Dog Training FAQ

My 20 week old Jack Russell puppy is constantly weeing around the house! He always goes outside to poo but comes back inside to wee, he also seem to be weeing quite often 6 times in fifteen minutes the other day. He also wees when he is excited. Does he have a bladder problem or is this normal puppy behavior? Help!!

Hi Laura,
Thanks for the question.
Your problem could come from one of several things.
1. Your dog has a bladder problem. I would get him checked out at the vet.
2. You didn't properly clean up his urine in the house with a cleaner made for dog urine. As a result, he still smells the urine in the same place and wants to go to the bathroom in the same places as before.
3. You didn't properly housetrain him. He most likely wasn't supervised early on in the house. As a result, his lack of supervision allowed him to go to the bathroom with no negative consequence. Every time he goes to the bathroom with no negative consequence you are in essence training him to go to the bathroom in the house. After all, why would he stop going to the bathroom in the house if it feels good? He needs to be supervised 100% in the house and never allowed free reign in the house while you are gone.
The most likely result is a mix of number 2 and 3. Basically, your dog needs to be housetrained. There is no such thing as partially housetrained, it is either he goes outside or he doesn't. If I were you, I would start over from the beginning with a dog crate, some good supervision, and some good housetraining techniques. Read the following articles that I have written and let me know how it goes.
1. Crate Training
2. Crate Training Frequently Asked Questions
3. Housetraining
4. Puppy House Training

With regards to the excited urination this is actually called submissive urination. It is his way of saying, "Ok, you are the boss." You want your dog to feel that you are the boss, but not to the extreme that he does. There are a few things to do to help combat this.
1. Be calm around him. Recognize the times when he normally does this behavior and be very calm. In fact, don't even talk to him. Instead, give him something else to do. Perhaps throw a treat or toy on the floor several feet away from you and then just ignore him for a bit.
2. Don't scold him for doing this behavior. Remember, he is doing this to tell you that you are top dog. If you further scold him it will actually worsen the problem.
3. Don't bend over him. This is going to cause him to feel very submissive and will trigger the urination.
Try this and let me know how it goes.

Ty Brown