Dog Potty Training Issues

When you pinpoint the reason why an animal is in appropriately urinating or defecating you can solve the house training issue much faster.

Reasons dog or puppies have house training issues:

• Lack of training, “training by accident,” or the wrong type of training.

Normal doggie rules (called instinct) will naturally urge a pooch to travel away from their living area to relieve themselves at about five weeks of age. If they cannot get to the right area, they will be “trained by accident”. This causes them to go potty in the house, on the carpet, concrete, and to think that it is normal.

• The wrong type of confinement.

The wrong type of confinement also can fall under the wrong type of training since it involves keeping the pooch in a certain area and accidentally trains them to go potty in the places you don’t want them to go.

• Medical or physical problems or limitations.

If your pooch is not feeling well that could affect its normal toileting habits. New medicine worms (parasites) and other stuff like infections can also cause house soiling problems. New puppies and dogs should be checked out by the veterinarian before or after their arrival to your home (in three to five days) to make sure they are in good shape.

• Age limitations.

Young puppies and older dogs fit in here. Older pets get stuck in a routine and do not adapt to changes very well. Older dogs can get senile too! Pups can only control their urge if they are taught to. Asking your puppy to hold their urge for long periods of time is asking a lot until after they are about six months old.

• Territorial marking behavior.

“Lefty the leg lifter” fits here. This is a problem with male dogs but can apply to bossy females too. They mark their territory to show others they own it.

• Emotional reasons.

Yes, animals do have emotions and feelings. They differ from ours but they have them. Trauma in the family or household can affect more sensitive animals. If the person who the dog is closest to dies or is very upset the problem might fit here.

• Too much time alone.

Latch-key dogs are found here. The cause is due to the dog being unable to relieve itself in a timely manner. Accidents can happen if they have a “funny tummy” before the normal scheduled time arrives to go out.

• Diet or food brand changes.

This one is pretty simple. Any change in diet can trigger loose stools or more frequent pooping. High fiber content foods, rich meats, canned food, table scraps, or a change in brand can also be culprits.

• Move to a new home or new animal addition.

Moving to a new location sometimes messes up a dog and may trigger marking behavior. People who lived there before you m ay have had animals that soiled and that would cause your critters to want to leave their mark. New animals arriving into your home may also feel the need to leave their mark.

• Temperament issues.

“Wimpy” dogs fall under this category. Most of these animals are just showing they are submissive, since they are very low on the totem pole. They cannot control this reflex. These animals are very sensitive and have numerous things that can trigger this reaction.