The arrival of a puppy at home is one of the most exciting moments for the whole family. It is the beginning of a coexistence full of unforgettable moments and experiences. But in the midst of all this excitement, a lot of questions arise. One of the most common questions we dog breeders are asked is how to teach the puppy to relieve itself in a certain place and later how to teach a dog to pee outside the house, in the street.

First of all, what we do recommend is that you have a lot of patience and a mop handy.

When can you teach a dog to pee outside the house?

In the first days after arriving home you should be very patient with your puppy in this and other ways. He may be stressed and a little disoriented with the new things. It is also common that he misses his mother and siblings.

For all these reasons, it is very likely that he will pee everywhere. You should not punish him. However, you can start training him to know what he has to do and where.

If your puppy is between 12 and 16 weeks old, this is the ideal time to start training to teach a dog to pee outside the house or in a certain place. At this age, the puppy already has enough sphincter control to be able to hold the pee.

In the first weeks when the dog is not yet fully vaccinated, it is not advisable to take him out of the house . Therefore, it is very useful to be able to use special soakers for dogs or special trays with artificial grass that you can place in a comfortable place in the house.

However, it is also true that the fewer times he pees at home, the easier it will be to get him to pee outside. This is the reason why many canine educators are not in favor of the use of soakers (whether paper or newspaper). In the end the dog has to learn to relieve himself in one place and you will have to unlearn this to again teach a dog to pee outside.

Tips for teaching a dog to pee outside the house

When the time comes, whether or not you have used a soaker, it is time to teach a dog to pee outside the house. To make this task easier for you, from Las Almenas we recommend you these tips:

1-Pay attention to your dog at all times.

When teaching a dog to pee outside the house, you must have time to pay a lot of attention to him. If you neglect a few minutes, it is easy to find a pee in the middle of the living room.

So, pay attention to signs that may indicate that the dog has to relieve himself, such as sniffing the floor and fidgeting. When you see these behaviors, take him to the place reserved for this purpose or take him out to the terrace or garden, if you have one, or directly to the street.

2-Create routines

We have already told on several occasions in our Las Almenas blog, how important routines are for dogs. Well, if you want to teach a dog to pee outside the house, they will also help you a lot.

If you keep a regular schedule of meals and outings, you will see when your puppy needs to relieve himself. In addition, there are certain situations when your dog is more likely to want to relieve himself:

• When he wakes up from a nap.
• After eating.
• After drinking plenty of water.
• After having been entertained with games and activities.

4-Congratulate him when he does it right.

If your dog pees outside, throw him a party. Yes, yes, clap your hands, show your joy, congratulate him and reward him for his achievement. For a dog to pee here or there is something that is indifferent to him. But if he knows that if he gets the place right, he will learn to hold his bladder.

5-Don’t punish him

If, on the other hand, your dog doesn’t get it right and makes the mistake of doing his business at home or in an inappropriate place, don’t scold him because it’s not effective. Your puppy will not know why you are doing it and you will only be creating fear or anxiety.

We insist that we are talking about a physiological need that the puppy will not always be able to control. But, in addition, when you find the pee or poop around the house, it may have already been a while since he did it and the dog will not understand why you are yelling or punishing him.

6-Clean thoroughly

Did you know that if the dog detects the smell of his stool in the house, it will be easier for him to do it again in the same place? That’s right, so if your dog pees or poops at home, you must clean it thoroughly with appropriate products that completely eliminate the odor.

7-Take into account his age and size

The smaller your puppy is, the smaller his bladder is. And no matter how much the puppy wants to, he won’t be able to store more urine. To give you an idea of how long a dog can hold its pee, you can think that, for every month of life, a puppy can hold an hour. So, if your puppy is only 2 months old, it will be able to hold 2 hours. If he is 4 months old, it will be more or less 4 hours. It is neither strict nor scientific, but it will certainly help you to orient yourself in this aspect.

8-Have a lot of patience

Even if you want your puppy to pee in a certain place and, above all, to do it in the street as soon as possible, you must be patient. Teaching a dog to pee outside the house is not something that can be solved overnight, since several factors play a role. On the one hand, the physiological factor and the dog’s control over his body and, on the other hand, the dog’s education.

But, even if you decide not to teach a dog to pee outside the house, it is most likely that when he reaches three months of age he will only look for a secluded place to urinate. If you take him outside enough, he’ll hold it until it’s time for a walk. That’s why it’s very important that you keep regular feeding and going out schedules.

All dogs go through this and all eventually learn to relieve themselves outside. So have lots of patience, a good cleaner and a mop handy. In a short time, maybe a month, your dog will learn to pee outside the house and you can finally forget about all this hassle.

When should I ask for help?

If you keep finding “treats” all over the house, you may want to review your dog’s routines. It is possible that the situation may change if instead of taking him out three times, you take him out five or six times.

You could also review the food you are feeding him and check that it is appropriate for his age. It is possible that the dog has a digestive disorder, diarrhea or is sick, due to the ingestion of a food or due to an allergy. In this situation, the most advisable thing to do is to go to the veterinarian.

In the case of older dogs, they can suffer from incontinence due to muscle weakness, especially neutered females.

Do not neglect your furry friend’s sense of smell either. There may be traces of urine around the house that you do not detect, but for your puppy it is a lure that encourages him to make his bowel movements at home.

Generally, at six months old, all puppies already make their stools in the street, but if you see that he is over 12 months old and still urinates at home, you should talk to your veterinarian or even to a dog trainer. Together you can look for the causes and find the best solution for your furry friend.

What did you think of our article? Do you still have doubts about how to teach a dog to pee outside the house? Leave us your questions below, or tell us about your experience with your puppy, we’re sure you have many tricks we’d love to discover! And if you want to know more tips from Las Almenas, visit our Facebook, Instagram and YouTube channel where every week we upload more and more content. See you soon!