How to Train Your Dog to Not Pee in the House

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Introduction
Bringing home a new dog is tons of fun! But those first few weeks can be quite the hassle. Both you and your pup have to get used to life with each other. For most puppies, this means learning where they should – and should – not pee!
You'll lose the rose-colored glasses of puppyhood fast if your house starts to smell like a kennel. Some dogs just don't know where they are supposed “go.” Others are trying to claim various possessions by sprinkling them with their signature scent. Either way, you're probably going to want your pooch to not pee in your house.
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Defining Tasks
Teaching canines to only pee outside is called “housebreaking.” It's pretty standard for puppies to learn this hygienic habit, but sometimes an older dog will have to learn it too. This is often the case of rescue dogs, or dogs who have lived their entire life outdoors.
The goal is to help your four-legged friend understand that peeing should only happen when the dog is out of the house. Eventually, you can even train your dog to pee on command! But you've got to crawl before you run. Most pups will need to start at the very beginning of housebreaking. And the whole process may take several months to perfect!
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Getting Started
To help you on your puppy-potty-training journey, you're going to need a few things. Below are a few essentials to help get the job done.
- Treats: Every time your dog piddles in the right spot, you'll want to give her lots of treats, so stock up!
- Cleaning Supplies: News flash – your dog is going to make some messes. It may seem like every time you come home there is a puddle waiting for you. But the right cleaning supplies can help with the problem. Get something that is enzyme based so that no scent remains.
- Patience: It's easy to get frustrated when you feel like there isn't any progress. But getting angry will only confuse your pupper. Keep a cool head and only scold your dog if you catch her in the act.
It's important to mention that in rare cases, your pooch might be peeing inside because of a health problem. Take the dog in for a check-up to be sure all is well.
Following are some of the best tried and true ways to teach your dog to keep the urine on the grass and off of the carpets. No matter which one you choose, remember that consistency is key!
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The Scheduled Appointments Method
Most Recommended
29 Votes
Most Recommended
29 Votes

Rise and shine
Each and every day, as soon as your pup wakes up, take him out (even if there's still sleep in your eyes)!
Establish routine
Feed him breakfast at the same time each morning. Also provide a bowl of water. Bring him back outside between 5 and 30 minutes after breakfast.
Watch and walk
Watch throughout the day for when your pooch grabs a drink. Make sure to head right back out there 5–30 minutes after water intake.
Evening drill
Serve dinner at the same time each night. Let the dog out once again shortly after dinner. Do not put out bowls of water after dinner time to lower the chance of a bed time accident.
The Scent-Free Method
Effective
12 Votes
Effective
12 Votes

Prepare
Go out and buy a cleaner made especially for dog urine. Regular cleaner just won't get the smells out. Even if you can't tell there was pee on the floor, your dog's amazing nose can still probably pick it up.
Clean promptly
If at all possible, do not let messes sit! They will soak deeper into your floor the longer they are left, becoming harder and harder to clean.
Indicate a good spot
If using a cloth towel to clean up, place the soiled one outside where you'd like your fur buddy to go instead.
Neutralize
Spray the site of the accident with the cleaner. Be generous, you don't want your dog getting confused by the smell of his own golden fluids and deciding that your living room is his toilet. Read the instructions! Some cleaners require you to let them sit for a while before you sop them up. Whatever the directions are, follow them all, or you might as well not bother.
The Positive Tinkling Method
Least Recommended
10 Votes
Least Recommended
10 Votes

