There is probably nothing more unpleasant for a dog owner than the lack of housetraining in your dog. In this article you will learn the five best tips for housetraining any four-legged friend.
Either your dog never learned cleanliness properly or there are other causes, such as health reasons.
No matter what the final cause is, uncleanliness in your own dog is disturbing and can get on the owner’s last nerve.
This article will help you to deal with this issue. We have gone in search of the causes and show them to you in this article.
Likewise we go on various tips and behavioral measures One that can guarantee you the housetraining of your pet.
The causes
There are numerous causes for this issue. Some of these can be fixed quickly. Others require a lot of patience, time and work.
Good news is that the reasons for your furry companion’s uncleanliness can usually be fixed by yourself.
Basically, we distinguish between three causes of uncleanliness:
- Health
- Wrong education
- Character
These three points can be further subdivided. Below you will find a detailed list of the various causes on the subject:
1. Health causes
If your darling suffers from certain illnesses, this can lead to housetraining.
The starting point for this cause would be the following situation: Your pelt-nose was all the time familiar with the housetraining and shows the uncleanliness only since short time.
A Bladder infection is the most common disease in which your dog can not control his urge to urinate. Other symptoms of bladder disease are as follows:
- increased urination
- painful emptying of the bladder
- Blood residue in the urine
- intense or unnatural smell of urine
- indisposition
- limpness and tiredness
- fever
Kidney problems or even the Diabetes can be causes for the missing cleanliness with your quadruped. The symptoms for these conditions are similar to the symptoms of bladder disease.
If other of the above symptoms occur in addition to the uncleanliness, it may be an indication of a health limitation.
If there is a suspicion of a disease or you are unsure what is wrong with your faithful friend?
Then you should immediately visit the vet. This should be done especially if the uncleanliness has occurred only for a short time.
2. Wrong upbringing
Of course, it is also possible that your pet has never had the right education regarding housetraining. With a a little patience the training of housetraining is very quickly successful.
However, this changes as your four-legged friend gets older. Basically, the same tips and rules that are used when training puppies also apply to older dogs. Only it may take a little longer with them.
3. Character related causes
Your pelt’s temperament may also be a reason why he is not serious about housetraining.
The most common cause of this is Marking behavior. Marking is usually a natural and instinctive reaction of your dog.
Marking has to do with more than just Dominance of the four-legged friend. Dogs also use it among themselves as a method of communication.
If your furry companion marks during a walk in the woods or park, that’s perfectly fine.
But if he starts to make marks in the apartment? Then you should show hard limits consequently and immediately.
The Exodus of a caregiver for example, during separations is often a reason. Due to the change of situation your furry nose instinctively reacts as he would have done in the pack.
Because when family situations change, it must first be decided anew who will be the leader of the pack.
A separation from the life partner, who was the main component of the education, can lead to the marking behavior of your four-legged friend.
A new dog in the neighborhood or even as a Visit, can also trigger this reaction.
It is usually enough if another dog owner visits you without his dog. Your darling will recognize the smell of the other dog at the visitor. Important for you are again clear and consistent rules.
As a rule, it is advisable to get to the bottom of causes. So you should try to find out why your fosterling pees in the apartment.
These questions will help you determine the cause:
- Since when is my dog not housebroken and can I relate this to a situation?
- Was there a stressful situation for my four-legged friend?
- Has he recently had to live through a traumatic or stressful situation??
- Is my dog afraid of certain people (for example children)??
- Do I myself have too much stress at the moment and project this onto my dog??
Scolding is a no-go!
Of course, the annoyance for you as the owner is great, if you have once again discovered the uncleanliness of your protege in their own home.
However, you should in any case take to heart that scolding – in the form of a loud voice or even physical violence – is an absolute No-Go are.
Emotional or even physical force should not be used on animals, just as it is not used on people.
By scolding your darling moves away from you emotionally even further. Even if he should carry out your orders.
They are not caused by a loving and caring bond, but by fear. This is counterproductive for your relationship and education.
Instead, reprimanding in the form of a stern but at the same time calm voice may be considered.
But this should only take place if you catch your four-legged friend directly urinating in the apartment. Later reprimands he can no longer associate with the situation.
5 steps guide to housetraining
Either your darling is still in the puppy age or he has never learned the housetraining properly.
In both cases you should proceed in the same way, because there are almost no differences in age when it comes to training your puppy to be house-trained.
