Common puppy house training problems
Common puppy house training problems:
Home training is one of the dog-owned areas that is most subject to misunderstandings, confusion and simply fear!
Today's newsletter will address two of the most common issues surrounding the subject of home training:
Common training problem in house N.° 1: Submissive/excited urination
What is it?
A "submissive urinal" is a dog that urinates on the floor and himself (and sometimes on you and any guest you may have!) In situations of extreme excitement or stress, such as when he returns home at the end of the day or when he is being rejected.
Why does it happen?
Puppies are the usual candidates for submissive/excited urination, but it is not uncommon to see adult dogs with the same problem: usually these are very sensitive and shy dogs, and/or a shelter/with a history of abuse (often these last two go from the man O)
When does it happen?
Situations in which an excited/fearful dog can urinate:
What can I do about it?
Fortunately, it is not difficult to "heal" your dog from its submission/excitement when urinating.
First, you should take it to the vet to make sure there is no medical reason for the problem (such as diabetes or a bladder infection). [Post: External parasites and their treatment dogs]
Then it's time to take control of the problem:
Training problem of the house as N. ° 2: Marking of smells
Scent marking-Where a dog "marks" his territory with urine-technically not a training problem, because it is based on issues of dominance and territoriality rather than insufficient domestic training (a dog can be perfectly trained but Still mark inside the house.)
However, because the problem is focused on the undesirable presence of urine in the house, it seems logical to link this problem with domestic training. And since this is one of the most widespread problems among dog owners, we think it's worth including some practical tips.
Marking of aromas and lack of training in the home: how to differentiate between the two. [Post: What is paper training a dog]
The dog is likely to mark the odor instead of genuine relief if:
First things first: sterilize or castrate your dog (s) as soon as possible. If you can do this early enough, ideally, at six months of age, this often stops marking completely; But if your dog has marked for an extended period of time, you can continue to do so after being sterilized or castrated, as a pattern of behavior will be established.
Clean dirty areas thoroughly: Use a non-ammonia-containing cleanser (because it smells like pee) and also avoid vinegar (smells similar to pee). Oxi-Clean mixed with lukewarm water is particularly effective; There are also many commercial cleaners specifically designed to remove stains and smells from pets, which you can buy at pet stores and in some supermarkets.
Because dogs tend to redial the same places, you will have to redefine the places you know are marked to prevent you from offending again.
You can do this in a number of ways:
If there is rivalry between dogs in the home, you should take steps to resolve it. Any conflict is probably of a hierarchical nature (a "power struggle"), which means that all you have to do to stop the tension is to pay attention to which dog seems to be more dominant than the other (which eats first, gets the toys that Wants, "look down" to another dog) and reinforces this position.
How to do this: Feed the dominant dog first. Acarícele him/her first. Give him a toy before anyone else has it. This makes it clear to all the dogs in the house which is really the dominant dog, and when this hierarchy has been recognized established, the territorial/dominant behaviors, like the marking of smells, often disappear overnight.
Other readings
For more information on how to train your dog successfully at home (as well as a lot of detailed information on troubleshooting home training and related issues) you may want to consult. [Post: Dog disobedience training]
Home training is one of the dog-owned areas that is most subject to misunderstandings, confusion and simply fear!
Today's newsletter will address two of the most common issues surrounding the subject of home training:
- Submissive/excited urination
- Scent Mark
Common training problem in house N.° 1: Submissive/excited urination
What is it?
A "submissive urinal" is a dog that urinates on the floor and himself (and sometimes on you and any guest you may have!) In situations of extreme excitement or stress, such as when he returns home at the end of the day or when he is being rejected.
Why does it happen?
Puppies are the usual candidates for submissive/excited urination, but it is not uncommon to see adult dogs with the same problem: usually these are very sensitive and shy dogs, and/or a shelter/with a history of abuse (often these last two go from the man O)
When does it happen?
Situations in which an excited/fearful dog can urinate:
- Greeting time after prolonged absence
- Play Time
- The arrival of guests
- Stressful situations in the home, for example, discussions
- During a correction (you're saying)
- Sudden noises (thunder, fireworks)
What can I do about it?
Fortunately, it is not difficult to "heal" your dog from its submission/excitement when urinating.
