Housebreaking and Potty Training Problems
House Training and Potty Training Problems In Dogs and Puppies
House training (housebreaking) problems will be easier to eliminate if you teach your dog to go potty on command.
When house training a dog it is important to remember:
- DON’T IGNORE GOOD BEHAVIOR
- DON’T PUNISH GOOD BEHAVIOR
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What Kind of Housebreaking Problem Does Your Dog Have?
House training problems can be divided into many different types.
The first step to correcting a housebreaking problem is identifying what problem your dog has. When housebreaking a dog, scent marking is treated differently than wetting when the dog gets excited. However, potty training is beneficial for all types of house training problems.
House training can involve several different types of problem behaviors. One scenario is the dog or puppy that has never been taught to eliminate anywhere, and just happens to sometimes go inside. This type of dog only needs what I call potty training. With potty training you simply teach the dog to eliminate in the potty area and encourage it not to go anywhere else.
Eliminates inside, won’t go outside…
A house training problem I often encounter is the dog that was unintentionally taught to eliminate inside. This type of dog can be put outside for long periods of time, yet it will wait until it comes in to eliminate. A dog like this will usually eliminate when the owner is out of sight.
Generally this problem is caused, or made worse, by taking the dog over to its accident (or on purpose) and punishing the dog (too long in time) AFTER the mess was made.
To work through this kind of potty problem requires structure in the dog’s life and a lot of discipline for the owner. A dog with this kind of problem needs to be taught to trust the owner and not to fear them. After the owner gets the dog’s trust, the dog needs to learn how to eliminate on command.
When the dog fully trusts the owner and has been eliminating on command for at least one week (perhaps several weeks), it may be necessary to correct the dog for eliminating inside. It must be kept in mind that if this correction is done improperly, you could make the house breaking problem worse. Usually it is better to ignore dogs with this kind of problem than punishing them for having an accident.
House training, problem with scent marking, and leg lifting…
Another kind of house breaking problem is the dog that marks territory inside the house. This problem is often associated with male dogs who are dominant or that have a high drive to mate. A more common cause for this problem are the insecurities felt by some dogs.
Dogs that feel insecure or threatened have a tendency to warn others that a house (a territory) is already occupied by scent marking. Since dogs can’t put up fences to keep intruders out, they put up scent posts.
This can be a very difficult problem to correct, but it can be done. First, if it’s a male dog, I suggest that it be neutered. Next you need to teach the dog to eliminate on command. Sometimes it’s helpful to teach it to go on a specific scent post. You’ll also need to catch the dog in the act of eliminating and correct it appropriately. It’s important not to correct the dog in a way that makes the problem worse.
Submissive urinating…
A house training problem that’s really not a house breaking problem, but instead a social and/or temperament problem is submissive urinating.
If your dog urinates when excited or upon greeting people or when you are upset with the dog, your pet has a submissive urinating problem and you should not punish the dog for its accidents.
If you punish a dog with this problem, you will only make the problem worse.
There are several things that can be done to help a dog suffering from submissive urinating. One is to develop good communication skills with the dog. Good communication includes not indulging in emotional greetings, avoid eye contact upon greetings (until the dog is trained for eye contact), and avoid dominant posturing with the dog.
You will also need to build a strong bond of trust between you and your dog. Building trust and confidence can be accomplished by various touching exercises that can be highly beneficial for a dog with this type of problem. In addition to these techniques, I would recommend a well-balanced obedience training program.
It is recommended that all dogs or puppies with any kind of house training problem be taught potty training.
If you’re having a house training problem call us for personalized potty training consultation and customized dog training. We’re the dog housebreaking and potty training specialists!
My Personal Dog and Puppy Training programs will give you the essential tools and the practical knowledge you need to realize your dogs full potential and it includes a complete housebreaking and potty training program.
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Andrew Ledford
Housebreaking and potty training
Dog crates suited for housebreaking and potty training