BowTie Inc. - Housetraining

Waste Not, Want Not

Housetraining a puppy is easy compared to housetraining a pet owner.

BY ROGER SIPE

A fter reading the articles that follow, you will be well on your way to having a housetrained dog. When he needs to go, hell let you know. When you are out on a walk, hell be sure to make one last stop. And once he is finished, you can go back inside. Your job is done. Once hes finished, you are, too, right?

Wrong.

Umm, theres something left there on the ground. Someone has to pick that up. Yes, I know you dont want to talk about that little stinky gift, but the last time I checked, a dog doesnt have any hands. I think youd better scoop it up and dispose of it properly.

Its just fertilizer, you say. Actually, no, it is not. Dog waste is not something that will make the grass greener or your tomatoes bigger. In fact, it can contain bacteria like E. coli, salmonella and fecal coliform, as well as parasites like giardia, hookworms and roundworms.

Dog waste is a serious problem in the United States. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the typical dog excretes three quarters of a pound of waste per day (or 274 pounds per year!), depending on size and diet. The American Pet Product Manufacturers Association estimated that in 2000, there were 68 million dogs in the United States. Thats 51 million pounds of poop per day, or nearly 18 billion pounds of waste each year 18 billion!

MIXED BREED

Having a well-mannered dog is great as long as his owner follows the rules, too!

Dog waste increases health threats for animals and people at parks and playgrounds, and even in your own backyard. A simple rain shower can carry all that bacteria and those parasites into our lakes, rivers, oceans and other water supplies.

Something needs to be done. In fact, it is already beginning. Pooper-scooper laws in many cities are making it financially and legally the correct thing to do (fines can be more than $50), and in the good, old American tradition, many businesses are realizing that for every problem, there is a business solution.

Pet Butler (www.petbutler.com) offers a pet-waste removal service for about $12 a week. Hueter Toledo in Bellevue, Ohio, has created Doggie Dooley (www.doggiedooley.com), a miniature septic tank for your backyard that will reduce dog waste to a ground-absorbing liquid. Hundreds more companies like these are out there. Go to Pooper-Scooper.com for a list of businesses in your area that deal with the doo.

T he simplest solution, of course, just takes a few seconds, a plastic bag and a trash can. Scoop it, bag it and toss it into the trash. Although this wont completely solve the problem, its a pretty good start.

Features

Before you can put it into practice, you must know what housetraining is all about.

BY SUSAN McCULLOUGH

Follow our easy schedule for simple housetraining success.

BY CHRISTINA COX-EVICK

Putting your housetraining schedule down on paper will help your dog learn the rules.

BY NICOLE SIPE

Find out which techniques expert breeders and trainers recommend and advise against for stubborn housetrainees.

BY AMY FERNANDEZ

Cratetraining is essential for all puppies.

BY KYRA KIRKWOOD

Todays technology makes pottying indoors acceptable and convenient for some dogs.

BY D. CAROLINE COILE

Hit those puppy stains one more time with these simple cleanup solutions.

BY NIKKI MOUSTAKI

Housetraining begins at a puppys food and water bowls.

BY KARLA S. RUGH, D.V.M., Ph.D.

Sometimes, your dogs potty problems can be health-related.

BY MARCIA KING

Dont fall for the many myths about housetraining. Get the facts.

BY SUSAN McCULLOUGH

If you opt to adopt an adult dog, he still will need to learn the rules of the house.

BY JANET M. PEPSIN

Urban puppies get a new lease on life when it comes to indoor housetraining.

BY LISA HANKS

Even the most experienced dog owners have housetraining horror stories, but dont fret. One day youll look back on them and laugh. We promise.

BY EVE ADAMSON

Housetraining preparations arent complete without a trip to the pet-supply store.

BY NIKKI MOUSTAKI

Housetraining your puppy away from home or while traveling presents its own challenges.

BY SEPTEMBER B. MORN

Just because you have dogs doesnt mean you cant have a nice back yard.

BY JOAN HUSTACE WALKER

Expect your housetraining experience to be unique, and learn to adapt.

BY VIRGINIA PARKER GUIDRY

Cover photo by Diane Lewis/American Pit Bull Terrier

HOUSETRAINING

Popular Dogs Series Topic Volume 8 2011
a Popular Pets Magabook

Marketing Supervisor
Mica Matvia

Contributing Photographers
Norvia Behling; Mary Bloom; Paulette Braun; Click the Photo Connection; Close Encounters of the Furry Kind; Dwight Dyke; Jean M. Fogle; Cris Kelly; Zig Leszczynski; Diane Lewis; Pam Marks; Sherri Regalbuto; Judith E. Strom

Prepress Team
Karen Bartz, Frank Esteinou, Shawn Fung, Jorge Lopez, Myles Nguyen, Paul Rosales

Imaging
Gina Cioli

Editorial and Sales Office
3 Burroughs, Irvine, CA 92618

Sales Offices
3 Burroughs, Irvine, CA 92618

Jeff Scharf, Publisher; Bill Rauch, Associate Publisher

HOUSETRAINING has been published by I-5 Magazines, A Division of I-5 Publishing, LLC, 3 Burroughs, Irvine, CA 92618.

NORMAN RIDKER, Chairman of the Board; JEFF SCHARF, Vice President, Advertising; NICOLE FABIAN, Chief Financial Officer; CRAIG WISDA, Controller; DOLORES WHITLO, Vice President, Consumer Marketing; JUNE KIKUCHI,Vice President, Chief Content Officer; CHARLES LEE, IT Director; RICH GOMEZ, Manufacturing Director; PAM ALBERT, Facilities and Administration Director, CHERRI BUCHANAN, Human Resources Director

Reasonable care in handling photographs and written submissions will be taken, but HOUSETRAINING assumes no responsibility for lost or damaged material. Copyright 2006 by I-5 Publishing, LLC All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any material from this title in whole or in part is strictly prohibited unless expressly authorized by the publisher. JUI I

Registration Number: R126851765
Part of the Popular Pet Series