SUZANNE HARRIS, CPDT

Thank you for writing me with your dog behavior question.

 

Even though your dog is 4 years old, and may in some way understand that you would prefer that he potty outside, the solution to your problem is to re-housetrain him.  Housetraining means the dog only eliminates outside, barring medical reasons or overly extended periods without access to outside.

 

(There is a possibility that some of his motivation is to "mark" the house, a common male (and sometimes female) behavior.  But your dog is neutered, the peeing in the house has been going on for a long time, and the solution is the same anyway.)

 

The most effective way to stop the behavior once and for all goes like this:

 

1)  Clean any spot he has soiled or could have soiled thoroughly with a serious pet stain solution (your veterinarian can recommend several or may sell them).  Then clean these areas thoroughly again with a white vinegar/water solution.  It's very hard to stop a urinater when he can still smell the spots day after day, especially if it's been going on for a long time.  Better yet, if there is any possible way, replace as much as you can (ie, clean and then repaint any wall corners where he has peed; remove rug and clean the floor and then replace the rug with a brand new one, replace peed-on furniture, etc.)  To be certain you are getting all the spots, consider purchasing a urine identifier (similar to a black light) from a pet supply house so that you don't miss any spots.

 

2)  Prevent any further in-house peeing by initially completely removing your dog's access to the areas in which he is prone to pee.  This means getting baby gates, closing doors, and continuing crate usage when you can't be watching him like a hawk, for reasonable periods (up to 4 hours, but preferably less) to keep him away from these areas.  Do this for 5 days.  In other words, your dog is not allowed to enter these areas at all for 5 days.  If he has to walk through them to go outside, do it only on leash held by you.

 

3)  After those 5 days:  For the next 3 weeks, stay with him at all times and watch him like a hawk when he is allowed, for short periods, in these "marked" areas.  The best way to make sure you are staying with him and watching him like a hawk is to put his leash on him and tie it to your belt loop or wrist.  (This is particularly important right after his potty breaks and after walks - he may be so happy/distracted outside and on his walks that he isn't really emptying out until he gets home, calms down and then realizes there's still a little left.)  We humans think we're watching the dog but he pees the instant we look away, and this is because your dog does nothing but watch your activity to see when you're a little distracted.   The point of this exercise is to have him in the room without ever peeing in it.  No mistakes can be tolerated or allowed - and the only reason they're going to happen is because you're not there or not watching closely enough.  If for any reason he gets the guts to pee in your presence, instantly shout "OUTSIDE!OUTSIDE!" as you rush him outside.  He's small - pick him up before anything comes out, grab his leash and rush him out while you hook him up.  If he somehow succeeds in peeing (and don't lie to yourself about this), repeat step 1, and then repeat step 2.  No kidding.

 

Now for the crucial part:  Dogs learn to "sneak off" because they tend to get scolded or punished when they pee in our presence.  He's got to learn to trust you again to be present while he pees.  It sounds like you mainly just let him outside  -- so you're not there to praise him for the GREAT act of peeing outside.  Now you'll have to change that routine:  Get some yummy treats and your coat by the door, and the leash, and take him outside, on leash, for ALL OF HIS POTTY BREAKS, even the ones where you just caught him "about" to pee or in the act.  Go outside, bring a book and stand in one spot, allowing him no more than 4-6 feet of leash and ignoring his antics until he pees.  You should command "go potty" once in a while, or whatever phrase you like to say.  The first few times this could take 30 minutes so bundle up if necessary and bring a cup o'joe.  He's not used to you being out there, and he may be scared to pee when you're close around, so be patient. 

 

Now as soon as he piddles, pull out a tasty tiny treat from your pocket and give it to him while you calmly and happily praise "good pee outside" or whatever you want to say, and give him another treat, and another all while you are praising him. 

 

Then (and this is the crucial part) take him for a walk or play with him, whatever is his favorite interactive activity WITH YOU. 

 

The point of all of this is to

    1) teach you to watch him so you can be sure he's emptied out and

    2) teach him that it's not only safe but it's profitable to pee in your presence and

    3) THE GOOD TIMES START RIGHT AFTER I PEE, so I better hurry up and get it out as soon as we get out here. 

 

In a few days you should see him peeing sooner and sooner upon arrival outside, as long as you are showing him a good time and lots of attention right after he does.

 

If he's ALWAYS caught in the act inside, and ALWAYS getting a treat and praise and attention and fun for peeing outside, you're going to see a vast improvement pretty quickly.

 

If you are at work 40 hours a week, you've got two options.  You could confine him to the kitchen and know that you will find some piddle when you come home.  The problem with this is that he won't learn to hold it when you're away.  So a 2nd option would be to crate him for 3-4 hours, get a petsitter to let him out at midday (s/he should be instructed on how to let him out, above), or see if you can get him for the midday breaks, and then crate him again for the rest of the day.  After a week or two you should try crating him in the morning, taking him out at midday and then letting him have free run of the kitchen for the afternoon.  After another week or two, try leaving him in the kitchen (of course after you took him outside before you go to work), and be sure you still do the midday break outside.  Remember, all of his potty breaks have to be with you or another household member, on leash, and with lots of treats, praise and fun right after he pees outside. 

 

If you're using the second option, go back to the crate for a few days, for full or half days, if you find a piddle when you come home.  He's got to learn to hold it even when he doesn't want to (we all do, right?)  You can also look into doggie litter boxes and house train him to that for extended periods. 

 

If you're mainly just home evenings and weekends, these are the best times for you to really teach him... so do a lot of the potty breaks at those times.

 

4)  After you've had success with Step 3 for at least 3 weeks, you may start to allow him short unleashed periods in the previously off-limits areas while you (secretly) watch him like a hawk. (10 1-minute periods on days 1 and 2, then 10 2-minute periods on days 3 and 4, then 5 4-minute periods days 5 and 6, etc.  (If he regresses again, go back a step and start again)  Gradually increasing the time up to 15+ minute periods off leash in the marked areas indoor while you watch secretly.  You should be watching very closely - just try not to let him know it.  This can be an effective booby-trap if you catch him in the act  (and react as you did in Step 3) but can only happen after the first 3 items have been completed successfully.

 

5)  As long as there are no "accidents" whatsoever, you can gradually (in 10-20 minute increments)increase his secretly semi-supervised time in the marked areas until life is back to normal.  Always leash him after his supervised off-leash time for the duration of the break, increasing the total time he has to hold it to 4 hours.  This step should not go faster than another month or two. 

 

Any time there is an accident or a regression, go back a step and nail it before you move on. 

 

If you are consistent, a realistic time frame for housetraining an adult dog with ingrained pottying habit is about 4 months.  Mark your calendar when you start so you don't get frustrated thinking it's taking longer than it should.  It's also very important that you go through this with your kids and spouse so that everyone's clear on what's allowed and what's not, that they must bring treats and be prepared to take him for a walk after each potty break, etc.  If everyone's working at this, you could be done with it in 2 months.

 

Thanks again for writing the Dog Days Behavior Center, and good luck!

 

Suzanne Harris, CPDT-KA