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Puppies
Key Action in Housebreaking
In the normal order of housebreaking, consistency is the most rapid
reinforcer. Young dogs need an organize routine. Out the same door, to
one area and a word such as "get busy" to link deed to demand. Indoors, it is a
blend of containment and observation. Young cats need two litter boxes until
one is favored and age tames impulses. For the owner of an aberrant house
soiler, however, the solution is not so straight forward.
Dogs
Most dogs of this label fall into three categories: territorial,
attention getting, or separation anxiety. In the mind of a territorial dog
you and your home are his responsibility. Each environmental detection is
interpreted. Perceived threats warrant action. Action for many dogs is a
urine spray accompanied with barking/growling. In the wild this behavior is
called marking and it is used to establish territorial boundaries, much as we
use fences to indicate property lines. Resolution is possible, though the
road may be long. This dog will need training to reinforce your leadership
position, and containment during excitement.
The attention getter enjoys the rise a puddle or pile will induce.
Watching the clean up is utter joy. This dog must be taught other ways to
earn affection. As far as the old habit, it must be ignored and the clean up
complete while the dog is isolated.
Separation anxiety is another matter. Being left alone is not
something dogs are genetically predisposed to. Pack animals by nature they prefer
constant companionship to the comings and goings of our 90s lifestyle. For
dogs stressed when their owners are out of sight bladder control can be
problematic; concerns rise as the doors shut, pacing begins and accidents
happen. The remedy is detailed. In summary it involves graduated departures
and an avoidance of all post-action corrections. Discipline, surprisingly,
is the primary culprit of separation anxiety: shame a dog who messed in the
distress of your departure and you'll enforce their concern, ensuring a
repeat performance. Separation is something a dog can learn to tolerate
though never enjoy.
Cats
Cats follow a different sense of logic. Unlike dogs they don't relate
to a hierarchy, in which your position could influence their actions.
Their habits can be hard to map. There's the cat who enjoys the absorbent effect
of carpet or a pile of clothes. Then the group who favor linoleum in the
form of sinks and bathtubs. And we can't forget those who seek the privacy
of a closet or cabinet. The cat who marks or eliminates when a stress is
present, such as another cat on the front porch, or an addition or
subtraction of a house member, is easy to follow though hard to persuade.
The list of methods used to discourage cats is long and unconnected:
from multiple litter boxes and isolation to drugs to a spray of facial pheromones.
Together they point to one fact: there is no sure-fire method. One that
should top the list, but rarely does, is on our part: relax. The more angry
one gets at a self-contained, defenseless animal, the more stressed that
animal will feel, which leads to more aberrant habits. Cats cannot retain
corrections as a dog and a threatened cat will have more reason to allay
their fears by redefining territory with scent.
Each of these reactions is a case study in themselves. With dogs the
variables include breed predisposition, temperamental analysis, and
environmental awareness. Cats vary in surface preference, stress regulation,
sex and age. The one undeniable factor in each is that having chosen to
share our lives with another species, we cannot always direct their behavior in
the way we want. Their influences are wide, their feelings are many, and their
communication is species specific. We can at best come to understand them,
encourage their habits to the degree possible, and accept and care for them
for who they are.
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