How to Train Your Dog to Pee While on Leash

How to Train Your Dog to Pee While on Leash
Medium difficulty iconMedium
Time icon1-4 Weeks
General training category iconGeneral

Introduction

Have you just got a rescue dog, that you haven’t had a chance to teach recall to yet, so you always have to walk him on the leash? Do you find that he won’t go for a pee unless he’s off leash and in the house? By now, you’re sick and tired of always having to wipe up those smelly damp patches that are turning your nice clean carpet a shade of yellow. Even if your dog knows recall, sometimes it’s not appropriate to let them off the leash or maybe they’re sick and you need to monitor how much urine they’re producing, therefore, training them to pee on the leash is a useful skill regardless. Now is the time to teach your pooch to pee while on-leash.

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Defining Tasks

This command is important because although it’s not natural for dogs to want to pee on the leash, imagine going to the bathroom in front of someone. Dogs like their privacy too. However, learning the command will have lots of practical benefits, such as always checking their toileting habits are ok and picking up something abnormal quicker if your pet gets sick, as they’ll be peeing close by. Learning this command will save you those unpleasant hours cleaning up urine off of the floor, if they’re peeing inside because you can’t let them off the leash, which is the case for life for some dogs that are dog aggressive or those that have poor recall such as Pomeranians. Another benefit is that you can get them to go in a designated spot, if you want to keep your backyard urine free for example. It will take a few weeks to train your pooch to learn this trick and it is best suited to younger dogs, while they’re still learning. However, older dogs can be trained also.

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Getting Started

To begin training your pooch to pee on-leash, you’ll need some high-value treats such as boiled chicken, hot dogs, or cheese. If you’re teaching your 8-week old pupper to pee on a leash straight away it would also be a good idea to fence off an area of a room and keep him in it when he’s unattended so it’s easier to see him showing you signs of going, so you can get him on that leash and outside. When he has an accident inside, you’ll need to correct him but not scare him, so make sure your voice is firm and authoritative, but not frightening. And when he does his business on the leash, make sure your voice is rewarding and encouraging, you’ll need to make the training fun for him. Now let’s get started.

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The Puppy Method

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1

Understand your pooch

Different breeds will have different frequencies at which they need to go. Know your pooch's breed and therefore how often he or she will need to go, so that you can get him on that leash and outside accordingly.

2

Watch their behavior

Keeping a close eye on your puppy means you can watch for behavioral signs that they’re about to go, such as sniffing, scratching, circling and whining. If you see these, get them on the leash and outside straight away.

3

Stop him off leash

When he has an accident and pees off leash, stop him by saying ‘no’ and clapping or making a noise to put him off, be careful not to scare him though.

4

Choose a designated area

Choose a particular area outside and consistently take him to it on their leash, to avoid confusion. Make sure they’ve had their vaccinations if it’s going to be somewhere outside of your backyard though.

5

Praise when he goes on-leash

Give him a tasty treat and lots of tummy rubs when he goes while on leash. Peeing on-leash needs to be a fun and rewarding experience.

6

Introduce a command

If you like, once he's got to grips with peeing on leash, you can even get him to associate it with a command such as ‘pee’ or ‘go’, so that he’ll pee on leash when you use the command.

The Routine Method

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Establish a sensible routine

Make sure that your pooch is taken out the correct amount each day for his or her breed and/or age. Make it a routine thing, so that your pooch knows when he'll get the opportunity to go. Take him out around meal times, for example.

2

Clean up accidents quickly

To make sure your pooch doesn’t associate an area of your home with peeing, make sure you clean up any accidents that occur right away.

3

Designate an area

While on-leash, choose an area outside where you want your pooch to go and consistently take him there, so that he recognizes his scent.

4

Let him relax

Although you’ll have him on the leash, make sure you give your pooch as much space as you can to let him do his business, and don’t distract him while he's in the middle of it.

5

Rewards

Give lots of praise and a lovely, tasty treat when he goes while on the leash.

The Crating Method

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Get an appropriate sized crate

Crate your dog while he’s inside to stop him from peeing. Dogs don’t like to pee where they rest.

2

Leash him

Pop him on the leash and take him outside, it’s likely he’ll have been holding it in and will be keen to do his business. Make sure you take him out enough times a day for his size and breed though.

3

Be patient

Take your pooch for a good walk around, don’t just go outside and expect him to do it. A 20-minute walk may be necessary. Don’t be anxious or impatient, as this may put him off.

4

Try again

If he doesn’t go on the first walk, keep him on the leash inside and have a 5 minute rest. Take him back outside somewhere free from distractions, he should now pee. Make sure you take him out the required number of times, at roughly the same time every day. Dogs are creatures of habit.

5

Lots of treats

When he goes on the leash, give him lots of high value treats and praise so he knows he’s been a good boy.

Written by Catherine Lee-Smith

Veterinary reviewed by:

Published: 11/10/2017, edited: 01/08/2021

Training Questions

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Training Questions and Answers

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jake

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Golden Retriever

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5 Months

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Question

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as soon as you put leash on he starts to pee in garage then finishes in the yard jusat stared doing this this week

Jan. 28, 2021

jake's Owner

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Alisha Smith - Alisha S., Dog Trainer

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257 Dog owners recommended

Hello. Dogs do strange things as they grow. Behaviors that weren't there before will suddenly pop up and it can sometimes be difficult to correct them. He may be overly excited. He has associated the leash with going potty and his brain/muscle memory is working against you with this one. You may want to wait until he is out of your home/garage before attaching the leash until he stops this strange habit. Usually a week or so of changing a routine is enough to stop habits.

