Potty Training Problems

Potty training a puppy does have some common problems, but if you have patience, things will work out well. 

Marking the territory is a problem with males dogs more so than with a female dog. This is unfortunate for the owner, but this can be stopped by spaying and neutering the dog as soon as possible. 

If your dog does have an accident in the house, you will have to remove the urine and eliminate the smell or the dog will continue to go back to that spot. Try a product that has active enzymes rather than something that will only mask the smell for a short time. 

Keep the dog on a regular feeding and drinking schedule to prevent any accidents in the home. If your dog is not house trained, you would not want to leave food out all day long. The dog should be on a timed feeding routine until he or she is properly potty trained. This can be a breakfast, lunch and dinner feeding. Then you will have control over when the dog will need to relieve him or herself. 

The same will go for water. Do not give large amounts of water if you are going to be gone to work. 

Time in the crate can pose some problems for young dogs that do not have a large enough bladder. You can figure that a dog that is two months old can hold their urine for two hours and a three-month-old dog can hold it for three hours and so forth. 

If you are leaving the puppy in the crate for eight hours, use a puppy potty pad because they are going to have an accident. This of course is different with every dog and dog breed. 

Even the best-trained dog can have an accident if you leave him or her along for long periods of time. If the dog is on a regular schedule and you miss that potty time, they may have an accident. If you are going to be gone for a long time, you may want to provide a puppy potty pad for the dog. 

Dogs can also get bored when left alone all the time and may strike out at you by urinating in the house. This unfortunately is a behavior problem you have to deal with by training the dog to do something else while you are gone. 

Provide dog toys and keep the TV on while you are gone and the dog will always feel as if someone is home. Many people laugh when you tell them the dog needs to have a TV on, but the truth is that a dog will feel more comfortable. You may also want to leave a light on if you will be gone at night. 

The more you make the dog feel at ease, the more they will want to please you and not urinate in the house while you are home or gone. It is their nature to please their owners, but they can also show you they are upset by breaking the rules.

For more helpful dog training help, please visit our Potty Dog Training Website.