However, you may need to invest a little more patience and time with older dogs.
Step 1 – Direct start
Did you notice that the uncleanliness is due to the wrong upbringing? Then you should immediately start to put the plan for housetraining into action.
Also with puppies there must be no "grace period" during which you postpone the education. So the next day is the best place to start.
Step 2 – Determine the time
As a rule, your four-legged friend has certain times or habits that cause him to pee.
Determine these times by paying close attention to when your four-legged friend urinates in the home.
Popular times are after waking up or after feeding. The signals for urinating are sniffing or sniffing around. Also, some dogs turn around in circles in front of it.
Step 3 – Use the moment for a walk
If you have noticed that your furry friend urinates in the apartment at certain times, you can now take the opportunity to do so. You can take your pet for a walk immediately after waking up in the morning.
Thus you connect for your quadruped the urinating in the dwelling with the urinating in the fresh air.
Of course this needs some patience in the first time, but the result pays off.
Don’t scold your pet when another mishap occurs. Continue to pursue calm and at the same time consistent education.
Step 4 – Use rewards
Have you associated the critical times with the rhythm of the walks?
Then you are ready for the next step. This consists of giving your darling rewards in the form of Treats or Praise accommodate.
Whenever your pelt-nose does its business outside, you must praise it.
Calmly reward your four-legged friend after each urination for several weeks. Ideally you should reward him until he doesn’t pee in the apartment anymore.
But always heed this 5. Tip:
Now and then it can happen that your four-legged friend urinates in the apartment. These are small setbacks that you should not be discouraged by.
Also scolding – as already mentioned above – should not be a stopgap solution here under any circumstances.
If there are no more so-called "peeing incidents", start to gradually cut back on the rewards.
We recommend that you spend several weeks. Of course you can give your pet a reward every now and then.
Frequently asked questions
The most important thing is first to find out the reason for the uncleanliness. If it is a medical cause like a bladder infection, the vet can treat it. If your dog needs to be educated, you can read our whole article to learn how best to achieve this.
Either your dog has not been trained to be housetrained or he can’t hold his urine for health reasons. Some dogs also tend to mark the apartment because of their character or dominance behavior.
From four months of age, dogs can learn to control their urge to urinate. Some dogs become housebroken on their own, but most need to be trained to do so. This education can take several weeks to months.
When a housebroken dog becomes unclean again that have a health reason such as a bladder infection. It can also be due to stress or a change in living situation. Visits from other dogs can also trigger marking behavior.
Since puppies cannot control their urination for such a long time, you should walk them every two to three hours. It is best to adjust the walks to the times when he usually does his business at home.
Our recommendation
There can be several reasons why your pet is not housebroken.
Health causes as well as traits and the wrong upbringing are at the top of the list. Many causes can be taken care of and eliminated by yourself.
If you suspect a health reason, you should immediately consult a veterinarian.
In general: Spend some patience and time and don’t use too forceful methods, such as a too loud voice or even physical force.
Hello, hello, good morning! My name is Anja Boecker and I am a dog trainer and behavior consultant (IHK certificate). With these articles I would like to help you to understand your dog better and to build an inseparable bond.
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42 Comments on "Dog pees in the apartment? (These 5 tips will help you)"
Hello,
we have a mongrel (french mastiff border collie), he is with us since 3 days and about 10 weeks old. On the first day the dog did not dare to come to us, even walking with the leash proved to be very difficult as he resisted it. Today on 3. Day he came the first time to me and licked my hand&
Also walking with the leash goes much better now.
Unfortunately or understandably he makes pippi in our apartment, we have no carpet from therefore everything not so badly. Of course we also want to teach him to become "clean".
My question, how do we do it now ? We go out with him every 3 – 4 hours, he also does his business there. Should we give him a treat every time he does his business? ?
And what is the best way to teach him commands like "stop", "sit" or "no"? ?
It would be very nice if you could help us a little here.
MfG Thomas Schauer
Hello Thomas, thank you for your contribution. The initial behavior of your mixed breed is completely normal. He needs some time to get used to the new circumstances and find trust. The licking at the hand is already a good sign in the right direction&
To the housetraining could possibly help you. following post help:
Housebreaking puppies (fast and safe)
For raising your puppy, the following articles might be informative:
How do I raise a puppy properly (puppy school makes sense?)
