I love him but he pees in the house..

[Jake's New Mom]

I have a great little dog I rescued from the pound last week. He is around 2 yrs. old, 10 lbs and very smart. My only problem is he doesn't realize that peeing is suppose to be done outside. Could you give me some ideas?

[VTJess03]

Well, congrats on adopting a new pooch .

Do you know anything about his history? Is he fixed or intact? What have you tried to do to get him used to the idea of living in a new house? How long was he at the shelter, and did he stay in an outdoor pen, or on a concrete floor, or what?

There are loootttsss of reasons that a dog could pee in the house, and there are loooootttttssss of people that will want to help you on this site, but we do need a bit more information to be able to help you best.

[Karen]

You need to train him like you would a pup. Take him out often, when he pees outside, praise like a lunatic!

Watch him like a hawk in the house, if he "assumes the position" quickly clap or do something to distract him and rush him outside. Clean every spot he has peed in the house with "nature's miracle" or some other similar cleaner that has an enzyme that breaks down the stuff we cannot smell, but makes dogs say "Oh, yeah, this is a good pee spot!"

Has he been to the vet yet, to rule out a Urinary Tract Infection that might make him prone to peeing often?

[catnapper]

Congrats on your new baby.

When does he pee? When you're home? When you're not home? Any time?

Dogs will pee after a meal, after a play session, after a nap.

The best thing you can do is get him on a firm schedule. Walk him several times a day (I know, its a lot of work, but it'll be worth it) When I married my husband, his dog Sammie was AWFUL. We called her "sooner dog" because we'd no soon let her in from a walk and she'd pee in the house. First thing I did was get her on a schedule and the peeing was 95% better (I won't say 100% because its just not true!) She knew when she'd be able to go for a walk and she learned to hold it.

With a dog, you need to be there to supervise. If he pees and you weren't there to watch him because you were upstairs for the past hour - shame on you! Just clean it up and be ready to watch his signs next time. Supervision, supervision, supervision! A dog can't pee in the hosue if you're there watching him and monitoring his actions.

If he's peeing when you're not home, then you're either expecting him to hold it longer than he physically can do so. Or he might need ot be crate trained. A dog should be crated anyway to protect them from getting hurt in the house while youre away and prevent them from destroing things. A dog will not pee where he sleeps, so if the crate is large enough for him to stand, lie down, turn arouns, and no bigger he won't pee in there.

Your new dog might be smelling urine of another dog and might be marking his new territory. Just because we can't smell it doesn't mean he can't. You might consider purchasing a blacklight and using it when its drak to find urine stains on the carpet and floors - you'd be surprised what you find! Use an Enzyme cleaner to completely remove the urine smell from the floors. Nature's Miracle is an awesome cleaner.

Things to never do:
~Never rub his nose it it - it doesn't work. It'll only frustrate you and him.
~Never scold him after the fact - move on and clean it up. Dogs do not think in the past and will not connect your scolding to their pee on the floor, even if you're showing it ot them and rubbig his nose in it.
~Never kick or hit your dog - it'll cause him to fear you, or cause him to start hiding to pee. I prefer picking up pee out in the middle of the room than behind the couch.

Lastly, he might know just how to tell you that he has to go out. Try hanging a bell by the door you take him out of. Each time you go out, hit the bell. Soon he'll associate the ringing bell with potty. He'll begin to paw the bell when he has to go out. Just remember the first time he does it to drop what you were doing and go immediately to him and let him out. Praise him quietly for being such a good boy.


LOL.... can ya tell I just taught potty training to my class last night?

[mtblaura]

The biggest thing that helps me is containment, as catnapper said. Crating is great and works very quickly, but not all adopted dogs will take to it. Another thing to do is when you are home, contain the dog in a room where you are and let him out frequently, praising for every time he goes outside. I have had to do both with two different adoptees and both ways worked. Crating is faster, though. If you can crate train, do it. It may feel mean to keep the dog contained on occasion, but having a well trained dog is not mean at all. It will be a blessing to you, your pup, and your family! Most dogs love thier crate after the first week or so, it becomes a safe place.

My experience has also been that if you catch an older pup "in the act" once or twice, loudly distract them and get them to go immediately outside and give lots of praise, that usually "cures" peeing in the house. I know it is not always that easy, though, I have been lucky. He may have been housebroken but is confused by new surroundings and just needs some reminders.

Good luck!

[dab_20]

Everyone has given great advice, not more I can add to it! Just make sure you that you never yell at him or make a big deal when he pees inside. That will only make him hide when he needs to do his buisness and you won't be able to catch him in the act. Good Luck and I would love to see pictures of your cute little guy!