Common Problems House Training Dogs

Oh nooo  ...  its time to house train your dog!

The thought of trying to house train a dog sends many people into panic, fear, confusion, misunderstanding and just plain dread!

Two of the most common problems surrounding the issue of house training:

1. Submissive/excited urination
2. Scent marking

Common house training problem #1: Submissive / excited urination

What is submissive / excited urination?

Your dog could be a ‘submissive urinator’ if your dog urinates on the floor and himself (and sometimes on you and any guests you may have!) during times of extreme excitement or stress. For example when you return home at the end of the day, or when he’s being told off.

Why does submissive / excited urination happen?

Submissive/excited urination usually occurs in puppies, but it’s not uncommon to see adult dogs with the problem as well.  Most commonly adult dogs are highly sensitive and timid dogs, and/or ones from a shelter/with a history of abuse (often these last two go hand-in-hand.)

When does submissive / excited urination happen?

Situations when an excited/fearful dog is likely to urinate:

• Greeting time after a prolonged absence
• Play time
• The arrival of guests
• Stressful situations at home, eg arguments
• During a correction (you’re telling him off)
• Sudden loud noises (thunder, fireworks)

What can I do about submissive / excited urination?

Fortunately, a “cure” for your dog of his submissive/excited urination is not too difficult.

First of all, you should take him to the vet to make sure there’s no medical reason for the issue (like diabetes or a bladder infection.)

Next, take control of the problem by:

- Limiting his intake of water prior to situations where urination occurs to help him control his bladder more effectively. Don’t restrict his water intake over a prolonged period of time, only when you know there’s a situation coming which would normally result in urination. For example when you have guests coming over, or are planning on a play session. Remove his water bowl for a period of time (maybe half an hour to an hour) before the event.

- Greet your dog, in a calm and mellow manner. The more excited he is, the harder it is for him to control his bladder. Even go as far as to ignore him for the first few moments, or give him a neutral “hello”, a quick pat, and then go about making yourself at home.

- It is important that you DO NOT punish or harshly correct your dog for submissive / excited urination. It is not something that he can easily control, and he’s certainly not doing it on purpose.  Instead you should interrupt him (a firm “No!” followed by praise when he stops should suffice).  Keep your cool, and try to be sympathetic:, just escort him out side. 

- If the urinateation occurs out of fear (submissiveness) when scolding him for another offense, try to take the stress levels down a notch by keeping a firm, authoritative, but not angry tone. Remember, dealing with a sensitive, highly-strung dog by gettin angry will make the problem worse.

Comon house training problem #2: Scent marking

Scent marking occurs as a dog “marks” his or her territory with urine. Technically  scent marking is not actually a house training problem, since it’s based on issues of dominance and territoriality rather than insufficient house training (a dog can be perfectly house trained but still mark inside the house.)

However, because the problem centers around the unwanted presence of urine in the house it is logical, to link this problem with house training. Scent marking is one of the most widespread problems faced by dog owners.

How to differentiate between Scent marking and lack of house training:

Your dog’s probably scent marking, rather than genuinely relieving himself, if:

• The amount of urine produced is relatively small, and tends to be directed against vertical surfaces (walls, doors, etc)
  
  
• He’s male, unneutered, and at least five or six months old. Unneutered dogs are much more territorial than neutered ones.  An unneutered dog in the house will do a certain amount of scent marking. (Unspayed females also mark, but it’s less common. Spayed and neutered dogs can also exhibit marking behavior, but it’s relatively infrequent)
  
  
• It makes little difference how often he’s taken outside for a toilet break
  
  
• He frequently targets items that are new to the house: new possessions, guest clothing/footwear, etc
  
  
• You live in a multi-dog household and there is conflict between two or more of the dogs
  
  
• There are other, unneutered or unspayed pets in the house

What to do about scent marking?

Spay or neuter your dog(s) as soon as you possibly can. If you can do this early enough – ideally, at six months of age - this often halts marking altogether.  Iff your dog has been marking for a prolonged period of time, he or she may continue to do so after being spayed or neutered, since a pattern of behavior will have been established.

Clean soiled areas thoroughly. Use a non-ammonia based cleaner (because it smells just like pee) and stay away from vinegar too (it smells similar to pee.) Oxi-Clean mixed with warm water is particularly effective; there are also plenty of commercial cleaners designed specifically to lift pet stains and odors, which you can buy from pet stores and some supermarkets.

Because dogs tend to re-mark the same places, you’ll need to redefine the places that you know he’s marked to prevent repeat offending.

You can do this in a number of ways:

- Feed him next to or on top of the spot
- Play with him there
- Groom him there
- Put his bed over or next to it
- Spend time there yourself: hang out with a book or sit down and work

Rivalry between dogs in the house also needs to be resolved.  Any conflict is likely to be hierarchical in nature (a “power struggle”), to stop the tension pay attention to which dog seems to be more dominant  (which one eats first, gets the toys he/she wants, “stares down” another dog) and reinforce this position.

Do this by feeding the dominant dog first. Pet him/her first. Give him/her a toy before anyone else gets one. This makes it clear to all dogs in the house which one really is the dominant dog and when this hierarchy’s been recognizably established, territorial/dominant behaviors like scent marking often vanish overnight.

For more information on how to successfully house train your dog (as well as a whole bunch of in-depth information on house training troubleshooting and related issues) you’ll probably want to check out The Ultimate House Training Guide.

Good luck with house training your dog !

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