The most embarrassing and frustrating problems that you may have to face as a pet owner is having a dog that suddenly starts peeing inside. No matter how house trained you think that your dog is they may still break into the habit of peeing in your home.
Stop Dog Peeing
There are many things that can cause your well-behaved dog to start acting out. If there is a sudden change in the house, like all new furniture and flooring your dog may begin to feel insecure, and mark their territory to bring back what they see as control. When you clean this up, they will just do it again, trying to show you that no matter what you change it is still their home.
Another big change may be the addition of a baby into the household. You will suddenly be paying more attention to the baby than the dog that is use to being the center of your world. Peeing inside is the dog’s way of showing you that they need to have some of your time also. If you have an older dog the problem just may be age, they have lost some of the control over their bladder.
Getting Dogs Neutered
A quick and easy remedy if you are lucky that may work for your dog is getting them neutered. Even if the problem is because of age neutering may still help. Even though countless studies have been done, there is no clear conclusion to why male dogs are more apt to pee or mark your belongings in your house. The most scientific guess however is that it has to do with testosterone levels that male dogs have, which is why neutering at any age can be a step into the right direction.
If your dog has already been neutered and the problem continues, you have to take an active role in curing this before it becomes a hard-core habit that you won’t be able to fix. Watch your dog like a hawk. Follow them around for a day or two and pay attention to where and when they try to pee on your floor. When you see him start to position himself to go to the bathroom, firmly say no in a commanding voice and lead them outside.
When your dog pees outside praise him loudly and excitedly to let him know that he is doing what he is supposed to be doing. You will generally be re house breaking your dog. Think back today one and the process that you used to break your puppy of peeing on the floor. You were probably really patient with them because they were just a baby.
It was your patience and persistence that trained your puppy in the first place. Stick with the positive reinforcement that worked well with your puppy the first time around, Even though this time through the house breaking your dog is older it is still important to keep in mind that it is scientifically proven that animals respond better to positive reinforcement than they do negative. This is especially true this time around. If your dog is peeing on your floor to get your attention, they are feeling unwanted and not as important as they use to.
If you yell at them or smack them for peeing in the house, they will further regress and act out because you will have confirmed their feelings. Negative reinforcement may end up making your dog’s behavior worse in this situation, so it is important not to revert to that no matter how frustrating the situation gets. Take the time to identify the behavior, work with your dog to fix it, bringing the balance back into your home.