Dogs are challenging to train, and they are often reluctant to go outside the house to use the bathroom. It is why some people choose not to have a potty for their pup in the first place. Even if you’ve managed to train your dog to use a potty, he may change his mind and poop inside your house.
It can cause a lot of mess and smell in the house. But worry less! You can apply several solutions when stuck in such a frustrating scenario. But firstly, you need to understand why your dog suddenly refuses to go to the bathroom outside when he has been doing it all along.
What Makes A Dog Refuse To Go To The Bathroom Outside?
Here are a few reasons your dog might refuse to go to the bathroom outside:
1. Common Fears
If your pup is afraid of going outside, he may stay inside and pee or poop inside the house to get some relief. There might be fireworks or other scary machinery outside that cause your dog to stay inside and hide.
Also, your dog might be afraid of another dog which makes him fear going outside; hence he decides to pee on your couch. Certain things can alert his mind that there is danger outside. Other Stressing factors include noises, awful smells, and bright lights.
Some dogs rescued from animal shelters and have a history of being abused are very anxious to leave their homes. They also have trouble going on long walks. These pups are tough to train to overcome their fears. If that’s the case, don’t give up! It may need a lot of patience and love.
2. Health Problems
It’s not unusual to find your dog peeing on your carpet or other places in your house. If your dog has had a problem, it’s wise first to identify any underlying medical conditions.
Here are more medical conditions that can cause your puppy to pee in the house.
Arthritis
This often goes undetected because dogs are pretty strong. It’s hard to notice the slow progress of arthritis in dogs because we don’t see them daily. And when we do notice it, it may not be as severe as you think. Do you believe that dogs are very patient? They are pretty stoic.
If your dog is in pain, climbing up the stairs to go outside to the yard might be difficult for him to do. Dogs can be affected by cold or damp weather, and you may notice that they have more urge to urinate in the wintertime.
Doggie Dementia
Dogs with dementia may drink more water than usual due to other medical problems that can cause them to need to urinate frequently. If your dog had cognitive dysfunction, he would drink lots of water and then return for more. It could be that his brain is not receiving the correct information from you, or it could be that he is confused or he has forgotten something.
UTIs
A painful urinary tract infection can cause your pup to feel an extreme urge to urinate frequently and urgently. If it is easy to identify this problem, you can easily treat it. In fact, it may help you eliminate the problem. If your dog is prone to frequent urination due to urinary tract infections (UTIs), you can ask your vet to recommend a diet to help your pup maintain good health.
Diabetes
If your pup has diabetes or other conditions that affect his kidneys, she may need to drink more water regularly. It causes them to need to urinate more often.
3. Incontinence
This is common in older dogs, but younger dogs can be affected by it as well. Female pups are more likely to need to urinate more frequently than male dogs. It can happen after your dog is spayed or neutered due to a hormonal imbalance.
4. Territory Marking
Dogs are very good at marking their territory when they are going to urinate. They have nothing to do with relieving their bladders, but it is imperative that they do it to maintain their social status. It is common for male dogs to mark their territory, but female dogs can make scent marks on the ground.
In situations like this, your dog may urinate both inside and outside your house. When a dog is spayed or neutered, it will not cause it to act in this manner again as long as it is not a habit.
5. Age Factor
Dogs that are getting old may begin to suffer from joint issues, which cause them to have difficulties going to the bathroom outside the house. It is not possible to train your dogs to do their business at an old age, but you can take special care of them as they may have difficulties walking and climbing stairs.
Adding a ramp for the stairs is an easy way to make traveling down and up the stairs more manageable for your canine companion. Ramps should have a good grip but must have a smooth surface. Also, a dog door can be helpful because it allows you to get into and out of your house quickly.
When they are experiencing pain while trying to walk around as normal, it could cause them to feel real pain. If you notice that your dog is aching, you should contact your veterinarian to have him prescribed pain medication that will ease the pain. There are certain foods that can help you pet your dog to have good joint health. You can have their medications hidden in their food to make it painless for them to take them.
6. Change In Weather
Bugs and pollen grass are much more abundant in the summertime. Dogs may be sensitive to certain plants and have skin irritations. Some dogs are allergic to certain insects, such as fleas and mosquitos. These can cause their skin to become red and inflamed.
If your pup scratches himself often, it will become excruciating to touch and may even become infected. Some dogs may become very sensitive to insects. There may be some hair loss. Maybe these are the reasons your pup doesn’t wish to go outside.
Sometimes all it takes is giving your dog a dose of Benadryl to make him feel better or contacting your veterinarian if you do not see any changes in his behavior.
