Without question, house training is one of the top priorities for dog owners. While we all expect puppies to require house training, there are many older dogs who have ongoing confusion too.
One of the most frequent housebreaking dilemmas is when the dog seems to be house trained, but occasionally has accidents in a certain spot in the home. Some of the most common locations where these accidents happen are formal dining rooms, guest rooms, basements, laundry rooms, and hallways. However, regardless of where your dog’s confusion spot is, you can train him so it stops.
The first step in alleviating this problem is to understand how dogs think regarding house training. Dogs are innately clean animals, who generally don’t like to soil where they live. Instinctively, even wild dogs will choose separate areas for eating, resting, and eliminating.
Housebreaking builds off of your dog’s natural instinct to keep his living space clean. This is why one of the first areas dogs learn to keep clean is their crate, usually followed by the rooms in your home where he spends the most time (kitchen, living room, etc.).
So why does your dog sometimes have accidents in that certain spot? Usually, the accident spot is one where he doesn’t spend much time… like the formal dining room, guest room, or garage. Since he doesn’t spend much time there, he may not feel like it’s part of his home where he lives and so should be kept clean. In your dog’s mind, this spot is “other than where he lives” and therefore is about the same as eliminating outside.
Now that you understand why your dog is having these accidents, it’s time to clear up the confusion! The best way to do that is to spend lots of time in the area with your pet, so your dog will feel like he does live there and will want to keep it clean. This can be accomplished by practicing obedience in the area, brushing and playing with your dog in the area, and even feeding your pet there for a while so it seems even more like a food area where he shouldn’t go to the bathroom.
Of course, be sure to clean the spot thoroughly with an odor neutralizer so your dog is not attracted to the spot due to old smells.
By implementing the simple steps of making your dog feel like he lives in all areas of your home, supervising him, practicing obedience, and praising outdoor eliminating, you can prevent or alleviate this problem so you’ll be able to trust and enjoy your pet much more.
To learn more about this and other housebreaking issues, please check out my book, “Everything You Need to Know About House Training Puppies and Adult Dogs.”
