Last Updated on 2 years by Jenny Sovann
There are two main reasons why a dog pees inside your home. The first is the most common where the dog is marking its territory. Secondly, the dog might be naturally relieving itself. Identifying the difference is not difficult. When the dog is marking the territory, he tends to spray his pee on upright objects such as furniture, door frames, and walls. On the other hand, if the dog wants to empty his bladder, they will leave a large puddle on the floor.
Whether relieving itself or marking, cleaning the dog pee in the house can be a nightmare. What is even worse is that this problem can virtually affect any dog. This will include a new puppy that is not house trained or an adult dog that has reverted to old habits. In this guide, we are going to help you stop your dog from peeing inside the house once and for all.
Why is My Dog Peeing in the House?
House soiling is a common problem among dogs but is often resolved during puppyhood. However, there are some instances where you will find your adult dog peeing in the house. In most cases, when a dog reverts into its old habits, there is a high chance that something has interfered its way of life. Before looking at the tips on how to stop the dog from peeing in the house, let’s look at some of the possible underlying behavioral causes for inappropriate urination.
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Anxiety
Often an introduction of a new pet or a new child into a home may upset the dog. Workers can also cause dog distress or confusion. This confusion can lead to accidents. If you find that your dog is peeing in the house when you are gone, it can also mean that it might be suffering from separation anxiety. Besides, the smell of a new carpet can lead to stress, inspiring the dog to mark it and make it familiar.
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Submission/Fear
According to experts, although submissive urination is often seen in puppies, it can be exhibited in any age of the dog. It can be triggered when the owner starts scolding the dog. Introduction of a stranger can also lead to this submissive behavior.
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Improper House Training
If your dog did not get proper potty training, it isn’t fair to expect the dog to urinate outside only. For this reason, you should ensure that your pet gets adequate house training to ensure that he/she only urinate outdoors.
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Your dog is marking
This is another main reason why your dog is peeing inside the house. There are various reasons why a dog may start marking its territory. First, if you move to a new home, your dog must mark its new territory. Addition of a new carpet may also inspire him to mark his territory. Besides, the addition of a new pet or child could also lead to this.
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Your dog is sick or a senior
If you find that your adult dog has started peeing in the house all over sudden, you should consult your vet. Like us humans, various health-related issues could lead to this new behavior. For instance, female dogs cab experience bladder control problems because of low estrogen levels especially if they are older or spayed. Some of the other serious complications are issues such as kidney disease or tumors. Visiting a licensed vet can help determine whether the sudden change is as a result of a medical problem. If no health issues are affecting your dog, you can now focus now focus on behavioral issues.
What to do to stop a Dog from Peeing Indoors
Now that you already know some of the crucial things that may make your dog pee indoors, it is time to address the issue. Below are the essential steps that should help you prevent your dog from peeing indoors effectively.
1. Take Your Dog Outside Frequently
The simplest solution to this problem is to take the dog outside frequently. If your dog has more opportunities to go out there are higher chances that it will relieve themselves outsides. Small sized dogs have itty-bitty bladders. Therefore, if your pet falls into this category, it is crucial to take them outside more frequently.
This repetition is excellent, as the dog will start correlating going outside to relieving himself or herself. The best way to do this is to create a consistent schedule. Also, ensure that you take them to the same spot. Doing so will reinforce the expectations of what they are supposed to do. If you find that your dog continues peeing in the house, try taking them outside after every thirty minutes. Although they will pee every time, they will start understanding that it’s time to do so.
2. Watch for Signs
Sometimes, you can be lucky to get your dog just before it starts peeing. Various tell-tale signs notify you that your dog wants to pee. Once you get to see these signs, take the dog outside immediately. While you are out, you simply need to wait a few moments for it to urinate. Below are some of the tell-tale signs that your dog has to go potty
- Sniffing
- Restlessness
- Circling
- Whining at the door
- A sudden bolt to a corner or another room
Ones you see your dog exhibiting any of these behaviors, you should take them outside immediately. Even if you are not sure, it is better to be safe than sorry.
Additionally, as soon as seeing any of these signs, you should say verbal cues such as outside! This will teach your dog if they have an urge to pee, they should go outside. As soon as they begin peeing outside you need to reward the good behavior. Applauding and praising them for good behavior offers positive reinforcement. This makes them associate peeing outdoor with your praise and approval.
