The Pitfalls of Potty Training

Some puppies pick up on potty training fast. You show them the routine for a couple of weeks and they rarely have accidents. Similarly, some older dogs that recently were adopted need very little work to convince them to hold it until they go outside.

This article is not for those dogs and the people who own them. (But we might take some pages out of their playbook.) It’s for the people who want to find a solution to their dogs’ bad potty habits.

We’re going to go through the common complaints made about potty training issues, whether they are cropping up early in your ownership of your puppy or one year down the road. Some of these issues may crop up in older dogs that you’ve added to your household as well.

“It started out of nowhere”

We’ll discuss this one first as it’s the most important. If your dog suddenly experiences changes in their urination and defecation patterns, you should look into any underlying medical problems before assuming it is a behavioral issue. If there are no recent changes to your household and your dog is not a new addition to your house, medical issues will need to be ruled out.

The dog should have a veterinary examination performed in which this issue is discussed and appropriate medical tests are performed. Changes such as increased or decreased frequency of urination, new behaviors during urination and defecation like straining or vocalizing, or schedule changes for a dog whose routine was already established should be discussed with a veterinarian. Once all medical possibilities for the issue are ruled out, we can start a training protocol.

“I find puddles and piles in my house”

You’re walking through the house and then all of sudden ... squish!

You aren’t catching your dog in the act, and they don’t know that they should be going outside. Sometimes the dog in question only urinates in the house or only defecates in the house. They might only choose a specific location in the house. Don’t throw your hands up in defeat.

Your dog has a preference for urinating and defecating on a specific surface inside your house, rather than going outside. When we’re potty training, we are working toward establishing preference. As humans, we have a social preference for using a restroom facility with a toilet. For dogs in our society, we’d like them to prefer eliminating on grass, dirt, gravel, concrete, mulch, etc. It is important to develop this preference so that your dog doesn’t develop a preference for linoleum, carpet, tile or hardwood.

To help our dogs establish a preference for urinating and defecating outside, we first need to establish a bathroom schedule. Start by taking them outdoors on a leash every two to three hours. If your dog is less than three months old, or if you are catching them in the act during their time inside, increase the frequency of taking them outdoors to every one to two hours. Additionally, when they’re inside, make sure you observe them for any behaviors that may lead up to having an accident. When you catch them in the act of urinating or defecating inside, calmly interrupt them and move them outdoors. If they finish outdoors, reward them! Avoid punishing your dog if you catch them in the act indoors; this will just make them build a preference for urinating and defecating out of your sight.

Mitzi has developed a preference for urinating on grass and dirt. Continue to build preferences for common surfaces outdoors by taking your dog outside on a leash and rewarding them for a job well done.

To continue increasing preference for going outdoors, follow up successful urination and defecation outdoors with not one, but three treats. Hand these treats to your dog in a row instead of as a handful, and chances are they’ll be surprised and delighted. As you have success with the schedule you’ve started, slowly increase the time between visits outside until you are going outside at intervals that fit into your normal daily routine.

“He’s a marker”

If your dog is always lifting their leg on your furniture or any new item you bring into your space, they might be urine marking. You will typically see similar behavior on a walk when it seems that your dog has an endless supply of liquid to dribble on every lamppost, mailbox and fence.

When you’re trying to fix a urine marking problem, first consider what causes your dog to show this behavior. Do they mark on one specific chair? Do they only mark in new places (sorry, Great Aunt Sally’s couch)? Find and attempt to eliminate what triggers your dog to mark, or manage the dog’s behavior carefully around it. Have furniture professionally cleaned or purchase enzymatic cleaners intended to remove pet urine from upholstery, hardwood, etc. When visiting new spaces, either maintain your dog on a leash and carefully monitor their behavior, or have them wear a belly band (or diaper for females) created to prevent urination indoors.