First, you should take it to the vet to make sure there is no medical reason for the problem (such as diabetes or a bladder infection). [Post: External parasites and their treatment dogs]
Then it's time to take control of the problem:
- Limit your water consumption to help you control your bladder more effectively. Do not restrict your intake of water for an extended period of time, but if you know that a situation is looming that would normally cause the need to urinate, for example, if guests come or plan a game session soon, drink water. Go down for a period of time (maybe half an hour to an hour) before the event.
- When you greet your dog, keep him calm and smooth. The more excited you are, the harder it will be for him to control your bladder, so don't encourage him to get nervous: ignore during the first few moments, or give him a neutral "hello", a quick slap and then make yourself at home.
- It is important that you do not punish or harshly correct your dog for this behavior. It's not something he can easily control, and he certainly doesn't do it on purpose. When you catch him in the act, you can interrupt him (a firm "No!" followed by praise when it stops should be enough) but do not punish it. Stay calm and try to be sympathetic: after all you don't want to do it!
- If you urinate out of fear (submission) When you scold him for another offense, try to lower your stress levels by keeping a firm, authoritarian, but not angry tone. Remember that you are dealing with a sensitive and very busy dog: if you get angry or worry more, the problem will worsen.
Training problem of the house as N. ° 2: Marking of smells
Scent marking-Where a dog "marks" his territory with urine-technically not a training problem, because it is based on issues of dominance and territoriality rather than insufficient domestic training (a dog can be perfectly trained but Still mark inside the house.)
However, because the problem is focused on the undesirable presence of urine in the house, it seems logical to link this problem with domestic training. And since this is one of the most widespread problems among dog owners, we think it's worth including some practical tips.
Marking of aromas and lack of training in the home: how to differentiate between the two. [Post: What is paper training a dog]
The dog is likely to mark the odor instead of genuine relief if:
- The amount of urine produced is relatively small and tends to be directed against vertical surfaces (walls, doors, etc.)
- It is man, without a cap, and at least five or six months. The uncastrated dogs are much more territorial than the castrated ones; If you have a dog without hulling in the house, you can expect a certain amount of aroma marks. (Unpaid women also mark, but are less common, spayed and neutered dogs may also exhibit a marked behavior, but it is relatively rare)
- it doesn't make much difference how often they take it outside to go to the bathroom
- Frequently points to items that are new to the house: new possessions, clothing/footwear for guests, etc.
- You live in a house with several dogs and there is conflict between two or more of the Dogs
- There are other pets without marrying or without paying in the house.
What to do with the problem?
First things first: sterilize or castrate your dog (s) as soon as possible. If you can do this early enough, ideally, at six months of age, this often stops marking completely; But if your dog has marked for an extended period of time, you can continue to do so after being sterilized or castrated, as a pattern of behavior will be established.
Clean dirty areas thoroughly: Use a non-ammonia-containing cleanser (because it smells like pee) and also avoid vinegar (smells similar to pee). Oxi-Clean mixed with lukewarm water is particularly effective; There are also many commercial cleaners specifically designed to remove stains and smells from pets, which you can buy at pet stores and in some supermarkets.
Because dogs tend to redial the same places, you will have to redefine the places you know are marked to prevent you from offending again.
You can do this in a number of ways:
- Feed next to or above the place
- Play with him there
- Prepare there
- Put the bed on or next to it
- Spend time there yourself: hang out with a book or sit and work
If there is rivalry between dogs in the home, you should take steps to resolve it. Any conflict is probably of a hierarchical nature (a "power struggle"), which means that all you have to do to stop the tension is to pay attention to which dog seems to be more dominant than the other (which eats first, gets the toys that Wants, "look down" to another dog) and reinforces this position.
How to do this: Feed the dominant dog first. Acarícele him/her first. Give him a toy before anyone else has it. This makes it clear to all the dogs in the house which is really the dominant dog, and when this hierarchy has been recognized established, the territorial/dominant behaviors, like the marking of smells, often disappear overnight.
Other readings
For more information on how to train your dog successfully at home (as well as a lot of detailed information on troubleshooting home training and related issues) you may want to consult. [Post: Dog disobedience training]
