My dog is peeing in the house
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| Your dog may need to master his house training skills |
Why is my dog peeing in the house?
When bad things happen to good people, we often ask ourselves: “WHY?” and this is the first thing pet owners say when they discover that their dog has peed somewhere in the house. When your dog pees in the house and you can find it, this is the best case scenario; the worst case scenario is when you can smell the dog pee in the house, but you just can’t find it.
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| Medical issues may cause your dog to regress |
There is no simple answer why your dog is peeing in the house, because it could be anything from a lack of training or a case of over anxiety to a bladder infection or diabetes. It is important to check with your vet to make sure there are no underlying health problems; this is particularly true if your dog was once house trained and now has regressed to having accident in the house.
House Training
The most common, non-medical reason that a dog may urinate around the house is a lack of proper house training. Dogs naturally develop habits of where they would like to pee. This means that when your dog finds a place where he prefers to urinate, he is likely to continue peeing in that same area; so it is very important that you teach him early on where he should eliminate.
If you have a rescue dog or a dog that has a long history of living in kennels – then there could be a higher chance that your dog hasn’t learned his house training lessons quite as well. It’s often easy for them to slip back into bad habits, especially if they’ve never mastered this aspect of their training or it wasn’t reinforced frequently enough.
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| Punishing your dog may cause additional peeing in the house |
Emotional reasons that your dog may pee in the house:
- Excitement or joy
- Fear or submission
- Stress or anxiety
Because these issues are emotional, the difficulty you face in overcoming the problem will vary depending on the cause. Ultimately, patience and consistency will be essential for the best results. Punishing your dog can make him scared of you, and this will make him more likely to pee in different rooms and areas that you don’t know about.
Medical Issues
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| Dogs who pee in the house may need medical attention |
It is possible that your dog has a medical condition that is causing this unwanted behavior.
There are a variety of medical issues that can make it difficult for your dog to wait to go outside. These include:
- Bladder infections
- Change in diet
- Diabetes
- Kidney disease
- Urinary infections
Many of the medical conditions that commonly cause inappropriate urination can quickly become serious for your dog so it is important that you visit your vet to rule out a medical problem.
Moving Forward
Even after you have determined that there are no medical concerns, never punish your dog for inappropriate urination. Don't rub your dog's nose in it, shout or hit your dog. Punishment will only make insecurities and anxiety worse. Much can be gained by understanding your dog and why this inappropriate behavior is happening.
Always remember that a dog learns faster from praise for doing the right thing rather than punishment for doing the wrong thing.
If you need further support in dealing with your dog peeing in the house, join the conversation in our Facebook Group.
