No, you should never rub a dog's nose in their pee; it's an outdated, ineffective, and harmful myth that teaches them to fear you, not to potty train, leading to hidden accidents and damaged trust, with positive reinforcement (praise/treats for going outside) being the humane and successful method. This punishment doesn't work because dogs can't connect it to the past event, and it makes them hide accidents out of fear, making training harder, not easier.
No, it doesn't. That was a technique that became extremely trendy with pop trainers in the 80s, but ultimately was shown to be more likely to teach dogs to continue relieve themselves in the spot, rather than dissuade them from it. Because their urine contains enzymes that can trigger more bathroom behavior.
Eaten from at least 7 different containers • Been held and petted by at least 7 different people • Taken at least 7 one-mile car rides • Been in a crate at least 7 times • Played with at least 7 different kinds of toys • Walked on at least 7 different substrates (grass, gravel, concrete, etc.)
Certain smells, such as citrus, vinegar, essential oils, coffee, strong cleaning agents, and commercial pee sprays, can help deter dogs from urinating indoors.
Potty Training Tips for Stubborn Dogs
Let me introduce you to the 10 , 10, 10 rule of potty training. That's cycles of 10 minutes in the yard, 10 feet of potty area in the yard, 10 minutes of supervision. It all adds up to potty training with minimal errors, even for harder to train dogs who may be struggling with other methods.
10 minutes in the yard or designated spot. 10 feet of potty area, not a strict spot. And 10 minutes of supervision (stay with your puppy while they go).
The Most Difficult Commands to Teach Dogs
Dogs will usually sniff the ground before choosing a spot to go to the bathroom because they are reading the messages that were previously left by others and, then, they are choosing an appropriate spot to mark their own territory.
Praising and rewarding them when they go potty in the right place also reinforces their training. If you catch your dog eliminating in your home, startle – but don't scare – them. Quickly take them outside to their potty place and reward them if they finish. Also, make sure to thoroughly clean up any messes.
If you find a soiled area, it's too late to administer a correction. Do nothing but clean it up. Rubbing your dog's nose in it, taking him to the spot and scolding him, or any other type of punishment, will only make him afraid of you or afraid to eliminate in your presence.
Adult dogs can go 12 hours without a bathroom break in a crate or overnight. When a dog relaxes in their crate, the time between bathroom breaks expands for most potty-trained adult dogs. Bassett says that while most dogs can hold their pee for up to 11 hours overnight, holding it for 12 is pushing it.
You might think that elephants take longer to empty their bladders than humans do, because pachyderms are so much larger. But you'd be wrong. Recent research shows that most animals, including humans, take the same amount of time to pee.
The reason puppies hold on outside and then pee immediately once they get back in is that the house is their happy place and the yard is not. As soon as they come inside, their parasympathetic tone increases and only then do they feel the urge to urinate. Your job is simple in theory: make outside a happy place too.
Vinegar. Just like citrus, dogs cannot stand the smell of vinegar. It seems that a dog's heightened sense of smell is not keen on acidic smells, vinegar being another very acidic substance. It is worth noting that dogs are more repelled by the smell of vinegar than they are by lemons and oranges.
Vinegar will detour a dog from going in the same spot. Just put it in a spray bottle. Don't like the smell of it, well…… they don't either. Make sure you clean the area first, then the vinegar.