Impulse control in dogs
Dog training: the best tips and exercises 2019
Hello
I have two Westies, one male and one female. No problems with him but with her. I take both with me to work . Walk both early, midday and evening. I am not always at my place in the office. No problems with urination. As soon as I come home and I leave them both alone in the apartment she pees all over my couch. It is a very expensive leather couch. I tried to cover it with towels and blankets (you can wash them) but she scratches everything together and scratches the leather. Bought diapers for her now . No problem is accepted but she continues to go on the couch and scratches everything. I am at the end.
Dear Nadja, that can be very nerve-wracking. Evtl. it would be good to get in contact with a dog trainer, as it looks like your bitch has already made this a ritual and her behavior can also have individual psychological backgrounds, such as attention seeking, separation anxiety etc.
Good day, I have my dog only a few days and I am trying to housebreak him, I hope it will not take so long, I will take your 5 points as help and take them to heart gr klaus
Dear Klaus, thank you very much. How long it takes also depends a bit on age, breed and individual character. With a lot of love and consistency it will certainly work out. We keep our fingers crossed for you.
Our Labrador ( 5 years ) pees since one week in the apartment, although we have to go to bed before ( 23 – 23.30 ) walk with him again. Unfortunately, since this week we always find our surprise in the morning. Can someone help ?
Dear Steffi, to possibly. Health problems to be ruled out or. early, it would be good if you contact your vet.
I have a 10 year old Yorki. He has always been very peculiar. Sometimes he pees in the apartment and then not for weeks again.
Most of the time it is at night or when we are at work. Our female on the other hand has never done it before.
Dear Anja, the behavior of your Yorki can have psychological reasons, but also physical reasons. Evtl. it would be good if you exclude health problems with the help of your TA’s or. can be treated at an early stage.
My dog a yorkshire 6 years old, goes with me in the garden in the morning. There she pees and makes mostly still a Geschaftle. Hardly in the house, she pees on a carpet. When walking in the apartment I find more often still a little poop. She did that in the night. So sweet but this is totally stressful. Does anyone know advice? Dsnke
Dear Hilde, this can have many reasons why your dog does this. It’s best to ask your vet to rule out any health problems or to check with your vet. early enough to be able to treat. Another alternative would be to contact a behavioral therapist in your area.
Hello, we have since 4 weeks an approx. 5 months old Maremmano-Mix from the animal protection. At the beginning it was no problem, with ritualized walks and watching, we had her house trained after a few days. Everything no problem. After about 1 week she was like changed, she suddenly pees all the time in the apartment. If we notice, now it is so far and we go fast outside, it can be that we are 1 h and longer outside and nothing comes. As soon as she enters the apartment, she sits down and pees or even takes a dump. We can’t remember any incident that could have scared her outside. She was always praised outside and never scolded inside. We can also exclude the other "typical" problems. It only happens when we are there, so not when she needs to be alone, we run to the same places so as not to offer too much new impressions. We give her the possibility to use the garden. We do not notice any preference in the person who accompanies her and it does not make any difference if we have our old male dog with us or not. It’s also not that she doesn’t do outside at all. This also happens, but often we have the impression that she prefers to do it indoors.
Hello Elena, it may well be that your new family member marks the house to clarify his rank insecurity because of the male dog. Also, animals that previously had a lower ranking show this behavior towards other ranking dogs to show their submissiveness. Normally this behavior subsides with time. However, if it gets worse, it is advisable to consult a behavioral therapist.
My dog is now seven months old, we are all day in the garden, resp. the doors to the garden are open all day! Nevertheless she pees in the apartment! Although I go for a run in the field at least four times, despite the open house! I just do not understand
Dear Karin, in such situations it might be a good idea to have a dog with us. recommended if you have a trainer resp. Ask a behavioral therapist in your area for support. There are usually many factors involved, which a competent person on the spot can better judge and give appropriate recommendations for action. We wish you good luck.
Hello. Since sunday we have a french bulldog at home. She has experienced a lot of agony in her first year of life and then lived with a foster family with 2 other dogs and now with us and is alone here.
Unfortunately she pees in the apartment, but I have the feeling that it is protest peeing. She pees when I am at home. Is it advisable to call in a behavior therapist now or should we give her time to find her place?. I am just worried that it will become normality for her.
Dear Susan, thank you very much for your contribution. With dogs that have a torturous past behind them, it is advisable to call in a behavioral therapist early on, before the new pattern really takes hold. We keep our fingers crossed for you.
