case he ends up urinating or defecating in a random area, he will assume it to be his potty spot for the next time as well. Therefore, you should prevent him from considering such behavior. You should shut the doors of the rest of the rooms to avoid him from letting in.
You need to be careful about what he’s trying to communicate with his body language. In case he needs to visit the potty spot, look out for unusual behavior such as sniffing excessively, displaying restlessness, circling, or pointing towards any random spot where he may have urinated.
Once your dog has finished defecating or urinating at the potty spot, you should reward him with a treat to show how much you appreciate his good behavior. By doing so, you will instill the training step into your dog’s mind and he will expect you to reward him with a treat every time. It will motivate him to remember the step better and work accordingly. For the best results, you need to train him in certain commands. For example, you should use the word ‘bathroom’ to hint towards his potty spot. With time, he will learn the association of the word with the spot. You should continue to praise him with a treat so that he does the job well.
It is recommended to clean the potty spot as soon as possible to avoid the spread of germs. Make use of a sealed bag to throw your dog’s feces and urine and use a wet wipe to clean the spot.
In case your dog ends up urinating or defecating at any random spot, you need to clean it up before it dries out with time. Use a cleanser to clean the spot followed by a disinfecting spray or wipes and put some fragrance on it to prevent your dog from repeating this act. The fragrance is likely to keep him away from that spot in the future.
If your dog takes extra time to understand the steps, you should stay patient about it. You should let the dog learn at his pace and avoid punishing him for messing in your house. Otherwise, he will get scared of you and may avoid seeing you when it’s time to visit the potty spot.
In case you notice that your dog wets himself while asleep every night, there is a chance that your dog is incontinent instead of being lazy. You should visit a veterinarian and get him checked in case there’s an underlying issue.
While the process of training continues, you should take 30 minutes every day to take your dog out for a walk. Your dog will experience a different environment with other dogs and learn from their trained behavior. If your dog hasn’t been potty trained yet, be sure to work according to the schedule and take him out once he is done urinating and defecating.
• If you wish to prevent any accidents, it is recommended to take your dog to the potty spot every 2 to 4 hours throughout the day.
• If you notice that your dog is acting aggressively towards other dogs, you need to try the method of obedience training to prevent your dog from behaving inappropriately. Remember, he is a stray dog and needs some time to develop new habits.
• If you sense that your dog is being extremely aggressive towards you or trying to attack you, it’s high time you should let him go before it gets extremely dangerous. Stray dogs tend to have bad habits; hence, your dog may possess the ability to cause you harm. You should let your dog out and shut the door. Once you are at a safe distance from your dog, immediately contact rescue services and they will take your dog to the shelter.
Training a stray dog may consume more than a few months. You should stay positive throughout the process, no matter how difficult it gets. With time, your dog will learn new ways to live as a pet and you will develop an unbreakable bond with your new dog.
by Maria A Davidson || You can’t buy love, but you can rescue it™ .
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