Jan. 31, 2021

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Molly

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lab/border collie

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8 Months

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Question

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We just brought Molly home from the shelter 5 days ago. She was a stray and has never lived inside so everything is new to her. She is very shy and scared, but sweet. Molly took to her crate right away and seems to feel safe in it, but will not come out of the crate for anything (treats, dinner, coaxing). We also now learned that she will not walk on a leash (she’s never even been on a leash) and will not respond to treats to follow me with the leash around the house. In order to potty train, we need her to walk on a leash and exit the crate so we can go outside. I’m feeling lost and a bit overwhelmed. She holds her potty for 16+ hours a day so far and waits until we are sleeping to potty on the floor in the same room as the crate. We leave the crate door open so she can at least potty, even if it is on the floor so she doesn’t get sick. We live in a condo building and have had to carry her a couple of times down to the backyard where she will not potty outside, when we pulled her from the crate (which I felt awful about). We’ve ordered a fake grass training pad to start inside and gradually move outside, and have a 20 foot leash on it’s way so we can let her try to potty away from us in the yard. Are we trying too much too soon? I want to teach good potty habits from the start so she doesn’t think she can just go in the house, but I can’t even get her to go outside she’s so frightened. What can we do??

Jan. 3, 2021

Molly's Owner

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Alisha Smith - Alisha S., Dog Trainer

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257 Dog owners recommended

Hello! Teaching good potty habits from the start is the best thing to do. Keep in mind it can take dogs a good 30 days to completely adjust to a new environment. So new behaviors may pop up as she gets more comfortable in her new environment. Using the fake grass is an excellent idea. That was going to be my suggestion. I am going to send you information on how to get started with potty pad training. Choose Your Spot Pick a space in your house where you want your dog to go. Obviously, you’ll want this spot to be a low-traffic area. Make sure this spot is easily accessible to your dog, and make sure the floor surface is linoleum or tile, as opposed to carpet. If your dog “misses,” it will be easier to clean up. If the only spot you can put the pee pad is a carpet, you might consider getting a small tarp to put underneath the puppy pee pad to guard against spillage. Choose a spot that is outside of your “smell zone.” An important tip to remember is to make sure not to let your dog decide the spot he likes. Not only might he pick an area you won’t like, but he’ll learn that he is in charge – not you – which can cause a host of problems down the line. Monitor Your Dog When you are potty training your dog, full-time monitoring is an absolute necessity. It’s impossible to correct bad behaviors if you don’t see them happen. Dogs have very short memories. It is important to catch your dog in the act. If your dog goes on the floor, and you try to correct him hours after the fact, he will be confused and upset, not knowing what he did wrong. This can hinder training and your relationship with your dog. Puppies, in particular, must be watched constantly. They have less control over their bowels and will go when they have to go. If you miss these moments, you lose precious training opportunities. Of course, it’s nearly impossible to be with your dog 24 hours a day, but try to spend more time at home during the weeks you are potty training – it will pay off in the long run. Learn Your Dog’s Schedule Dogs, for the most part, are predictable. They will go to the bathroom at predictable times. You should be able to learn when your dog has to go based on timing as much as on his signals. Take some time to study your dog’s bathroom habits. You’ll learn the amount of time after he eats or drinks that he has to go, and you’ll get in rhythm with his daily bathroom schedule. This will help you reduce accidents and speed up the potty training process. Studying your dog’s habits can also help you identify his bathroom “triggers” – like having to go after a certain amount of playtime. Once you learn your dog’s schedule, use it to your advantage in potty training. Bring him to the pee pad a few minutes before he normally goes, and encourage him. This will help him get used to going in the right spot, and help you establish repetition in your training. Choose a Command Word Dogs have keen senses – they respond to sight, smell, and sound. When you begin pee pad training, choose a command word and use it every time you take your dog to the pad. Just about any word will work. The tone of your voice is more important than the actual word. Try phrases like “go on” or “go potty” in a slightly elevated, encouraging tone. Make sure to repeat this same command, in the same tone, every time you take your dog to the pee pad. Avoid Punishment When your dog has an accident, it’s just that – an accident. When you punish your dog during potty training, he will become confused and scared. He doesn’t know what he’s done wrong, and can’t understand why the person he loves most is mad at him. Most importantly, it will not help his potty training. Positive Reinforcement Both human and dog behavior is largely based on incentives. Dogs’ incentives are very simple – they want to eat when they are hungry, play when they are excited, and sleep when they are tired. But the most important thing your dog wants in life is to please you. Use this to your advantage. Whenever your dog goes on his potty training pad, shower him with lots of praise. If he sees that he gets praise for doing his business on the pad, he will be incentivized to keep going on the pad – and he’ll be excited to do it! Potty training – whether it’s a pee pad or going outside – will take time, but if you do it right, can take less time. Many dogs are potty trained in less than two weeks. Just remember that you and your dog are partners. Do everything you can to help him learn the proper etiquette, and you will enjoy a long, quality relationship together. Please let me know if you have any additional questions. Thank you for writing in.

Jan. 4, 2021


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