Stop Accidents Indoors With THIS Puppy Potty Training Plan

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Stop Accidents Indoors With THIS Puppy Potty Training Plan

One of the most common difficulties we hear from puppy owners is that they take the puppy outside and then the puppy urinates immediately when they return!

In this video, Instructor Steve will walk you through a simple training plan that will help you avoid some of the common mistakes new dog owners make when it comes to potty training.

For some pups it will be an easy process to learn to be accident-free around the house, but for others there needs to be better information! And since we want our dogs to get the best information possible, having a plan of action will help you and your pup succeed!

Tips to prevent your dog from urinating at home

1. Reinforce him every time he urinates in the street

One of the most basic exercises to start working on modifying this behavior consists of creating a positive association between urinating in the street and the arrival of a reinforcer, which can be a piece of food, a social congratulation, a caress or a moment of play, depending on what your furry likes best.

You should offer this reinforcer only when the animal urinates in a suitable place and it has to be motivating for your dog, so don't be shy and throw him a small party every time he pees in the street!

This exercise will help your puppy to understand where she should and should not relieve herself, but it will also help you if you have an adult dog with poor hygiene habits due to lack of learning.

2. Increase the quality and frequency of rides

Walks with your dog should be quiet moments in which there is no rush and impatience. Remember that these moments are special for your furry friend, since they are the only moments of the day in which he can go out to sniff, explore and interact with the environment, something essential for his emotional well-being.

The ideal is to be able to walk through wide and green areas where there are not too many stressors, such as cars, children or loud noises. In this way, the dog will be able to relax more easily and relieve himself without being interrupted.

On the other hand, keep in mind that some animals need to move a little away from their guardian to be able to urinate or defecate in peace, so a leash of at least two meters will be the most appropriate.

If your dog continues to pee at home, consider increasing the frequency of walks so you have more opportunities to reinforce him when he urinates outside.

Plan to take it out at times when your dog is most likely to urinate, such as when he wakes up from a nap or for a while after eating or drinking water. It is not necessary that these walks be very long, especially in the case of puppies.

3. Establish a routine

Although it may seem obvious, one of the best tricks so that your dog does not urinate at home is to establish a routine and anticipate it.

Highly changeable and unpredictable environments can affect the emotional health of dogs and, consequently, their behavior.

Taking your dog for a walk always at the same times helps him create a routine and have a greater perception of control over his environment, which is very important to prevent certain stress and anxiety problems.

Letting your dog know with certainty how much time is left before he can go outside to urinate will reduce the chances that he will relieve himself at home.

Of course, keep in mind that if your dog is still a puppy, he may not be able to last several hours without urinating and, therefore, he will do so even if he has clearly established routines. You must adapt the schedules to the stage of development in which your furry is.

4. Reduce your stress level

Emotional disorders related to fear or stress, such as phobias or separation anxiety, can cause your dog to urinate at home. In the specific case of separation anxiety (APS), recurrent urination indoors when the dog is alone or physically separated from its guardians are considered a sign that the animal may be developing this disorder, along with other behaviors such as panting, crying , barking, stereotypes, nervousness or destructive behaviors.

Unfortunately, APS is a common problem and is never resolved by ignoring the animal or punishing it for urinating in the house. Its treatment must be adapted to the case of each individual and requires time and dedication on the part of the owner, who must get involved and work constantly and empathetically with the dog.

If you suspect that your furry friend is urinating at home due to stress or other emotional problems, you can try to help him by using special products such as canine appeasing pheromones or by enriching his environment with rechargeable toys or chewy snacks.

In any case, and in these cases, we always recommend contacting an ethologist or canine educator who works positively and can advise you on how to treat your furry friend's problem.

5. Clean with specific products

The areas that the animal marks with urine take on a different odor that invites the dog (or other dogs, if any) to urinate in the exact same spot in the future.

This is because dog urine contains pheromones that only dogs and other non-human animals are capable of detecting, and the smell of these pheromones remains impregnated in the soil and objects, even if we eliminate the urine itself.

To avoid this, it is necessary to clean the areas where the dog urinates with specific products that completely eliminate the smell and, therefore, "erase the tracks", so that the dog does not detect it.

These products are those that contain active oxygen in their composition. Neither bleach nor ammonia are effective in this case, so another trick to stop your dog from urinating at home is to use appropriate cleaning products.

6. Modify the value of a space

Sometimes dogs get used to urinate in a specific place in the house and only urinate there, for example, in a specific room or in the corner of a specific piece of furniture.

Something simple that you can try is to change the value that this place has for the dog, making it stop being considered the "bathroom".

Dogs do not usually urinate in the same place where they eat, rest or socialize, but in more remote areas. Start spending time with your dog in the area where he usually urinates, turning it into a play space or place the feeder, bed or other resources of interest there to modify the value that area has for him.

You must complement this exercise with a good cleaning of the space and work to reinforce the behavior of the street.

7. Never use punishment

You should know that dogs are not capable of establishing a causal relationship between two events that occur more than a few seconds apart.

In practice, this means that if you come home and see urination in the middle of the room, it is totally absurd to punish your dog for it, since the animal may have urinated hours ago and will not be able to understand why he is angry. No matter how much she lowers her ears and rolls onto his stomach, it doesn't mean he's sorry, he's just trying to calm down.

On the other hand, yelling or scolding the dog if you catch it in the act won't help either, because by doing so you're not addressing the cause of the problem and therefore not fixing it.

Most likely, in this case, the dog will either get scared of you and walk away from you to urinate without you seeing it, or it will start to develop other substitute behavior problems.

8. Visit the vet

If none of the tricks to prevent your dog from urinating at home work, we recommend you go to the veterinary center. As with any conduct disorder, it is necessary to rule out that the problem behavior has arisen as a consequence of an illness or physical condition.

There are several diseases that have polyuria (increased urine production) as one of their main symptoms, which can lead the dog to urinate inside when he can't stand it or feels bad. Some of the most prominent are:

• Urinary tract infections
• Kidney disease
• Canine diabetes mellitus
• Hyperadrenocorticism or Cushing's syndrome
• Pyometra

Often these pathologies also cause polydipsia, which is defined as an increased daily intake of water. Also, if the animal is being treated for some other pathology with diuretics, then this may be the cause of urination at home.

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Source: McCann Dog Training