7. Poor House-Training
Some dogs become deeply ingrained by doing certain things repeatedly. For example, they may think that it is acceptable to have a few pees inside the house and outside on others. If you are planning on getting a pup used to urinating indoors, it may be challenging to get rid of this behavior. Your dog may simply think that peeing inside the house is acceptable. It may be that you did not complete your potty training correctly.
Many dogs become accustomed to the thought of urinating inside houses because they use a lot of pee pads during the day. It is essential to be consistent when you train your dog to go outside to urinate. It assists your pup in learning new behaviors and causing him to be more comfortable outdoors.
How To Fix the Problem of Dogs Peeing Inside the House
When your pup refuses to go outside to pee, it is crucial that you contact your veterinarian to come and rule out any underlying medical conditions. Here are some other things that you may be able to do to help your dog.
Review Your House-training Methods
Sometimes, going over some basic house-training steps can help. Sometimes it helps to start from scratch.
Here Are Tips For Training:
- Take a stroll with your dog – Sometimes puppies are very distracted and may forget that they need to go to the bathroom and not just poop around! Leash training can help guide your puppy to a designated area to go potty.
- Reward him if he pees – Reward and praise your pup when he pees in the correct place.
- Take him back outside ten minutes later – Sometimes, puppies don’t empty their bladders completely the first time. Giving them a treat when they do helps avoid accidents. If they don’t drain the bladder completely the first time, a second attempt can help avoid accidents. If your dog keeps coming back after playing, it could imply that nothing is right with him.
- Supervise your dog always – This will help you to understand when your dog is ready to go outside to pee but doesn’t know how to do it or just won’t go out. When your pup first wakes up, maybe just after playing or eating, or if you notice that he is circling and sniffing the air, you can easily pull him up on a leash and take him to his designated spot to pee.
- Be persistent in taking him out frequently – Young dogs should go outside every hour or so. As your pup gets more experienced, you can increase the time he stays indoors.
Buy Pee Training Sprays
There are many pet sprays that you can buy that work well for training your dog to go where you want him to go. These sprays contain chemical compounds that smell like dog poop or pee. It’s thought that dogs like to pee where others have done it before. Some dogs respond well to sprays that encourage them to go where the spray smells.
Eliminate Lingering Poop Smells Inside Your House
Some dogs are very fond of going to places where they have previously peed or pooped, so try to remove any odors that might still be present. By cleaning the spots where your dog has peed or pooped, it is possible to avoid future accidents happening at the same place.
Use an enzymatic cleaner for urine stains to clean the area and remove any residual odors your dog has left behind.
Consider using Little Boxes or Pee Pads If you Have A Small Pup
For those living in apartment buildings or with small dogs who often have trouble getting outside, dog pee litter boxes or pads might be a good option. But be persistent with the way you treat your dog. If you decide to use dog litter boxes pee pads, make sure that they are fresh, clean, and easily accessible.
Allow Your Pup to Alert You By Ringing A Bell
Some dog owners prefer to let their dogs ring the doorbell to signal them that it is time to go outside to the bathroom. When the bell rings, it’s time to go outside. Dogs often ring the doorbell with their paws or noses when they are ready to go to the bathroom. You will have to train your dog to ring the bell when you do not want to go outside to the bathroom.
If the behavior is correct, you can praise your dog or give him some treats, but do not praise them excessively because that can cause them to become overbearing. Give your puppy praise by softly rubbing his head.
You may want to keep your dog’s bell in its container when it is not being used, especially while your dog is still learning to respond to the bell.
Call A Dog Professional
Depending on how experienced you are, a professional trainer may be able to advise you on how to train your pup correctly. Please do not dismiss the advice experts give you because they have significant experience with dogs and may be aware of things you don’t know.
FAQs
How do you get your dog to pee?
Praise him, use treats, or play with him. Whatever motivates him to urinate. Eventually, if your dog understands the signals that say I need to go to the bathroom, and that causes them to act normally, you can start telling them to go to the bathroom before they show any signs that they are doing their business.
Will dogs hold onto their poop for a long time?
Adult dogs can hold on to their poop for an average of eight hours if they really need to do it. Healthy puppies can hold their pee for at least an hour, and they would hold it longer once they reach eight months old.
When should you worry that your dog is not going to the bathroom?
If your dog cannot poop or urinate, you should immediately take him to the vet. If he can’t urinate, his bladder may expand to the point that it’s threatening to rupture. It is harrowing for your pup not to be able to empty his bladder.
Wrapping Up
There are several reasons your dog is peeing in the house, and sometimes the problem can be easily fixed. Sometimes it’s as simple as starting training your dog from scratch. But don’t worry! The problem may disappear if you follow these tips. Try following our advice and see if the problem goes away.
