How do you train a dog from peeing and pooping in the house?

When dog excrement suddenly appears on the floor of the house, the fresh air is broken by the odor, and even the gentlest owner will inevitably feel helpless and troubled. However, dogs urinate and defecate at home at will, not because they deliberately "make trouble", but because of their natural reaction to the environment, physiological needs or insufficient training. To help dogs say goodbye to this habit, owners need to deeply understand the reasons behind it, use professional knowledge, patient guidance and full of love to accompany them to learn to defecate in the right place, and jointly create a clean and warm home. ​

There are many reasons why dogs defecate at will at home. From a physiological point of view, the bladder and intestines of puppies are not yet mature, and their self-control ability is weak. It is difficult to hold back urine and feces for a long time, so they need to defecate frequently. Generally speaking, puppies of two or three months old may need to defecate once every 1-2 hours. Older dogs may have urinary system diseases or intestinal problems due to the decline of physical functions, which leads to the inability to control excretion. In addition, some dogs will become uneasy after changing their living environment because they are not familiar with the new place, so they defecate at will at home, trying to mark their own "safe area" with smell. Some dogs have not received scientific toilet training and do not know where their owners want them to defecate. ​

If you want to change your dog's habit of urinating and defecating at home, you should first select a fixed toilet area for them. This area can be selected in a well-ventilated and relatively quiet place, such as a balcony or a corner of the bathroom. If you plan to let your dog defecate outdoors, it is best to keep the route and location consistent every time you go out, so that the dog is familiar with the environment and feels safe. After selecting the area, you can lay a special pet urine mat on the ground. The special smell emitted by the urine mat can attract dogs to defecate. For dogs who like to defecate in places such as grass, you can also place some hay in a fixed area to simulate the natural environment. ​

Observing the signals that the dog wants to defecate is a key step in successful training. Dogs often have some obvious behavioral performances before defecation, such as lowering their heads to sniff the ground, turning in circles, suddenly stopping to play, and whimpering softly. When the owner catches these signals, quickly and gently guide the dog to the designated toilet area. If the dog is at home, the owner can gently lead it with a leash; if it is outdoors, take it to a fixed defecation location. During the guidance process, do not yell or urge the dog to avoid causing stress to them and affecting their normal excretion. ​

When the dog successfully excretes in the designated area, timely and appropriate rewards can reinforce their correct behavior. Immediately give the dog a favorite snack, praise it with a cheerful and appreciative tone, and gently stroke its head or back. Dogs are very sensitive to the owner's emotions and tone. This positive feedback will make them understand that excreting in this place can be recognized and rewarded by the owner, so they are more willing to repeat this behavior. On the contrary, if you find that the dog excretes in the wrong place, do not beat or scold them afterwards, because it is difficult for the dog to associate the punishment with the previous wrong behavior. Instead, it will have a psychological shadow because of fear, which will affect the training effect. The owner can quietly clean up the excrement and use a special pet deodorant to completely eliminate the smell to avoid the residual smell attracting the dog to excrete in the same place again. ​

Establishing a regular life and work schedule is crucial for the dog's toilet training. Feed and drink water regularly and quantitatively every day, so that the dog's excretion time will also be relatively regular. For example, take your dog to the designated toilet area after getting up in the morning, within 30 minutes after each meal, 15-20 minutes after drinking water, after playing, and before going to bed at night, so that they can gradually develop the habit of defecating at these specific times and places. As the training progresses, the dog will slowly adapt to this pattern and reduce the number of random defecations at home. ​

During the training process, it is inevitable to encounter various problems. Some dogs may hold their urine due to timidity, tension or changes in the environment. At this time, the owner needs to be more patient, accompany them more, and relieve their emotions in a relaxed and happy way, such as playing some simple games with them, and then guide them to the toilet area after they relax. Some dogs may repeatedly defecate in the wrong place. This may be because the previous smell has not been completely removed, or they have not fully understood the owner's requirements. The owner should re-examine the training method, ensure that the smell is removed, and strengthen guidance and rewards. ​

Training dogs not to urinate and defecate at home is a process that requires time and patience. In this process, the owner may experience many failures, but each failure is an opportunity to learn. When the dog can finally go to the toilet in the designated area on its own initiative, the sense of accomplishment and happiness is indescribable. This not only means that the home environment has been restored to a clean state, but also symbolizes that a deep trust and tacit understanding has been established between the owner and the dog. If you guide the dog with love and expertise, they will surely become more well-behaved and caring family partners, sharing every moment of a beautiful life with us.