The Problem…
Most pet dogs are like humans; they are creatures of habit.
So when they find a place they like to use to pee and poop, they will often stick to it.
Be honest and ask yourself…
If you have stalls at work or somewhere you hang out a lot like the gym or a favorite bar, do you always prefer to use the same stall?
Maybe, maybe not? However, most dogs certainly act like this and it can be a nuisance.
Maybe they are peeing on the part of your garden that gets damaged by the dog’s urine.
Maybe their favorite potty spot is where your kids play, and it is not hygienic.
Or maybe your dog loves to pee on your neighbors lovely manicured lawn, and it is causing you embarrassment or conflict in the neighborhood!
If any of these situations sound familiar, you are in the right place. In the post, we will look at training methods to train a dog to pee in a new location.
Training a Dog Where to Pee – Step by Step
Your task is to follow each step as closely as you can as many times per day as you can until the dog is fully trained and habituated to take a leak in the chosen area.
Step One – Basic Dog Training Principles
Before you actually start the training, you need to remember the most important basic principles of training any dog to do any task.
- Consistency
- Reward
- Repetition
Consistency
You must be as consistent as you possibly can with your dog and the training.
You must do the same behavior patterns and use the same commands.
A delivered in the same manner with the same body language every single time.
Reward
Every single time that the dogs carries out the desired behavior, you must reward them.
Ideally, you would give them a nice tasty treat and lots of verbal and physical praise (strokes, hugs, etc.) every time.
But don’t worry if you do not always have dog treats handy.
Just give them extra verbal and physical praise so that they know they have been a good dog.
Repetition
Consistent repetition of the correct actions rewarded with praise and treats for the dog is the key to success in training your dog.
Some dog trainers really try to over complicate things (often so that they can sell your overpriced training programs!).
But in a nutshell, the answer to potty training is usually much more simple.
Step Two – Picking the New Spot
It would be best if you took a minute to think about the new potty spot you would like your dog to use.
It should ideally be somewhere quiet, clean, safe, with grass and other plants.
If possible, there shouldn’t be too many other dogs or people coming through the area, and it shouldn’t be close to lots of traffic.
A quiet grassy corner of your garden or yard would be the perfect spot to use.
If you do not have your own yard, maybe you live in an apartment building or condo.
Then a quiet spot on some grass near your home would also work great.
Step Three – Training the Dog Where to Pee
For this, you need to make sure that you think about when your dog is likely to need a pee.
In the morning, after a nap, before bed, and a short while after meals and drinks are usually the best times.
At these times, you need to put your dog on a leash and take them to your chosen potty spot.
Then you need to make sure that you do not leave that area until the dog pees.
As you walk about to the area, you can engage and praise the dog, but you need to disengage and let nature take its course once you are there.
If you got the timing right and the dog needs to pee, even if they do not want to go in this area, they will sooner or later.
It might be a battle of wills, as you stay put with the dog until they can’t hold it in any longer.
You can also use a cue word. If you have never used one before, every time they pee, say the word, and soon it will become associated with them peeing.
Many dog owners say, “go potty,” but it doesn’t matter what you say. Just pick a word or phrase and stick to it.
As soon as the dog has had a pee, give them LOTS of praise, and attention, give them a treat, tell them they are a good boy or girl, stroke them.
Give them some face to face contact and positive body language, really let them know that they did the right thing.
Step Four – Reinforcing the New Pee Area
Here comes the repetition. You have to repeat this again and again and again.
Each time you do it, you will be re-wiring the dog’s brain to engage in a new behavior pattern.
You will notice over time, and it gradually becomes easier and easier to get the dog to pee in the spot you want.
Do not stop the training process too soon. Ensure that you keep going until the new dog pee behavior patterns are well and truly reinforced and habituated.
Stamping Out Any Problems
If you find yourself struggling with getting this process to work, make sure that the first thing to do is come back to this post and re-read it.
Reminded yourself of the basics and ask yourself as you really following the steps?
Have you given it enough time to work? Do you just need to keep trying?
If you are sure you are stuck and you can’t make it happen, then you should contact a local dog trainer and ask them to help you.
Please be aware they are some terrible trainers out there, so ask some local dog owners if they can recommend a decent, trustworthy dog trainer to help you get your dog to pee in the right spot.
Other Doggy Related Questions
It would be lovely if young puppies were born fully potty trained and that as dog owners, we need had to deal with any poop or pee from our pet dogs.
But sadly, that just isn’t the case, and part of the job of the responsible dog owner is to deal with our dog’s toilet actives so that other people do not have to fall foul of it.
We get asked lots of questions in our role here at the Pupster Passion USA Headquarters, and a lot of them are related to this subject.
Here are some of the frequently asked question we get and our answers to them:
- What Scent Attracts Dogs to Pee?
- Why is My Dog Not Peeing?
- Why Do Dogs Pee in a New House?
- How Can I Get My Dog to Pee on the Grass?
What Scent Attracts Dogs to Pee?
Dogs pee for two reasons. Firstly they just to pee to get rid of the urine as a natural part of their bodily functions.
But they also pee for scent marking, as a form of communication to other dogs and animals.
Other animals will know that a dog has been there recently, and other dogs will notice not just the presence of another dog, but if it is male or female if it is female if she is in season, and possibly a lot of other things as well.
So one of the scents that might attract your dog to pee is the smell of another dog’s urine or poop.
They might be marking their territory and letting each other know that this is their patch as far as they are concerned!
Of course, for our pet dogs, this might seem a bit silly to us, but these behavior patterns are an inheritance from thousands of years ago, from their much wilder ancestors.
Why is My Dog Not Peeing?
If your dog is not peeing, you should take him or her to your local vet right away.
It might not be anything serious, but it really could be.
Some possible reasons for a dog not being able to urinate are bladder stones, urethral stones, and even cancer.
So please take your beloved pet dog to see a DVM qualified veterinarian at their surgery as soon as possible.
With your pet’s health, it is always better to be safe than to be sorry.
Why Do Dogs Pee in a New House?
If you move to a new house and your already well potty-trained adult dog decides to go potty inside the new home, it will be for one of two reasons.
Either they are marking their territory as we just discussed in our previous points, or they are either excited or confused.
Most likely, if the dog was already well house trained, this behavior will not last very long at all.
But you should just go back to the doggy housebreaking basics to eliminate it as quickly as possible.
Every time you think your dog might need to urinate, take them to their new potty area.
Use a go potty command and reward them with praise or treats every time they go in the right location.
In no time at all, the dog will settle down in their new habit, and you can stop cleaning up smelly puddles from inside your home!
How Can I Get My Dog to Pee on the Grass?
If you read our step by step training guide just above, you will have a simple but effective method of training your dog where to go potty.
If you pick a nice, clean, quiet grassy spot and follow our guidelines, you will have the dog trained in no time.
Its advice is simple, and it is easy to apply, but you have to stick to the main core principles if you want the new habits to become routine as quickly as possible.
To Wrap It All Up
We hope this post will help you understand what you need to do to get your dog to pee in the potty spot you want.
If you follow the steps and the core principles, it will work.
It just might take time depending on each individual dog and the spot that you are using.
As always, consistency, repetition, and lots of praise and reward for the correct behavior are your best plan of attack.
Good luck. Thanks for visiting our website, and please feel free to take a look around at our other blog posts.
PS – Here is a quick but still useful house training video to help you help your dog learn to pee in the right spot.