A dog’s home is not his castle, but the backyard is his kingdom! So, how do you explain the difference to him?
The answer is you can’t—and I don’t mean verbally. Your dog does not live in the “it’s complicated” world. It’s your job to uncomplicate life for your dog. Teaching your pup in a less convoluted environment ensures better results and a happier, well-trained, content dog. Let me simplify. If you remove the grey area, your dog will not be confused about what is okay or not okay to do. When you have a “puppy in the training stage of life,” there are no questionable circumstances in which you leave it “up to the pup” to know what he can or cannot do and what is acceptable or unacceptable.
Examine your own reasons why you may let your dog spend time in the backyard ALONE and UNSUPERVISED. Here are some of the reasons pet parents told me during training sessions. I had to wonder why the dog looked so sad at the back door if he was so happy going outside.
I let him out to go potty.- He runs around and gets exercise.
- He likes to chase squirrels and birds.
- He likes to lie in the sun.
- I’m trying to tire him out.
- When he gets out of control, I put him outside.
Does any of this sound familiar? I agree that a puppy should be allowed to “be a puppy,” but as pet parents, we hold a responsibility to teach a puppy appropriately and with an understanding that what we do may initiate and/or validate unwanted behaviors, causing problems that would otherwise not arise.
Let’s revisit each pet parent’s reason for unsupervised outdoor playtime.
If you let your puppy out by himself to go to the “bathroom” he may or may not urinate or defecate. You won’t know unless you’re watching. Even if he does squat to urinate, any distraction will cause him to stop midway, and then he will probably finish once he’s inside.
Additionally, your puppy will believe that the entire property is his bathroom. He will also manipulate you into letting him out more often than necessary, as you will think he has to either pee or poo.
Beneficial alternative- Your puppy should be on a leash until he “goes to the bathroom” in a designated area. THEN release him to play as a reward. For more information, see “GOING TO THE BATHROOM OR GOING FOR A WALK” and “WHAT JENNA REFERS TO AS THE DESIGNATED BATHROOM.”
- Most puppies and adult dogs run for fun and exercise for a very short time. After that, they find something interesting to chew on or dig at, get tired, and lie down and fall asleep.
Beneficial alternative: Play ball or frisbee with your puppy. Teach him to fetch and come when called.
- Puppies will chase almost anything. Encouraging this activity will increase his chance of getting lost or hurt, not coming into the house from the back yard, and having no regard for coming when you call him.
Beneficial alternative- Teach your puppy to wait before you throw a ball and give him the “go” to chase after it. That part alone will help him to learn impulse control. Teaching him to bring it back is part of coming when called.
Dogs get overheated, dehydrated, and suffer heat stroke quite easily. They are also susceptible to sunburn.
Beneficial alternative- Taking a long walk, practicing on-leash training skills, and playing outdoors together will give your puppy all the fresh air and sun he needs.
- I know; a tired dog is a good dog. However, if your puppy is left to his own devices, he will dig, chew, eat, and destroy anything he feels like. So why can’t he do the same inside your home?
Beneficial alternative- Mental stimulation is more exhausting and favorable for a puppy than misguided physical activity. Training your puppy to sit, stay, walk on a leash, play ball, or come-when-called, to name a few, will tire him out and benefit both of you much more.
- When pet parents can’t handle or control their puppy in the house, they use a Band-Aid by putting the puppy outside. The only purpose that serves is to relieve the pet parent of the tension and stress caused by whatever the puppy is doing. This immediate fix fixes nothing else.
The truth is, the more time a dog spends outside alone, the worse his behavior will be inside your home, even when you are with him. When a puppy can do anything he wants, to anything he wants, whenever he wants, how can he understand that the same lack of rules does not apply inside?
If your property, deck, closed-in patio, or sunroom becomes your dog’s kingdom, what about the castle?
Beneficial alternative- If you must allow your puppy to go outside alone, do it for a limited time. It will give you more control over your puppy if you bring him inside and work on his behavioral skills with him. Teach him to play with his toys and be content. If he’s good, he gets to go outside again.