Hello, we have a 4 year old Yorkshire Terrier and he barks at wind, noises, other barking dogs even on TV, pees no matter what time of day in the apartment, although the Gassiezeit are respected, also bites sometimes, although he likes us, even with the children? We have already been to the vet, everything is fine. Perplexed Simone please for advice
Hello Simone, we recommend you to consult a professional behavioral therapist in your area.
Hello we have a 14 year young Staffirdshire Bullrerrier lady. Since her 3.month age. Until now everything wonderful now is aucg wonderful but since 2-3 Wichen pees irregularly on her dog sofa and today on the coach. Probably health problem?Mentally everything as before hugging dear words regardless of the new behavior
Hello Sandor, in order to be able to rule out health problems such as cystitis, we recommend that you first contact your veterinarian. If your vet can’t find any health problems, we recommend you see a behavioral therapist in your area.
Our Rottweiler-Shepherd mix is also constantly marking the house. With him it is clearly about marking and bad education: On the one hand he has always done it, on the other hand the one caregiver moved out and I moved in with dog and three cats. As long as the other one was a puppy, there were hardly any problems, now the one just marks all the time.
We don’t know anymore how to fix the problem (giving away the other animals is of course not an option), because the dog obviously knows that he is misbehaving, but finds it more important to mark his territory. He lets himself bspw. impossible to call to a place where he has marked, begins to growl and hide, because he was beaten by the undressed caregiver in such moments.
It is very unfortunate that your dog was forcefully trained in the past. This circumstance certainly complicates the desired behavior. Here it is best for the well-being of the dog, if you let yourself be supported by a competent person in your proximity (dog trainer or behavior therapist). We wish you success and all the best!
My 7 years old Welsh Terrier is never 100% housebroken until today! Although I have practiced and trained the first years consistently on it. At some point I gave up. I could no longer. But in recent years it has become so bad … I do not understand it.
Bags and bags on the floor- marked, yellow bag- marked, sofa- marked (on it and on it), trash can- marked, in the hallway – marked + peed and even in his bed. He goes to the yard in the morning, walks at noon and walks in the evening, and sometimes again at night after 11 p.m. briefly in the yard. He also pulls his blanket to us in the living room. He is probably also very dominant, already in the puppy school he had mounted the other dogs. Now he also mounts us and he licks his penis massively. I consistently reject him.
I am getting desperate, help!
Dear Franz, in extreme cases it is always advisable to call in an expert person on the spot (e.g., a dog with a hormone chip).B. (e.g. behavioral therapist/trainer), who would also have the possibility to observe your dog for a while and develop a strategy accordingly. We wish you much success!
Hello, I took in a 12 year old, blind and deaf little street dog a few weeks ago. He is very sweet and has an enormous zest for life, unfortunately he has never been neutered and you can see that he is only interested in "sniffing out food", which has ensured his survival so far.
There are two things I have not been able to control so far, since he cannot see or hear anything:
"Pedro" has not been able to find a constant daily routine for himself, despite the now fixed times for his feeding – he goes and goes and then sleeps in between often briefly or even once a few hours …… especially this restlessness, which is probably normal for him, however, begins sometime at night ..
Much bigger is the problem that he pees everywhere in the house, although I go with him, at the slightest sign (after awakening, after eating …) immediately into the garden. I also try to give him a treat as soon as he has done his business outside – doesn’t always work, because he is very fast and lively and you can almost only praise him that way.
Does anyone have any advice for me?
Dear Klaus, I think it is great that you have taken in an older street dog. But these dogs often need a longer period of acclimatization. But now I have a question for you: can he really not endure, or does he mark? Can you generally close the accesses to these pee places? Dogs like to mark always in the same place. Maybe this is already helpful for you.
Other than that, I wish you continued joy with your Pedro.
Anja, I think both. He already got a hormone chip, but it was 3 weeks ago and his behavior does not change. He marks or. he loosens "everywhere" – there are actually no fixed places in the house – "he finds everything beautiful". I also think that he can’t hold it so well anymore, because he still lets water, even if he already goes on or already starts to go, even if his little leg is not yet lifted… Outside, however, he always marks the same places.
I try to learn a rhythm with him now, so that he sleeps through the night. I think time will make some things better.
Good morning Klaus, then only helps to limit space in the house and actually establish a rhythm.