Help Me Potty Train My Dog please!
by Anonymous
Okay so I have two cute Boxer dogs and one of them we just got around a month ago and he won't stop peeing in the house.
I've researched and researched and all I have found is that it might be a territorial problem, but when he pees in the house it's like huge puddles.
We have a doggie door so he can go through it whenever he wants and pee outside at all hours of the day, but for some reason he just tends to pee in the house still.
He knows the doggie door is there and he goes through it all the time and pees but he still pees in our house.
Please help me solve this issue.
Answer From the Editors at Dog-Spoiling
First of all I would suggest taking your dog to the vet to rule out any medical reasons which may be causing the problem such as a urinary tract infection.
If you obtained your dog from a place where it was caged, then it has learned not only that the cage was his "home" but that it was okay to urinate in it. So if this is the case, it will take a while for him to differentiate his new "home" (your home) from the outside and to learn that the place to urinate is outside.
A month is not very long for him to get used to his new family or to be housetrained, especially if he is a very young dog so give him a little more time.
If he is an older dog, his urinating in the house may well be territorial marking to establish dominance over your other dog - especially if he has not been neutered. If you have noticed any conflicts between the two dogs, try to reinforce the dominant dog's position to eliminate this as an issue.
What are any other circumstances going on around him when he leaves a puddle? Is there any correlation to things - such as loud noises, something fearful, excitement from play, or after receiving a scolding for another matter? etc.
If all the above have been ruled out, then I think the best way to solve the problem is to go back to crate training for a while so that you can establish a consistent schedule. Take him outside every two hours to the same place for a potty break - make it very a business-like trip, but praise him when he completes the mission.
Dogs learn by repetition and consistency. Most likely he has never fully learned his potty training manners.
With regard to the doggie door, he is probably using it to go outside some of the time just because he has seen your other dog use it - not because he truly understands its real purpose. It will become more meaningful once he has become reliably housetrained.
I would also suggest that you don't leave water or food out all the time. If he is leaving large puddles, he must be drinking a lot of water, maybe more than he needs to. If he is excessively thirsty all the time, take him to the vet as suggested previously, as this could be an indication of a health problem.
Some water in the crate overnight is okay, but not excessive. Plus, the crate size should just be big enough to lie down, stand up and turn around in, but not have extra space to use as a bathroom. The crate can be in your room at night to reduce any anxiety which can lead to urination.
In the daytime, it will help to restrict your dog to one room of your home where you can monitor his behavior when he is out of the crate. This way you can catch him having an accident and give a timely verbal correction.
Thoroughly remove the odor from areas where he has urinated to prevent him picking up his scent and revisiting the same spots.
For additional help, please also review these pages on the website:
Crate Training
Potty Training Your Dog
Dog Urine Removal
Indoor Dog Potty
I hope these suggestions will help to remedy this issue, but don't forget that problems take time to correct.
Best of luck.
Comments from other visitors welcome.