Sometimes I look back on the earlier years of my life, and I wish I had gone to vet school.
But, as luck would have it, you can’t get time back.
And, I am lucky enough to be a veterinary technician. That, in and of itself, is a blessing.
The other day, I was speaking with the vet who owns the clinic where I work, and she was mentioning that it is the technicians who have the better job.
Vets spend time calculating doses of medication, calling clients, interpreting lab results, and we technicians spend most of our time with the animals.
In essence, I am joyful to be able to work not only as a vet tech, but also as a dog trainer; each gives me unique knowledge for the other line of work and sets me apart in each career.
The Big Difference?
The big difference between you and your veterinarian when it comes to potty training your puppy and accidents in the home is that they know how important conditioning is, and how much time and responsibility is involved in puppy training and ownership.
Conditioning and Puppy Potty Training
Conditioning is essentially something that becomes a habit.
Let us go back to classical conditioning and Pavlov.
At first, the bell meant nothing to the dog.
Once the bell was paired with the food, the dog began to drool when the bell was rung; this is known as conditioning.
The dog associates one thing with another, and it becomes a habit.
It took much longer to break the dog of the idea that the bell and food were related (a.k.a. counterconditioning).
Counterconditioning is possible, but it is much more difficult. It takes a longer and more intense commitment, because you are essentially breaking a habit or a conditioned idea.
To Simplify
Vets know that they don’t want their puppies to get into the habit of having accidents in the house.
The more accidents that the puppy has, the more likely he is to continue to fail, and the more difficult house training is going to be for them.
They realize that keeping the bad habits from ever solidifying is crucial when developing a good canine companion.
Work and Responsibility
Nothing is more work, and responsibility, than going to vet school and becoming a veterinarian.
Did you know that it is more difficult to get into vet school than it is to get into medical school, and the education often takes longer?
Also, vets need to be able to treat a wide variety of furry and feathered friends, whereas human doctors are only practicing on humans.
Veterinary medicine is amazingly intricate.
So, it is not difficult for your vet to understand the work and responsibility that a puppy takes.
Puppies can’t raise themselves!
We must be there to socialize them, train them, and ensure that they are potty trained.
They also know that the responsibility remains with THEM, and not their kids, their spouse, or the puppy.
Because it is so critical that the puppy not get used to having accidents around the house, they are consistently following their puppies around and getting them outside.
A baby can’t potty train itself, and a puppy can’t potty train itself.
It is crucial that we help them to be successful!
In Essence
Follow your puppy around and, if you have to, keep him on a leash with you!
Don’t allow him to wander off and have accidents.
Get him out after:
Eating
Play
Drinking
Sleeping
And essentially every 2 hours in the beginning.
A puppy can hold his bladder one hour per month of his age.
Two months (or 8 weeks) = two hours
Puppies are a lot of work!
If you decide to bring a puppy home, you need to accept how much work and responsibility is involved.
Time and consistency are essential to raising a great puppy!
via Whisker Therapy