Have you ever said “bad dog” because your dog went potty inside? Is your dog really “bad,” OR has your dog not been given the direction he understands on where to go, OR how long has it been since your dog was taken outside for a potty break? Here are six reasons your dog goes potty inside the house.

Check this out. One Friday night, my husband and I were at happy hour. We were talking with a couple sitting next to us at the bar. The lady told me she had a boxer. I asked, “don’t they have a lot of urinary problems?” She said yes and proceeded to tell me her dog did ‘pretty good if they let her out… think about that for a minute. Her dog goes potty outside – if they let her out. Well, of course, a dog will pee or poop inside if they don’t let her outside in time.

You’ll hear me often talk about resetting your mindset. Just think if you were denied bathroom access for many hours – but some people expect that of their dogs. And I understand many of us to have households where everyone goes off to work, and there may be long commutes, so we do not always get home as early as intended. In this case, especially if in the middle of house training, it is best if someone could take your dog out periodically throughout the day. There are dog walking services that could do the job or perhaps a responsible neighborhood kid that could help out. Keeping your dog outdoors is not an option considering the safety issues, as well as living in hot or cold climates or apartment living.

Once dogs are completely potty trained, they can hold it for a longer time, but testing the limits isn’t fair – remember how you would feel under the circumstances?

Unfortunately, some dogs are given away to animal shelters or banished to the backyard because they received no potty training. You can make significant progress with potty training if you can dedicate a week of concentrated effort. If possible, schedule a long weekend where you can stay at home for scheduled hourly outings and keep concentrating on techniques during the week to set up for success.

Here are some ways to get you on the right track for potty training:

Dogs tend to relieve themselves in a spot they’ve gone to before. So it is good to teach your dog where you would like him to go, and it is good to take him back to the same area each time. You can train your dog where you’d like him to go a couple of ways. 1) Take him out on a leash and walk around in a smaller area where you’d like him to go. Once he goes in that area, show him how happy you are by praising him lots 2) Some may cringe at this one, but it can work. If your dog has already peed inside, you can mark his territory outside for him by taking the paper towel you used to clean up after him inside and rubbing it in an area outside where you would like him to go.

Being with your dog outside during potty training is important because your dog will associate ‘going’ in front of you as a good thing. If you have a fenced yard and send your dog out alone to potty, he may associate pottying away from your sight as a good thing. Your dog may then translate to sneaking away somewhere inside the house to go potty as being a good thing.

Whether you are taking your dog in the backyard to potty or going for a walk or play session, let him do his business FIRST, then use playtime, a toy, or a treat as the reward. If your dog thinks he has to go back inside right after eliminating, he may delay pottying to get more time outdoors. And remember to celebrate every successful trip outdoors with a lot of praise for your dog.

Give your dog every opportunity possible to succeed, which means giving him every opportunity to relieve himself in a suitable location outside when the need arises. For success, it means going out when your dog needs to go, not when it’s convenient for you!

Puppies are like babies without diapers. If you can get in that mindset, it will help decrease your frustrations as your puppy looks at you, smiles, and pees, all within a nanosecond. Our puppy Pono did this quite a bit. We would think, hey, I didn’t even have time to get off the couch. But we were missing the signs too. We would hang out in our den, where he would play with his brother, then head towards the doorway and look at us. Playing, looking at us, and walking towards the door were all signs that we should have been ready to get him out quickly.

It helps to understand that pups will probably not have full bladder control until about six months of age. That’s just the way it is. Even the smartest puppies will have accidents because of this lack of bladder control. It will help to know the signs to look for, indicating your puppy needs to go out. Puppies will need to go out shortly after eating, after drinking water, right after playing, immediately after waking up, and frequently in between. Other signs your pup may need to go out are pacing, whining, circling, panting, and squatting. Frequent outings are a must because a puppy’s bladder is so small and weak that it is too late when he realizes he has to go. Guiding your new puppy as soon as you get him will help set him up for success.

Is it a territorial issue or a behavioral issue? For example, did you buy a used couch for your home? If so, your dog could be picking up smells from the previous owner’s dog on a used piece of furniture. Or did you buy a new couch? If so, your dog could be reacting to a new item in your home. Things may be out of sorts to him with this piece of furniture.

You may have heard the story about my chocolate lab, Marley. He was one year old and fully potty trained. I was in the kitchen cooking dinner, came around the corner to the living room, and saw him peeing on our brand new leather couch! Of course, I was in shock and not happy. Later I learned there were a lot of issues and things I was missing about our relationship. At that moment, I decided I needed to take action. So we were enrolled in dog training classes, and he was neutered all within one week of that incident. I will share a lot more to this story in another post, but know that I got awarded ‘most improved dog owner’ after our training. Earning that title meant I had it all wrong before then.

If you think there is a real behavioral issue, please consult your vet or a professional dog behaviorist to see where you and your dog can improve.

During a stressful time like during fireworks or thunderstorms, your dog may accidentally potty inside the house out of fear. Don’t make him more frightened by fussing at him. Just clean it up and understand it is an accident that most likely happened out of fear from fireworks and being scared to go outside.

Illness requires a trip to the vet so your dog can be thoroughly checked out and get back to good health.

Understand the reasons your dog may potty inside. Resetting your mindset that your dog is not bad and giving your dog excellent potty training guidance will set up you both up for success.