Teaching Four Dogs to Potty in One Spot

For this Council Bluffs dog training session we were called in to teach a quartet of dogs to potty in one part of the yard; 11 year old Chihuahua mix Callie, 6 year-old Australian Shepherd Bonzo and 5 year -old Australian Shepherd Harley (2 year old Lab mix Daisy not pictured).

I started out going over a number of dog behavior tips to help create a healthy leader follower dynamic as Bonzo has picked a few fights with Harley. Increasing exercise, adding rules and consistently enforcing them will help reduce the dog fights.

I also suggested they stop petting Bonzo when he tried to nudge his way into attention that was being given to the other dogs. It will also be important to prevent him from trying to stand in the way / block the other dogs from getting close to the humans. This is his way of trying to control the other dogs and humans so this little step is pretty important.

Id also like the guardians to stop rewarding the dogs for jumping up or nudging for attention. This is a mistake many people make with their dogs, thinking they are just giving out pets. But this confused the dog into thinking the human takes direction from them. As a dog behaviorist, I have found this interaction is the root of many unwanted dog behavior problems.

Instead Id like to see the guardians petting their dogs with a purpose and rewarding desired behaviors that are not asked for. Those two things seem small and they are. But they generate big results when you do them often.

Another issue the guardians asked for help with is how to teach the dogs to go to the bathroom in one spot. Training dogs to potty in one place is pretty easy using positive reinforcement. You can learn how to train your dog to potty in one place by watching the free positive dog training video below.

Teaching your dog to go to the bathroom in a specific part of your yard is so easy anyone can do it, even if you are not a professional Australian Shepherd dog trainer or Council Bluff’s dog behavior expert.

If the guardians keep practicing this tip to get a dog to potty in one place, it shouldn’t take long for all four dogs to go to the bathroom in one location.

To help the guardians remember all the other dog training tips we covered in this in home Council Bluffs dog training session, we recorded a roadmap to success video that you can check out below.