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Expanding no pee zone

792 views 4 replies 3 participants last post by  IllinoisNative 
#1 ·
My 5 month puppy understands no going to the washroom in the living room. However, the areas that are gated like main hallway and the basement are still ok to use as washroom. Sometimes I forget to close the gates and he will go in and pee in random areas. Any suggestions how to get him to realize these areas are no washroom zones as well thanks.
 
#3 · (Edited)
If my dog/puppy isn't reliably house trained (and if the puppy is marking, he's not), they don't get the opportunity to be out of my eyesight. I need to correct the problem while it's happening. If you're not watching the puppy to correct the behavior in the moment, he won't learn. When I crate train a puppy, the puppy is in the crate if I can't watch him. Unfortunately, you can't forgot to close the gates if the puppy isn't completely housebroken. I've raised two male puppies from 8 weeks and I've never had one of them mark in the house. They were lucky if they got to mark outside. LOL

Now that he's going in those areas, you have to completely eliminate the smell of the urine or he'll keep marking those areas. I didn't leave mine out of a crate while I wasn't home (or couldn't watch them) until they were 1 1/2 to 2 years old. They never got the chance to know they could mark.

I'm not of the belief that you can expand the no pee zone (someone feel free to correct me). Either the dog is housebroken or it's not. So, in your case, I wouldn't even leave the dog out of a crate in the living room whether he's going to bathroom there or not.
 
#4 ·
He does go outside to the washroom except if the gates are left open. So Illinoisnative you are of the opinion that he is marking rather than just going to the washroom? I am cleaning up the pee and spraying with a good scent remover spray. He is not going in the same spots when he goes in the house.
 
#5 ·
It may not be marking yet because he's only five months old. They usually start marking between six to twelve months old (once they reach sexual maturity). So I think this is a house breaking issue. He just doesn't know he's only supposed to go outside. If you only conditioned him to not go in the living room, everything else may be fair game to him. That's why I don't give my puppies their freedom until they are at least a year old. I need to know that they only associate going "potty" outside which requires me to watch them constantly. That's why I crate train - dogs usually don't pee where they sleep. So if I can't watch them, they are in the crate. I have to catch them in the act to correct the behavior. If I can't catch them, they will continue the behavior.

Right now, he thinks he can go in the hallway/basement because he's not being corrected in the moment.
 
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