Tips on House Training a Dog
Dealing With “Accidents”
No matter how dedicated you are to properly house training a dog, there will be accidents. No dog owner manages to avoid them – they’re a part of the housebreaking process. But you’re human, there are going to be times when you can’t bring your dog out when he needs to go out. There are going to be times when you get stuck in traffic, or at work, or your dog simply has an accident out of the blue. Don’t fret – here are the steps to dealing with house training accidents.
Prevention First: Try to get your dog outside to relieve himself every morning, afternoon, evening, and after meals. The more you bring your dog outside, the less chance you have of him using the house as his bathroom.
Avoid Mistakes: Do not rub your dog’s nose in the mess, hit him, yell, or otherwise discipline. Your dog will learn much better through positive reinforcement rather than punishment. This goes double if you find an old accident. Your dog has no memory of the past, so if you yell at him for a mess made hours ago, he won’t have any idea why you’re angry. To top it off, he’ll learn to be anxious around you because you’re so “unpredictable.” Anxious dogs will urinate as a sign of submission, so you’d only create a new urination problem rather than solving the old one.
Be Calm: Say a firm “No!” if you catch your dog in the act and hurry him outside. If you can pick up your dog to get him outside faster, do so, even if he’s still mid-stream. Place him in the designated spot outside, say “Potty” (or whatever word you’ve used in your training) and then praise him when he finishes the job outside.
Increase Frequency: If your dog is having accidents indoors, try to increase the amount of trips outside that you take during the day. If you don’t already have a crate, it might help to crate your dog during times when you cannot supervise him.
Dietary Changes: Remember that dogs have sensitive digestive systems. If you change dog foods suddenly or frequently feed your dog “people food,” you increase the chances of accidents. While we’d get bored of the same food every day, your dog doesn’t care about variety. Sometimes, even a change in water can cause distress. It can be helpful to take along water from home to give your dog if you’re traveling.
Check Health: Health problems can cause housebreaking issues, even in fully trained dogs. Conditions like diabetes or urinary tract infections can cause your dog’s bladder to be unpredictable. Even if your dog wanted to go out, he wouldn’t be able to get there in time before nature took over. If you think your dog may have a health condition, see your vet for a checkup.
Clean Up: Confine your dog in a place away from the mess. Since dog mothers will clean their puppies’ messes, you don’t want to give your dog the wrong idea! Sop up as much of the liquid as possible using paper towels, and then clean the spot with specially made urine odor removers. Solid stains on carpet can be cleaned with a mixture of warm water, dish soap, and vinegar. Watch when he’s near the area – even carefully cleaned, the scent will still attract your dog.
