Common house training problems

Common house training problems - today we are going to tackle some of the issues surrounding the issue of house training, in particular:

• Submissive/excited urination
• Scent marking

House training is the probably the biggest area of dog ownership causing a lot of confusion, misunderstanding or just plain dread concerning any of these issues!

Problem #1: Submissive / excited urination

What causes it? In situations of extreme excitement or stress, the dog will urinate on the floor.

When does it happen? Certain situations are more apt to make the dog urinate submissively, such as: during play time, whenever guests arrive, during stressful situations at home, and whenever sudden loud noises happen (such as thunder or fireworks).

Now that I know what causes it, what can I do to stop it?

First, take your dog to the vet to make sure there's no medical reason for the submissive urination such as diabetes or a bladder infection. If it's not a medical issue, then here are a few tips to help stop this behavior.

• Whenever you greet your dog, especially after a long period of absence, keep it calm and mellow, don't get him all excited.

• Do not punish or harshly correct your dog for this behavior. He's not doing this on purpose. If you catch him in the act, simply interrupt him and praise him when he stops - but don't punish him.

• Limit his intake of water to help him control his bladder especially whenever a situation is coming up which would normally result in urination.

Common house training problem #2: Scent marking

Scent marking occurs whenever a dog "marks: his or her territory with urine. This problem is based on issues of dominance and territoriality. Technically this is not a house training problem.

Here are a few tips on deciding if your dog really is scent marking or not: your dog is male, un-neutered, and at least five or six months old; only small amounts of urine are produced and tends to be directed against walls or doors; you live in a multi-dog household where there is conflict between two or more of the dogs.

Best tip: Spay or neuter your dog(s); clean any soiled areas thoroughly with a commercially available urine cleaner.

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Dogs laugh, but they laugh with their tails. What puts man in a higher state of evolution is that he has got his laugh on the right end." - Max Eastman