Be vigilant
From the moment your pooch wakes up until they rest their eyes at night, watch them! If this means taking off a few days of work, try to arrange it if at all possible.
Run!
Every time the pup starts to sniff around or circle, head on out – and fast!
Celebrate!
If you guys make it out in time and your fur-baby succeeds, praise him like crazy! Even dish out a few treats so the dog associates outside peeing with a good time.
Be understanding
Don't get mad if you find a smelly yellow puddle on your floor. If the dog has already peed, it's too late to correct him.
Introduce a command
When your dog starts to “go” outside more consistently, start to give a command like “do your business” or “potty time” each time the dog exits. This way the pooch will be able to eliminate on command, which is super awesome for walks and road trips!
By Abby Clark
Published: 09/20/2017, edited: 01/08/2021
Training Questions and Answers
King
youkie
Two Years
Question
0 found helpful
0 found helpful
baking when I get ready to leave and new home but old owner of the home had a dog do he pees in the house please help me
Jan. 17, 2023
King's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1133 Dog owners recommended
Hello, For the barking, I recommend teaching Place and practicing having pup stay on Place while you are home, working up to pup staying on place while you go into another room for a few minutes, to build their independence and confidence while away from you. Second, I would set up a camera so you can spy on pup in real time. If you have two smart phones or tablets, you can use something like skype with pup's end on mute, to watch pup from your phone. Go outside and spy on pup. Whenever pup pauses the barking for even a couple of seconds, return back inside while they are quiet and sprinkle a couple of treats on the floor then leave again. Gradually increase how long you stay gone for based on how long pup can stay quiet for, rewarding pup not just for stopping the barking but keeping the barking stopped as pup improves at this exercise. At first you are looking for just a couple of seconds of quiet to reward. Very gradually increase how long you wait to reward as pup improves, adding just a couple seconds, then a few seconds, then a minute, then two minutes, then five minutes, then eight minutes, then ten, fifteen, twenty, thirty, ect...building upon pup;s training. I also recommend stuffing something like a hollow kong with really yummy treats that are safe to leave pup unsupervised with to encourage pup to focus on that toy instead of your absence. Another option is something like autotrainer or pet tutor. A device that will automatically release a treat for pup if you purchase a model that can be programed to detect when pup is quiet, and release the treat after pup is quiet for a certain amount of time, to encourage pup to stay quiet also. For the accidents, you will likely need to thoroughly clean the floor with a cleaner that's safe for your flooring type and has enzymes. Only enzymes will fully break down the pee or poop smells that are remaining, and might be encouraging your pup to also potty there to mark. Additionally, give pup a refresher on potty training and treat them like a puppy again for about a month until things improve. The easiest way to do this for quicker results is to crate pup at night and when you are away and to keep pup tethered to yourself with a hands free leash when they are not crated or outside, so you can prevent pup from sneaking away to go potty and interrupt any signs of needing to go - like circling, sniffing, or squatting, and quickly get pup outside. Be sure to reward pup with a treat and ample praise when they do go potty outside, to help pup understand where to go potty and not go potty in the new home. The stricter you can be upfront about managing pup's freedom, schedule, and cleanliness, the less likely pup is to have lingering issues with accidents that persist for longer. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Jan. 17, 2023
willow
American Bulldog
Two Months
Question
0 found helpful
0 found helpful
I’m struggling with her biting furniture and people, she is only 7 weeks and 4 days so i undertand this is going to happen, but i’m unsure on how to correct it to stop it, as she will be a very big dog and biting needs to be corrected. i have tried saying “no” loudly and moving her away or replacing with a toy but that doesn’t seem to work. i know this will continue to happen longer as she is a puppy and they do bite, but i just want to make sure she is corrected in the right way
Nov. 4, 2022
willow's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1133 Dog owners recommended
Hello, Good for you on being proactive! It is completely normal at this age though, so you aren't behind at all. For the chewing of objects, check out this article on chewing: https://www.petful.com/behaviors/train-dog-not-to-chew/ For the people biting, check out the article linked below. Starting today, use the "Bite Inhibition" method. BUT at the same time, begin teaching "Leave It" from the "Leave It" method. As soon as pup is good as the Leave It game, start telling pup to "Leave It" when she attempts to bite or is tempted to bite. Reward pup if she makes a good choice. If she disobeys your leave it command, use the Out command from the second article linked below to make her leave the area as a consequence. The order or all of this is very important - the Bite Inhibition method can be used for the next couple of weeks while pup is learning leave it, but leave it will teach pup to stop the biting entirely. The Out method teaches pup that you mean what you say without being overly harsh - but because you have taught pup to leave it first, pup clearly understands that you are not just playing (which is what pup probably thinks most of the time right now), so it is more effective. https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bite Out - which means leave the area, is also a good command for you to use if pup bites the kids. Check out the section on Using Out to Deal with Pushy Behavior for how to calmly enforce that command once it's taught. https://www.petful.com/behaviors/how-to-teach-a-dog-the-out-command/ Another important part of this is puppy learning bite inhibition. Puppies have to learn while young how to control the pressure of their mouths - this is typically done through play with other puppies. See if there is a puppy class in your area that comes well recommended and has time for moderated off-leash puppy play. If you can't join a class, look for a free puppy play group, or recruit some friends with puppies to come over if you can and create your own group. You are looking for puppies under 6 months of age - since young puppies play differently than adult dogs. Right now, an outside class may be best in a fenced area, or letting friends' pups play in someone's fence outside. Moderate the puppies' play and whenever one pup seems overwhelmed or they are all getting too excited, interrupt their play, let everyone calm down, then let the most timid pup go first to see if they still want to play - if they do, then you can let the other puppies go too when they are waiting for permission. Finding a good puppy class - no class will be ideal but here's what to shoot for: https://www.petful.com/behaviors/puppy-classes-when-to-start/ When pup gets especially wound up, she probably needs a nap too. At this age puppies will sometimes get really hyper when they are overtired or haven't had any mental stimulation through something like training. When you spot that and think pup could be tired, place pup in their crate or an exercise pen with a food stuffed Kong for a bit to help her calm down and rest. Practicing regular obedience commands or having pup earn what they get by performing commands like Sit and Down before feeding, petting, tossing a toy, opening the door for a walk, ect... can also help stimulate pup mentally to increase calmness and wear them out. Know that mouthiness at this age is completely normal. It's not fun but it is normal for it to take some time for a puppy to learn self-control well enough to stop. Try not to get discouraged if you don't see instant progress, any progress and moving in the right direction in this area is good, so keep working at it. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Nov. 4, 2022