Including a dog in the family brings with it a series of challenges related to its care and education. Of these, one of the most complex is how to teach the animal to relieve itself outside the home. The dog by itself will not know where it can relieve itself and where not. So it is the responsibility of your reference humans to guide you and show you what is correct.
The training to relieve itself on the street varies depending on the age of the dog. In the case of puppies, they do not have complete control of their sphincters until they are approximately nine months old, so they need to go for walks more frequently. Regardless of this circumstance, it is essential to find out the causes why your best furry friend pees and poops at home, as these will determine the best way to correct such behavior.
As we have mentioned, if it is a puppy, it cannot control its needs like an adult dog. But this problem can also occur in adult dogs.
The first thing is to rule out that it is a health problem, going for a check-up with the vet. Elderly dogs can also suffer from incontinence problems. Another possible reason why your pet is urinating or defecating at home is poor upbringing. Stress or separation anxiety are other factors that trigger this problem.
On the other hand, it is common for unsterilized males to pee at home as a marking signal. In this sense, sterilizing it can put an end to this habit.
The key to getting your dog to stop relieving himself indoors is to apply positive reinforcement instead of reprimands. If he does it inside, don't scold or punish him, just say no outright. Instead, you should reward him with trinkets, words of encouragement, and pampering whenever he does it on the street.
It is also recommended that you maintain a fixed routine for walks, adapting as far as possible to the times of the day when you know your dog has to pee or poop. Also, see if the area you choose for the walk likes it, because it may not feel like relieving itself in an environment with a lot of people, noise from cars or other animals. Avoid going home immediately after he pees, as this will associate this with the end of the walk.
Finally, you have to see if inside the house he has a favorite area to do his things. If so, you can try restricting his access to it, as well as cleaning it with enzymatic odor-eliminating products, so he won't be tempted to do it there. Avoid using bleach or ammonia, as their scent reminds them of urine. If, no matter how hard you try, you cannot eradicate the problem, it will be of great help to contact a canine educator or ethologist.
