Everything is Enough

As Plato suggested true perfection is always an ideal, never a reality. Consider "the perfect egg." There are so many variables beyond cook's control: stove-top temperature, accuracy of timer, needy neighbors relentless ringing (I love alliteration) at door. Even if you do achieve ideal creamy softness or just-hard-enough suppleness, egg still won't taste just right if you're queasy over being dumped, fired, or otherwise jarred by outside world. Ultimately, perfect egg is an inside job.

As Tao Te Ching it states “If you mold a cup you have to make it hollow: it is emptiness within that makes it useful.” Westernized society tends to see holes as absences, instead of potential. Every day we suffer disappointments, because reality - like some mangled chew toy or overboiled egg - falls short of our ideals. Yet those rows of hard bitten pencils bear witness to our best efforts. We have given it our best shot. Like Tucker, all we need do now to find wabi-sabi contentment is to stretch out on our war-torn blankets and delight in what we have.

When you see your puppy giving signal that it is about to go potty indoors you need to say to it with a firm voice “NO!” In addition, you will need to establish one word or phrase that will be used to make outside association. For instance, when you notice your puppy giving signal, say “no”. Then, use your command, which could be something like “Let’s go potty” or “Potty time”.

With that, pick puppy up and take it outdoors. Soon, your puppy will begin to respond to that command and know what it means. Sometimes a puppy gets outdoors and forgets about going potty. After all, there are squirrels to chase, leaves to sniff, and flowers to investigate. To help your puppy concentrate on reason for being outside at that moment, you will need another command.

In this case, you could use words like, “Go potty” or “Do your business.” For quick and complete success, make sure that every time your puppy goes outside, same command is used. This consistency is establishing appropriate behavior. While it will take you hundreds of times before your puppy gets it, with persistence and patience, you puppy will catch on. After your puppy finishes going potty, provide lots of praise. Supervision Another key to successful housebreaking a puppy is making sure you supervise it at all times. While this can be challenging, at first when your puppy is very small, keep it in sight. This way, your puppy will not have opportunity to sneak off to potty in other rooms of house. If necessary, you can set up a baby or doggie playpen if you are busy. For example, while cooking dinner, you can use baby gates to keep puppy in same room with you or while taking a bath, place puppy in crate or playpen. Remember, this is only temporary. Indoor Accidents Your puppy will have accidents indoors so expect it. The key is to catch puppy in act. As an example, if you have stepped out of room only to come back a few minutes later to find a wet spot on floor, correcting at that time is useless. Whatever you do, NEVER rub your dog’s nose in its potty. Not only is this unhealthy, it is demeaning and guaranteed not to accomplish a thing.

Since puppies often forget quickly, punishing five minutes after fact only confuses puppy, which can create an entire new array of problems. Remember, you want your puppy to trust you so it has to understand punishment. If you do find a wet spot, use hot soapy water or carpet cleaner specialized for puppy accidents, cleaning area thoroughly. Then, sprinkle or spray on a neutralizing deodorant. Although you can buy a number of products on market, a mixture of 50/50 vinegar and water works quite well. Physical Problems On rare occasion, puppies can have some type of physical problem that inhibits them from being potty trained. Problems such as bladder infection or behavioral issues caused by stress are common causes for a puppy being slow in potty training department. Therefore, if it seems that your puppy is having trouble going potty outdoors, keep an eye on situation. If problem continues, have it checked by your veterinarian.

One other consideration is that dogs that have not yet been spayed or neutered have a higher probability of going inside. With potty training, it is not an overnight fix. Puppies take tremendous time and responsibility to train. The good news is that once training is complete, you have an amazing friend for many years to come.