3. Create a smaller space
When it comes to creating smaller areas, you can do so by keeping your dog in a crate at night or when you are away. And if you are hanging out in your house, you can use baby gates to limit the area. The best thing about these gates is that they are super easy to put up and take down.
Allowing your dog roam the house before potty training them is a recipe for disaster. Doing so enables your dog to sneak off and pee in a tight corner where you cannot see them. Secondly, dogs love living in a clean environment, so creating a smaller space signal that this is their den. For these reasons, the dog is less likely to pee there. Another great thing about creating a smaller space is that you are likely to see the dog during the act.
Once you do this, you should capture its attention with a loud noise. You can do this by either shouting or clapping your hands. You can also make other noises that will make halt peeing temporarily and jump towards a corner. After this, take the dog out and allows it to finish urinating. Although it is frustrating having to clean up the urine, stopping them in the act is a little punishment that your dog deserves. This way, the dog will comprehend what they did wasn’t allowed and rectify their mistakes.
4. Clean up the mess quickly
When your dog pees in the house, make a point of cleaning it up immediately. We recommend using a cleaning detergent that removes the scent. Sadly, if your dog smells an old mess, they think of that as a spot where they can go to a bathroom. Although many cleaning detergents claim to help in removal of the urine scent, very few, do so. To get the best solution, we recommend going through customer reviews.
5. Stop The Dog from Marking
As mentioned on the reasons why the dog is peeing inside the house, marking is one of the leading causes. The dog may mark one sport or multiple spots inside the house. If he is marking one sport repeatedly, we recommend using a pet urine enzyme cleaner and allow it to dry thoroughly. The main reason why he may be marking this spot is that it has an old scent of urine. As previously mentioned, an old smell makes the dogs think of the place like a bathroom area.
After cleaning the area, restrict him the access until the area dries completely. If a removable carpet covers the spot, take it outside. You can also put the dog crate or bed in this spot. Chances are, your dog will not mess where he is sleeping. If this helps, ensure he sleeps in that spot for about two weeks. If this doesn’t stop him, place his food and water bowls.
If your dog is marking multiple spots insides, stopping him from doing so is not easy. However, we have a tip that works incredibly well. Get a bandana and use it to wipe his urine. Let the bandana dry and wrap it around his neck. Once you do this, his smell will go with him wherever he is. By doing this, he will not have the urge to mark the house since his scent will be all over the house.
6. Praise Your Dog for Peeing Outside
As you probably know, dogs learn best from positive reinforcement training. For this reason, if your dog pees in the right spot outdoor, applaud, and give them a treat. This way, your pup will understand that peeing in the outdoor is a good thing. Positive reinforcement is not only great for potty training. It also helps in teaching your dog on how they should lie down, sit as well as other essential behavior.
Praising your dog at the right time will play a crucial role in changing their behavior. Shouting or making a loud noise by clapping also prevents them from doing something that is not right. Therefore, whenever you take your dog outside and it pees on the right spot, give it plenty of praise and approval. Doing this three times or more daily, you will start noticing changes in behaviors in less than a week.
7. Be Patient and Consistent
Practice and consistency are critical when it comes to potty training your dog. Although cleaning the mess is not pleasant, you should avoid yelling or worse hitting your dog. This will scare them and they will never understand what they did wrong. Instead, you should keep your tone positive and pleasant.
Additionally, understand that potty training is not easy. However, if you want your dog to understand what to do and what not, it needs consistent training and repetition. However, if you train for long periods and still find the dog peeing inside the house we recommend visiting a veterinarian. These experts will check your dog to see whether there is a medical condition causing this. Moreover, these experts can also recommend a specialized approach.
Things to Avoid
To get positive results in a short period, there are some things that you should avoid doing. Most of these are myths that have been used for a long time, but in reality, they don’t help. The first and most common are rubbing your dog’s nose. People believe by rubbing the nose of the dog; their dog will stop the bad behavior. However, it is crucial to note that the dog cannot stop something that it doesn’t know it is doing wrong.
This is a needless punishment since the dog will never understand what made you made. Worse, even, your dog will start being scared and fearful of you. This means that the dog is likely to pee in different rooms or hidden corners.
Conclusion
We strongly advise against punishing your dog after finding pee inside the house. We understand, no one loves cleaning this mess. However, channeling your anger towards an innocent dog won’t help. Your dog is like a child. If you scream at an infant for messing the diapers, do you really expect any change? The best thing to do this is to recommit following the basic rules listed on our above guide. Doing so will give you positive results in a matter of days!
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