Illusion Japanese Chin Information Housetraining Your Puppy

House breaking in theory is very simple. It is finding a means of preventing the Japanese Chin puppy from doing
his duties in the house and giving him only an opportunity to do it outside. A Japanese Chin is a strong creature of
habit and because he learns by association, he will soon know there is no other place to relieve himself but the
great outdoors and good old terra firma.

The trick then, is to find this magic means of prevention. Here we take advantage of a very natural instinct of the
dog -- his desire to keep his sleeping quarters clean - ie: not to mess his bed. It only follows that if we can devise a
bed that he cannot get out of - then presto - he is going to stay clean. Add to this a common sense schedule of
being taken from his bed to outside and we have the perfect answer to housebreaking.

Now to the important part - the common sense schedule we mentioned earlier. We'll start with the last thing at
night. Bedtime for the Japanese Chin puppy. Take your puppy out and give him an opportunity to do his duties (If
possible, and you are in a protected area, let him go free of the leash. Very often to start with, the leash can be
sufficient restriction to keep him from doing his duties.) If necessary use a suppository (such as a stick match) and
be sure to praise him when he has completed his duties. Take him inside at once and put him in his crate.

The first thing in the morning (and I mean the first thing) pick him up and take him outside. He's been clean all
night - and holding it all night - he should do his duties in a hurry. Now bring him in and give him freedom, but in
the kitchen only. A child's gate at the kitchen doorway is an excellent barrier to the other rooms in the house. Give
him his freedom while breakfast is being prepared and while you are eating breakfast. After your breakfast, and
when you have time to take him out, feed him his breakfast - and take him out immediately. Remember the rule -
outside after each meal.

Now bring him in and put him in his crate and go about your normal routine of the morning. He should stay in the
crate until about 11:00 to 11:30 A.M., then out of the crate and outside. Bring him in, and while you are preparing
and eating lunch let him have the freedom of the kitchen only, for an hour or two. Follow this with a quick trip
outside. Then back in and into the crate until 4:00 P.M. It is now time to feed him his dinner. Save yourself an
extra trip outside - feed him in the crate. As soon as he has finished his last mouthful - take him outside. After he
has completed his duties, bring him in and again give him the freedom of the kitchen while you are preparing
dinner and during the dinner hour. Give him another trip outside about 8:00 P.M. - and again just before your
bedtime.

Keep up this 24-hour schedule for at least 2 weeks, so that by prevention in the house and repetition of the habit
of doing his duties outside, he has the firm association with the proper place to relieve himself. You can now start
increasing his freedom out of the crate. Do this by first giving him freedom in the morning but again only in the
kitchen. If he remains clean then the next day, try freedom in the afternoon. It is only thru these testing periods
that you will know when he has arrived at the point of being reliable.

You should continue for a few more weeks (depending on the individual puppy) to put him in the crate during the
two most crucial periods - at night and when he is left alone in the house during the day (shopping periods, etc.)
Now that you have him reliable as far as the kitchen is concerned start introducing him to the other rooms of the
house, but under strict supervision.

Do not give him any food after 6 P.M. It takes a dog about 6 hours to digest his food and have an elimination as a
result of that meal. Any food after 6:00 PM may give him an unexpected urge after he is put to bed.

In spite of a rigid routine, your pup may have an occasional accident during his periods of freedom. Here is where
correction is necessary. If you catch him in the act, with a loud "NO" put him outside at once.

Remember, a Japanese Chin puppy learns by association and in connection with any act of wrong doing, he must
receive some form of discomfort in order to learn that he has done wrong. However, you must catch him in the act
- it does absolutely no good to punish him for a mistake he has made an hour or even five minutes earlier. This
applies whether the mistake is messing on the floor or chewing your best pair of shoes.

During periods of freedom watch for any circling around, sudden loss of interest in a toy, or going towards the
door. These are signs he needs to go out.

Hints For Housebreaking

DO start with a schedule. Japanese Chin are creatures of habit, so feed your puppy at the same time each day and
allow him to go out after playing, eating and sleeping. Be patient and don't rush him. When he performs, praise
him.

DO feed a high quality puppy chow, preferably a specialty food purchased from a pet supply store. Avoid foods
containing dyes, as these concentrate in the stool and can leave a permanent stain on your carpet.

DO feed your Japanese Chin puppy at least three times daily until four months of age and twice daily thereafter.

DO take up water and food at least two hours before bedtime.

DO use a 50/50 vinegar and water solution to deodorize any areas the puppy has wrongly used.

DO confine the Japanese Chin puppy in a crate or enclosed area when you can't supervise him. A Japanese Chin
puppy will not normally mess in his den area. Restrict his time outside the area of confinement. The only "safe"
time to allow him to move about freely is within the first half hour or so of elimination. Housebreaking is easier
when you avoid accidents. The crate should be just large enough for the puppy. If it is too large, he may use one
end of it for his bathroom.

DO use the "umbilical cord". That is, leash the puppy to you as you go about your day. Allow him access to his
bathroom area according to the schedule you have set up. Because he is confined by the leash, he is unlikely to
mess, and at the same time, his bond to you is strengthened by your continuous presence.

DO follow the principle of "earning rooms". Once the Japanese Chin puppy is four months old, you can try
leaving him unsupervised in one room of the house for various periods of time. After seven consecutive days
without an accident, allow him access to one more room. Again, after another seven consecutive days have been
accident-free, allow him access to a third room, and so on until he has the run of he whole house. But if he has an
accident at any one stage, return to the previous stage and continue your program from there.

DON'T supplement the Japanese Chin puppy's diet unless specifically instructed to by your veterinarian.

DON'T paper-train first and then expect your puppy to know to go outside. You will have to retrain him to use a
new area. The principles are the same for paper-training or outside housebreaking.

DON'T expect your Japanese Chin puppy to have good bladder control before he is four months old. Your puppy
will tell you how many times a day he needs to go out.

DON'T shout at, hit or otherwise abuse your puppy for having accidents. You will frighten him, thus interfering
with his ability to learn what you want him to learn. If you find a mess, take him to it and in a low tone of voice,
tell him how displeased you are as you point to the mess. Then take him to where he should have gone.

DON'T rub his nose in his mess. This is not training; it is abuse, and its only "value" is in relieving your frustration.
As well, this practice can result in a stool-eating dog.

DON'T put the accident in a bag and tie it around the puppy's neck. He has no way of knowing what you mean to
convey to him. No canine can possibly comprehend "I'm mad at you and this is how I'm going to get my revenge,"
which is what you're really thinking, isn't it?

DON'T buy a Japanese Chin puppy that has been raised in an unclean environment. They will be accustomed to
being filthy and will be difficult to teach to be clean.