One of the many things a dog owner will face is potty training their new puppy. While potty training mostly happens at the early puppyhood stages, dogs of all ages can suffer from urinating in the house due to different circumstances. With puppies, the reason for urinating in the house is due to their lack of understanding and training. They need to be trained to know that going to the bathroom in the house is not ok and going outside is the correct way. Certain adult dogs may go to the bathroom in the house, but that could be because of other underlining reasons.
If you have a male dog that is not neutered, their testosterone is still in check, which may give them the urge to mark their territory more often by urinating. Other reasons may be due to triggers around the house and your dog’s environment. The introduction to a new dog or a baby in the family may cause the dog to urinate in the house to claim territory. Loud construction work and fireworks may also trigger your dog, and thus get intimidated to go outside. Elderly dogs may go in the house unprompted due to their age and are not able to control their bowels like they were able to. Lastly if you have a fully grown dog that is still going to the bathroom in the house it may be due to a urinary tract infection which would require medical attention and constant maintenance for the dog’s safety.
When it comes to training your puppy to pee outside remember that patience is key. Never punish or yell at your puppy for urinating or defecating in the house as that can cause them to get more nervous and not go to the bathroom when you’re around. At the beginning of training your puppy, puppy pads are useful to avoid messes in their crates. After a few months you should be able to transition them from the puppy pads to outside. While moving the training to outside, make sure to always praise and reward your puppy when they pee outside so they understand that outside is the correct way.
Crate training your puppy is one of the best ways to house break them as well as other issues like separation anxiety and socialization. Crate training may take several attempts, but it’s one of the best ways to train your new puppy. You want to teach your puppy that the crate is good, so rewarding your pup when they walk into the crate is a good way for them to understand its good. Feeding your puppy in the crate on a schedule is a good practice to have as it teaches your dog when to expect food as well as showing them that good things happen in the crate. Providing your dog with play toys, as well as a soft bed will make the crate more comfortable and enjoyable so the puppy will enjoy staying there. In terms of size, you want the crate to be a perfect fit, having it too big will make the dog uncomfortable and want to leave. The perfect size should be big enough to where the dog can stand up and turn around without much difficulty, as well as not being large enough for the puppy to sleep in one corner and go to the bathroom in another.
Never forget to clean and disinfect any accident your dog does in the house, doing so right away will get rid of their scent so it doesn’t encourage them to continuously go to the bathroom in that location.
