A sure association here is that it is: always Safe if two-leggers are not present, and Dangerous a good deal of the time if the owner is around. Therefore you get more and more times when the pup goes outside, refuses to urinate in front of the Dangerous owner and waits until they get back inside and look for a Safe place Alone.

There was also that instance of isolated Human Rage Syndrome in the Kitchen - Unprovoked Human Aggression is a big problem for dogs. For the dog to figure out the puzzle of a consistent response and feedback about Potty Behavior makes life much easier. As far as the dog is concerned this is a tricky puzzle.

Finding Waldo is going to take a lot more searching – and unfortunately, due to missed associations there will be a lot of confusion; as well as a lot more unnecessary punishment, causing undue stress for dog and owner. What the dog does not know is that they are also playing this game by rules they are not even aware of.

More dogs are abandoned for being “unhousebroken” than for almost any other reason. That means dogs die because they didn’t figure out the puzzle quick enough.

Even if you intersperse the above with successful outside trips between, say, half the above scenarios, can you see how the dog still gets a very confusing picture? Most dogs figure it out eventually, in spite of the “training” given by the owner.

Owners have a tendency to assume knowledge where there is as of yet only confusion. However, you can succeed! To make Potty Training a done deal all you really have to do is to provide feedback for each and every potty performance.