Through active training you can effectively teach your pet not to urinate at home. It's a great way to train your dog to go to the "bathroom", which will be hugely helpful for your puppy's education.
Active training is also known as positive reinforcement, and basically consists of rewarding the dog's positive attitudes and behaviors with snacks, warm words or praise. In order for it to work properly, you need to supervise your puppy closely and be quick to praise it; otherwise, they will forget what they've done right.
For best results, positive reinforcement away from the house is often combined with paper training at home. Keep reading this AnimalWised article and find out how to teach your dog not to urinate at home:
What is active training or positive reinforcement?
Active training consists of congratulating and rewarding your dog each time they do their business in the permitted area. For this, you need to have identified the places where your dog is allowed to do their business beforehand. You also need to know the times of day when they usually need the toilet.
With this information, you'll know when you need to start worrying about your dog urinating or defecating. Then, half an hour before the scheduled time for your dog's bathroom break, take them to the place where they are allowed to go - the garden, park or puppy-proof room, etc - and allow them to urinate.
When should you reward your dog?
Then, simply wait for your dog to do their business. Immediately after they've finished, congratulate your dog and reward them with some dog treats. If you're starting to use a clicker, this will be the time to click it.
Your dog doesn't require much additional reinforcement with this, as going to the bathroom is a primary behavior. However, clicking, giving a release command or simply congratulating your dog with a lively voice will show that you're happy with their behavior. Be careful not to use the clicker or congratulate your dog while they are doing their business, since that might interrupt them.
Teach your dog to associate urinating with the street
Once your dog's bathroom routine is more established, simply tell them to "do a wee" - or any similar order - just before they urinate. When they finish, use the clicker or give them a treat. Avoid using words or phrases that you commonly use in your everyday life.
Your dog will gradually get used to this order and associate it with the street, urinating and going for walks. Of course the dog will only urinate if they want to, but what's certain is that this is a great way to help them to remember and associate this new routine.
Don't forget...
When at home, supervise your dog whenever you can and allow them to move freely in other rooms. When you leave home, your best option is to leave them in a restricted area with plenty of newspapers. Over time, your dog will get used to relieving themselves in the places you've defined for that. However, don't expect this to happen reliably before your dog is six months old.
Positive reinforcement is very useful and will help you teach your puppy basic training orders more effectively. Note that by using a combination of methods, your dog will get used to doing their business in both permitted areas and on newspapers. Therefore, be careful not to leave newspapers lying on the floor of your home.
If you want to read similar articles to How to Teach Your Dog Not to Urinate at Home, we recommend you visit our Basic education category.