For training, interrupt your dog if you catch them marking indoors, then move them outside. Reward them for marking and urinating outdoors to develop a stronger preference for engaging in the behavior outdoors. The difficult part is that dogs that mark are inherently rewarded by the behavior because it fulfills a biological need. Because of this, we need to be careful to determine what the triggers are, eliminate them and then train the dog to avoid urinating on these items and areas.

“She goes in her crate”

Sometimes a dog is left in a crate for a while and has an accident. Once it happens a few more times, your dog may develop a pattern of urinating in their crate. Crates are normally used to eliminate potty training problems because it is less likely that a dog will urinate in the area they sleep in. If they have the opportunity to urinate in their crate, whether that is because they did so out of dire need or because the crate was too large to prevent urination, you may see the behavior continue.

The first thing to try in either case is to establish a strict schedule where you can allow your dog outside to eliminate before they go in their crate. Give a reward for successfully urinating and defecating outside. Also resize your dog’s crate so that they can comfortably turn and lie down, but they have no additional space where they could urinate and then lie down elsewhere in the crate.

After doing this, the frequency of urination in the crate should be much less. If your dog continues to eliminate in their crate, decrease the time between potty breaks further. It may be necessary to experiment with new confinement spaces such as a dog-proofed bathroom or other room your dog is comfortable in if they continue to eliminate inside their crate. Continue to keep short increments between potty breaks, and increase the time between offered breaks gradually as you have success. Be patient, this one can be tough to solve.

“She goes in her sleep”

In this instance, it is important to know if your dog is urinating while they are sleeping or if they are waking in the night to eliminate. If they are urinating while sleeping, you’ll need to take them to the veterinarian because there are medications that help with this incontinence issue. If they are waking in the night to eliminate, you’ll need to adjust their bathroom schedule.

Start by taking them out for their final elimination as late as possible. Monitor their water intake in the hours leading up to bedtime. Are they engaging in a long play session and then needing to eliminate during the night? You may need to move their longest play session to earlier in the day so that they have ample time to eliminate before settling in for the night.

If you know the specific time your dog is eliminating in the night, you can wake up and let them out to help readjust their schedule. I typically do this by setting an alarm about 15 to 30 minutes before the time they usually wake up to eliminate. Gradually, I’ll set my alarm later until they can hold it until a normal waking hour.

“I can’t get my puppy to hold it”

Some puppies naturally understand that they need to wait until they get outside to eliminate, but they find their needs so pressing that they just don’t wait. If you’ve already added treats to their outdoor elimination schedule, great. If they still aren’t holding out to get that treat outside, you need to make their indoor environment conducive to holding their urine.

To do this, restrict space strategically in your puppy’s environment. For instance, after they eliminate in the morning, they can have a period of free time. This can be anywhere from one to two hours depending on your puppy’s age and current ability to hold their urine. This time is for play or walks, as long as you know they have already urinated and defecated outdoors. After this period, they should have a period either in their crate or tethered to you. This will make it so that they are less inclined to eliminate indoors. This period can either match the free time period in duration, or can be slightly shorter. After the crate or tethered time period, they should be taken outside to eliminate. Then the process can be repeated.

Crating can help lengthen the time your dog is able to hold their urine while indoors. Turn that frown upside down, Ellie!

If your puppy eliminates during their free time, that period should be shortened. You want them to learn that they need to hold their urine during their time in the house. By using mild confinement, you’ll lengthen their ability to hold their urine. Typically, you can ask a puppy to hold their urine for the number of hours that equals their age in months plus one; however, that number may be reduced for particularly small puppies. Be safe when setting expectations for how long your puppy can hold waste, but make sure to increase the duration challenge as they age.

You’ve Got This!

It can’t be said enough -- you can do this! Solving a house training issue is not always fun, but the results can be very rewarding. Remember that you are trying to create a preference for going outdoors, which is easy to do if you pair elimination with fun treats for your pup. You’re also trying to get your dog(s) to follow a set schedule, so that means you need to stick to a routine. Keep at it and you’ll start to see your dog grow an understanding of their bathroom routine.

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