How to Break a Dog's Habit of Peeing in One Place

While some dogs are more easily housebroken than others, all dogs may eventually be trained to urinate outdoors. However, if your dog starts urinating in one place in your house, it can be difficult to convince the dog to stop. This unpleasant habit will become more and more ingrained the longer it goes on, so take the time to understand why the dog is engaging in this behavior and to train it to stop.

Things You'll Need

  • Enzymatic cleaner
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Instructions

    • 1

      Take the dog to the veterinarian if the urination happens suddenly and if the dog has not had problems previously. A sudden issue with urination may indicate a health problem.

    • 2

      Clean the spot where the dog keeps urinating with an enzymatic cleaner. This eradicates the smell of the urine completely, which standard cleaners do not. If a dog can smell urine in a specific location, it is more likely to continue urinating there.

    • 3

      Keep the dog away from the area where it urinates. You may keep the door closed or use a baby gate for smaller dogs. If there is something in the room that causes this behavior, barring the dog at the door prevents this problem.

    • 4

      Neuter your male dog. Constantly urinating in one place may be a sign of marking, where a dog marks its territory with urine. Neutering cuts back on this instinct even for male dogs that have been doing it for their entire lives.

    • 5

      Watch your dog closely when it is near the affected area, and when you notice it start to sniff in preparation for urinating, sharply say "No!" to startle the dog away. Don't reprimand the dog like this unless you catch it in the act.