Why is my dog not potty trained?
Potty training (aka house training) in some ways is one of the easiest behaviors to train. There are many resources available to help clients with this essential training task. Yet, it can also be one of the most difficult behavior issues when things go wrong or a client has stumbled on some inappropriate advice. When clients have tried all the recommended potty training suggestions and still seem to be struggling, we often find there are 3 myths that give people the most trouble and prevent their success.
Myth 1: Dogs won’t mess in their own crates, or places they sleep.
This is often true for puppies that have a good nursing experience and were set up in a home that provided an appropriate potty area that was separate from a sleeping area, But if you find yourself with a puppy that didn’t get good experiences, possibly was kept in a kennel or other containment without the opportunity for a separate potty area, then the puppy learns that he must relieve himself where he sleeps and eats. A puppy with this type of experience will require some creativity. My dog Dolly was found as a 12 week old puppy in a dog fighter's back yard. She was in a deep dirt pit with several other puppies of about the same age when she was rescued by the Humane Society of Missouri and the ASPCA. She was then housed in a large warehouse with 499 other dogs who were all confiscated from dog fighters across 8 states. Dolly was a small puppy at the time of her rescue so she was housed in a wire kennel. The volunteers and staff of the rescue organizations did an amazing job of caring for all these dogs, but Dolly still sometimes ended up soiling her kennel because she had no other place to go before someone let her out for relief. She was contained for 5 months in that environment as her former dog fighter owner was brought to trial and convicted of animal cruelty. I adopted Dolly when she was about 7 months of age. Dolly was now a dog who peed and pooped in her crate regularly. When she came to my home, even after a long walk or time in the yard, Dolly would often pee or poop immediately as she was put in the kennel. It was as if she thought this was the right place to go.
Most advice for potty training recommends using a crate to teach a dog to potty outside. This works because many dogs learn not to potty where they sleep if their mother keeps the nursing area clean. As the puppies grow, they are provided with enough room to potty in a separate area from their feeding and sleeping area. With a dog like Dolly, who learned to potty where she sleeps and eats, house training requires creative thinking because putting her in a kennel would not prevent her from relieving herself. My plan for Dolly was to keep her on a leash at all times in the house. This allowed me to monitor any sign that Dolly needed to potty and I could then take her outside. Dolly was only put in her crate when I knew Dolly was empty or when it was essential because I had to leave the house. If she could not be on a leash in the house with me supervising her, at least her accidents would be contained in the kennel. I knew I would be coming home to a mess to clean in the kennel while the training was progressing.
This worked beautifully. I was able to watch her closely and at the slightest signal that she might have to eliminate, I took her outside. I also rewarded her liberally when she did relieve herself outside.
Myth 2: Dogs potty to take out their anger on us
This is another common myth we hear from clients. This totally makes sense from our human perspective. If we believe our dogs are upset with us about something, like leaving them alone too long, or not taking them on a walk, and we then find an “accident” we might assume it was related. But that is highly unlikely. It would require 2 assumptions: 1) Dogs would have to view pee and poop as something unpleasant themselves. There’s little evidence this is the case. Dogs use pee and poop as information, smelling it from other dogs and sometimes even eating feces (coprophagia). From most observations of dogs, there is no inherent aversion to either urine or feces so why would they think we have an aversion to it? 2) Dogs would have to understand that we, their caretakers, find it unpleasant. How would they know this? They might actually think we’re a little obsessed with it since we’re always picking up after them. Why would they believe it was unpleasant to us? If there’s an accident, it’s probably not because your dog is angry.
Dolly is again an example here. When she started to understand that she was rewarded for going outside, I began to let her loose in the house but I closely watched her. She would run toward the door that led to the backyard when she needed to eliminate. Then she would glance at the doorknob. If I wasn’t right beside her to open the door, then she was on to the next logical location, a place near the backdoor, where she could eliminate. This was likely due to her impulsivity (she was a pitbull - known for impulsive behavior), rather than anger at me. If she felt the urge to go, she simply went without any waiting. Although she relieved herself anytime I took her outside, she was still not fully potty trained because she had not yet learned to hold her bladder until she could get my attention. This takes us to our next myth.
Myth 3: If a puppy goes outside when you take them, they are potty trained
This is probably the most difficult myth that gets in the way of potty training success. You’ve likely heard that it’s important to take a puppy outside on a regular schedule to start house training. We tell our clients this too. Your puppy relieves herself outside, you give her a big reward, and you’re happy. You think, my puppy is now house trained. Nope! Potty training requires teaching a dog to associate the sensation of a full bladder with the behavior of getting an owner's attention to let them outside. That’s usually the part that is missing from a potty training program that clients try on their own. If you are doing a great job of making sure your dog goes outside on a good schedule, and your dog is doing well, the next step is to teach your dog to alert you that they need to go out. This is sometimes easy. Many dogs will just go to the door that leads to the elimination area like a backyard door, or the apartment front door. Things might vary there depending on your dog’s personality. Your dog might try to alert you by just sitting quietly, or scratching at the door, or barking, or running back and forth between the door and you. It’s your job at this point to pay attention to your dog’s efforts and then reward that effort with an opportunity to go outside.
If you’ve used any punishment while trying to train this essential behavior, like yelling at your puppy when she eliminates inside, or spanking her or pushing her nose into her mess, then you are going to have a more difficult time. Your puppy may not run toward the door that leads outside. Instead she may hide from you when she has the urge to go.
Success!
Dolly was eventually fully potty trained but it did take her longer than most dogs. That was due in part to the circumstances of her puppyhood, being born to a dog fighter who likely did nothing to set up a good housing situation where she had a clean sleeping area that was separate from an elimination area. Then she lived in cramped circumstances while her dog fighting owner was prosecuted. Her personality probably contributed as well. Dolly was both impulsive and subtle. She gave a very subtle signal to go outside at first, just a quick glance at the doorknob. And she was impulsive so if this subtle signal was missed, she was going to relieve herself wherever was convenient for her. Although it was not easy to get her house trained, I relied on observation, noticed her subtle signal and then asked her to wait for me to catch up to her and open the door. She began to give me a “louder” signal to go outside, sitting and waiting, and occasionally jumping on the door, and she would hold her bowels and bladder until she could get my attention. With this training she was finally potty trained reliably.
Summary
Potty training is an essential task for any pet parent and many puppies are easy to house train. But if you find yourself struggling to potty train your dog, call a professional so they can analyze why the training is not going as expected. It’s not because your dog is stubborn or angry. It’s much more likely caused by something that has gone wrong with your puppy’s early experience, or with the training associations your dog has made. This can be solved. You don’t have to live with the mess.
Download our Simple Steps To Potty Training Your Puppy e-book if you need a house training plan for your puppy..
Get an assessment with one of our behavior specialists if you’ve been struggling to get your dog house trained.
About the author: Dr. Lorraine Martinez is the founder of LOMA Behavior and Training LLC and has been helping dogs and their people since 2002. She earned a PhD in psychology from the University of Washington and went on to graduate with distinction from the Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training. She is a Behavior Consultant affiliated with the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior and is a Fear Free Certified Professional.
