BehavioRx Case of the Month
for December 1998

A Non-Crating Success Story

The clients called for help in housetraining their 7-week-old male Golden Retriever. They had just picked him up from a breeder, who also sold them a crate, with the advice to keep the puppy in it whenever they couldn't supervise him, for sleeping at night and when they were at work, which was from 8:15 AM to 5:45 PM, five days a week. They did a little arithmetic and
figured out the puppy would be spending 117 hours a week in the crate. With 168 hours in a week, they figured the puppy would be spending almost 70% of its formative life in a crate. They said they wanted to avoid this if they could, since they felt it would not be humane. On the other hand, they didn't want the puppy to teeth on the furniture, electric cords and carpets
in their absence, either.

Interestingly, one of the clients, a psychologist, recalled studying about stimulus deprivation in animals and children and the detrimental effects it had produced in perception, bone and cartilage development, as well as deficiencies in the immune systems compared to free-living children and animals. We agreed with their conclusions and suggested a household Puppy-Proofing program which we were developing. They used it with great success. It is presented here as our Christmas gift for 1998 to puppies and their people.

Sleeping Arrangements:
First they were to have the puppy sleep in a warm spot, next to their bed, on a cozy dog bed with a warm blanket over him. If they preferred, they could put the bed in a box. Since the puppy had been sleeping though the night with his litter, being close other living "animals" would probably induce sleep in the new home in his new bed. They ignored the whining the first night and the pup did sleep until morning with no further fussing.

A Home with a Home
They spent most of their time in the house in a den, so we advised that they pick up a portable puppy exercise pen, put the pup's water, bed and chew-toys in it and leave him there when they couldn't supervise him or were away from home. They decided to put down a piece of remnant carpet as a floor to protect their permanent carpet. They also put some heavy plaster
sheeting under the remnant caret... just for insurance. They were advised not to be emotional when leaving or coming home, and to put him inside at least five minutes before leaving and not to take him out until he calmed down at homecomings. They said the pup was very calm after the first three days they left him in the pen.

Chew-Proofing the House
We gratefully thank the pioneers John Paul Scott and John L. Fuller for the seeds of this idea, published in "Dog Behavior, The Genetic Basis," which is the current soft cover title for their landmark 1965 text "Genetics and the Social behavior of the Dog." They tested newborns' sniffers using a commercial dog repellent containing oil of citronella. It is almost odorless to people, but leaves a "slightly nauseating after-taste in the throat." Their newborn puppies reacted to the stuff by withdrawing their heads as far as possible. This is interesting, since the olfactory nerves in newborn pups are so underdeveloped that it is thought the sense of smell is not of any use! However, their sense of taste is both developed and useful, else they might eat anything, even caustic materials.

We recommend introducing one type of movable baited taboo article at a time. However, oil should be applied to some of the permanent, fixed chewables from the beginning; stationary chair legs, the corners of furniture, baseboards, cabinets, etc. Then, the best movable item to start with is electrical cords, unplugged. All cords are baited in every room. This avoids the danger that "context learning" might apply, i.e. the pup learns to avoid cords in one room, but not in others. The pup should be allowed to investigate freely, with the owners out of his sight, but able to monitor reactions. The cords should be re-baited daily with the oil for four days, then left without refreshing. Of course, if a puppy shows no aversion to oil of citronella, another substance must be used. Substitutes generally recommended are bitter apple, liquid styptic, lemon oil and unscented underarm deodorant.

A desirable chewable toy should be left in each room. We don't recommend food-baited toys, such as Kongs with peanut butter inside, because these may be so attractive that the pup doesn't investigate the cords and learn the avoidance. Among the most desirable chewables are Nylabones, (non-chocolate flavored), Gummabones, Kongs and other non-destructible articles. Since the puppy is also in a housetraining period, we do not recommend any chewable that will be ingested in small pieces, because this can stimulate defecation and urination. Next, baited footwear, shoes, slippers and socks should be left around; the oil must also be applied to the footwear being worn by family members. The baiting should be stopped when the puppy ignores the objects for four days and confines all chewing interest to acceptable chewables.    

The strength and appeal of this type of puppy-proofing a home lies in the fact that the articles themselves say "don't put me in your mouth" and, since absolutely no negative treatment of the puppy is required, the corrections are effective even in the owners' absence.

Merry Christmas, woof-woof and a prosperous 1999 to all pups and their people.

Previous Cases

November 1998
October 1998
September 1998
August 1998
July 1998
June 1998
May 1998
April 1998
March 1998
February 1998
January 1998
December 1997
November 1997
October 1997
September 1997
August 1997
July 1997
June 1997
May 1997
April 1997
March 1997
February 1997
January 1997
December 1996
November 1996
October 1996

Return to Case of the Month

Return to the BehavioRx Home Page