How to Train Your Dog to Keep From Peeing in the House

Inappropriate urination is a problem most dog owners will have to deal with at some point. It is most common in puppies that are not properly house broken, but a dog of any age may have an accident. Dogs have a natural instinct to keep their living area clean and will always prefer to urinate away from it, but factors such as nervousness, weak bladder or lack of training can often cause indoor peeing. It's important to never punish a dog that urinates in the house.

Things You'll Need

  • Dog treats
  • Dog toys
  • Newspaper
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Instructions

    • 1

      Identify the cause of the problem. Normally, in puppies it is due to a lack of house training. In dogs that have been house trained, an inability to wait until outside can be a sign of a medical condition, especially if combined with excessive water consumption, so seek veterinary advice.

    • 2

      Set up a training area. This has to be an area where it is acceptable for your dog to have accidents. It is also helpful to have this area near an outside door so it takes less time to move the dog from the training area to the outside. The training area only needs to be a few square feet of newspaper placed on the floor.

    • 3

      Encourage the dog to enter the training area. When it enters the training area, give the dog a reward, such as a biscuit or bone.

    • 4

      Take the dog for short walks in the garden or appropriate outside area. Develop a trigger word such as "toilet." Say the trigger word when you think the dog may be about to urinate and praise the dog when it does urinate. This process causes the dog to associate the trigger word with the act or urinating and the act of urinating with praise.

    • 5

      Control your dog's movement after meals and drinks by enclosing it in the training area. Dogs are most likely to urinate after eating or drinking. Keep the dog in training area with the outside door open for half an hour after consuming food or drink. This means the only places it can urinate are outside or on the training area.

    • 6

      Observe your dog's behavior before it urinates and makes notes. Dogs typically sniff the floor and circle before peeing, so when you notice this behavior, be ready to encourage the dog to go outside.

    • 7

      Reward the dog for urinating outside. Use food, a toy or praise to teach the dog that urinating outside has good consequences which will encourage the dog to repeat this behavior. If the dog urinates inside subsequently, simply ignore it and don't make a fuss. This teaches the dog that going outside is preferable to going inside.