How to Stop a Dog From Urinating in House

House training is a challenging part of dog ownership, and some breeds of dogs are more resistant to house training than others. Dogs urinate in the house due to inadequate house training, anxiety and the lingering smell of urine. Dogs will also urinate inside if they are forced to wait too long to go outside. You can effectively house train your dog using positive, reward-based methods.

Things You'll Need

  • Crate
  • Dog treats
  • Training clicker
  • Collar
  • Leash
  • Urine odor remover

Instructions

    • 1

      Put your dog in a crate when you are not supervising it or are not home. Dogs are unlikely to soil the area in which they sleep unless it's a true emergency, so keeping your dog in a crate deters it from urinating inside. Every time your dog urinates inside this encourages it to continue doing so, so preventing accidents is the first step in proper house training.

    • 2

      Take your dog outside at least every two hours when you first begin house training. You should also take your dog out when you get home, before you leave, after eating or drinking, after playtime and when your dog wakes up. When your dog urinates outside, praise it lavishly, click the training clicker and give your dog a treat. This teaches your dog to associate going outside with receiving a reward and will increase the frequency with which the dog goes outside.

    • 3

      Take your dog outside immediately if it has an accident. This helps your dog develop an association between urinating and being outside, and will discourage future accidents.

    • 4

      Remove the scent of urine from any places where your dog has urinated by using a urine odor remover. Dogs are driven by scent and are far more likely to urinate in areas that smell like urine.