You may have heard a lot about the process of housebreaking your border collie. It’s important to know that it can be an arduous task, but with patience and perseverance, you’ll get there in the end. The most important thing is being consistent. Let’s get started
Things You’ll Need To Potty Train Your Puppy
- Treats for positive re-inforcement
- Leash
- Dog crate that is the right size
- A Clicker if you opt for clicker training
- selected room in the house (preferably with an easily washable floor surface)
- training pads
- cleaning materials
- a sense of humour
- patience!
It will take around 3 weeks for your Border Collie to start seeing the benefits of their house training. However, it will take approximately 4 months for you to declare that your Border Collie is completely house trained. This is due in part to bladder development: your Border Collie may understand what is required of them, but they may not always be forthcoming in doing what they need to do.
Step By Step Training Instructions
- To begin, make sure you keep your dog in his crate while house training to teach him that this is the barrier that he cannot cross. When your dog goes outside, take him on a leash and follow the fixed timetable of bringing him out every 1-2 hours.
- Take your Border Collie to the chosen spot when you notice the indications that it needs to go. Indications that they need to go include when they start to sniff and scoot around in little circles. This is them trying to find a good spot to do their business. The traditional cock of the dog leg will also be an indication too!
- Take your Border Collie to the spot where you want him to relieve himself and utilize the command you’ve chosen for him. Stick with one command and do not change this otherwise you risk confusing your dog. Common commands may include ‘Go pee’, ‘wee time’, ‘Go Potty’ can be verbal triggers to encourage your Collie to do their thing. The key thing is keeping things consistent in terms of use of language.
- Also, location is key. It’s critical to designate a specific location, whether it be outside or inside. Puppies learn by repetition and reward. You may assist them learn faster and more readily by recognizing a certain area as “the place to go.”
- If there’s no success, don’t get discouraged. Change your timing by taking your dog out earlier. If you are not successful, perhaps your chosen spot is not conducive to relieving himself. He may be confused because of too many distractions around, or he may need more time before he feels the urge to do his thing. Try removing some of these factors for a few days and then try again with slightly longer intervals between potty trips.
- Your dog will eventually get the hang of things. It’s important to realize that if you’re doing this on your own, it may not always be possible for him to succeed in waiting until you take him out. He’ll make mistakes and this is okay as long as you catch him before he does anything on the floor (which you do with an appropriate sized crate and training pads).
- If you’ve decided to go with clicker training, don’t be discouraged by the time it takes to house train. If you’re not giving your dog enough praise and inviting him to perform the desired behavior often enough, he won’t understand what it is that you want. You should begin this kind of training when your dog is between the age of 10 and 12 weeks.
- When your dog follows your instructions and you see him finished with it, say “Good Boy” or “Good Girl,” give him a treat and praise immediately. This will teach him that executing his owner’s order correctly earns a treat and compliment, which helps him learn house training faster.
Remember, all Border Collie puppies learn at different rates. By setting boundaries and schedules for housebreaking your Border Collie puppy it will not take as long as you think.
It’s also crucial to note that pups have tiny bladders. As a result, take frequent and regular opportunities to let them go to the toilet. This may be every hour on the hour at first.
If your Border Collie has an accident in the house, do not give it the incorrect message or rub its nose in its mess. While house training your Border Collie, praise is critical, and you should reward and compliment your Border Collie when it relieves itself outside.
Housebreaking at Night
If a Border Collie puppy has an accident at night, you’ll need to take it out at least once. To ensure that the Border Collie puppy understands that it is time to go potty, and not playtime, attach a leash to it.
If you don’t take your Border Collie puppy out on time, it will let you know with loud howls. It won’t be long before you notice the difference between a cry of distress and a call for attention. Make sure you react to your Border Collie puppy’s emergency squeals or it will have an accident indoors.
Why might accidents happen?
While accidents in the house may be frustrating, they can be a sign of more than poor house training:
Sickness
Your Border Collie may have parasites or a urinary tract infection. Keep an eye on your Border Collie puppy and see if it urinates frequently but only has a little amount of urine at each time. It might have a urinary tract infection if it does so regularly and there is only a tiny quantity of pee produced after every effort.
Anxiety
When left alone for lengthy periods of time or when there are loud noises such as thunder, Border Collies become frightened. They may urinate out of fright.
Territory Marking.
If your Border Collie is raising its leg all over the house, it’s a surefire indication that it’s marking its territory, which could be a behavioral issue.
Signs your Border Collie is fully house trained
So your dog has been accident free for several weeks, and you’re very confident that they “get it.” But how can you truly tell if your puppy is completely house-trained?
Border Collies that are fully house trained will exhibit the following signs:
- Them asking you to go to the right area to do their business
- No accidents for at least a month
- You feel comfortable that you are not concerned that there might be any accidents forthcoming.
If these three tests are met, then you can be pretty sure that your Border Collie is fully house trained.
Conclusion
Housebreaking a Border Collie can be a challenge, but it’s important to be patient and consistent with your training. By following the tips in this article, you’ll be able to successfully housebreak your pup in no time. Remember to praise your dog when they go outside and correct them when they have an accident indoors. With enough patience and practice, your Border Collie will soon become a well-trained member of the family!