Housebreaking
How can you tell if your dog just can’t understand the “Potty Outside” concept or is challenging you with dominant behavior?
Don’t assume that it’s just an honest mistake. Very often, dogs who are a bit dominant, will relieve themselves outside only to come into your home and urinate on the carpet or furniture. The dog could have a urinary tract infection, which could create that problem or struvite crystals which could cause it to lose its ability to urinate on command. But chances are they are displaying dominant behavior. In nature dogs mark territory to show others that it belongs to them. Even female dogs can lift their legs to mark territory. The higher the mark of territory, typically the larger and more powerful they seem.
The way to help prevent your dog from marking territory he believes he owns is to teach him that he does not own it at all. Dogs who believe they own something can protect it. Follow the section entitled, I Pay the Mortgage, which outlines rules and methodology for your dog to understand.
Remember that young puppies can only hold their urine for approximately one hour per month, so a 4 month old puppy can hold their urine for 4 hours. If you are not super vigilant of a young puppy and allow it to walk around your house unsupervised, expect accidents. You can train the puppies to use a weewee pad. Also, certain breeds can have physical issues that allow greater or lesser capacity and control over urinating.
You’ll want to keep the crate with the door open with a little towel or bed and on the opposite side, the wee wee pad. Similarly, if you barricade or block off one room of the house, make sure you teach the puppy to go to the door in order to ask to go outside. Always use that door to go out to potty your dog so he understands that doors mean outside and outside means potty time. If you need to leave for more than a few hours, it is a good idea to close the crate door so your puppy will be safe not only from having accidents but from harm. Just as with children, so do all dogs and puppies learn at different rates. Never lose your temper or be quick to anger. Your puppy is not trying to drive you crazy, just to understand what you are asking of him. For those of you who own a home with a yard and are concerned about those delightful brown polka dots on your lawn from the urine stains, consider an area of cedar chips in a corner of your yard. Most dogs love to relieve themselves on cedar. Another option is to keep an area of mulch and leaves in a corner of your yard since many dogs prefer to relieve themselves on leaves or in corners of a yard.
If you’d like to prevent spots from staining your lawn, rather than giving your dog a product that will change the PH of his urine exacerbating his struvite crystals or urinary tract stones try this trick. Keep a bucket in your yard, put some lime (the rock type) in it. After your dog urinates on that spot, simply take the watering pail and water the area around the urine spot. The lime will neutralize the acid and prevent scorching your lawn. Please make sure to not allow your dog to drink this water.
