How to Teach a Dog to Pee Outside

You probably think teaching your puppy or adult dog to relieve themselves outside the house could be complicated, but the truth is it's very simple. Teaching your furry friend properly is very easy, and they'll learn within just a few days.

Teaching a Puppy to Relieve Themselves Outside the Home

If we have a puppy, we need to understand that it's impossible for them to know where they're supposed to relieve themselves. They're very young, and so they go wherever they happen to be, whenever they feel like it, with no waiting to go outside.

The main thing is not to get angry. They can sense our anger, so there's no point scolding them when they relieve themselves inside the house, because they'll see we're angry but won't understand why — they're puppies!

The fastest, most effective technique for teaching our puppies to relieve themselves outside the house is routine and rewards, known as positive reinforcement. We need a clearly set routine of outings; like any animal, our dog needs to pee or poo several times a day. It's normal and advisable to take our dog out to relieve themselves in the morning when we get up, at midday before or after lunch, in the afternoon, a little before dinner, and at night, right before we go to sleep.

As an example of good timings, our dogs go out at 8:00, 13:00, 19:00 and midnight, and every time they pee or poo. It's normal and necessary — they need to relieve themselves and will do it inside or outside the house, all depending on you.

It matters a great deal to keep a routine, that is, going out roughly at the same times every day. Of course, it's not just about going out, peeing and coming back in — through the day you should make the most of it and take one or two long walks, since they need to walk and run, play and interact with other dogs.

Just as important as keeping a daily routine is praising them and giving them a reward when they relieve themselves outside the house. Stroking and praising them matters a great deal; afterwards we'll give them a dog biscuit, a piece of sausage… whatever we have to hand as a reward. That way they'll understand peeing on the street is fine, and they'll make the effort to do it on the street instead of inside the house.

How to Teach an Adult Dog

If we have an adult dog who does their business inside the house, we need to understand this can be down to several entirely different factors, and whatever the reason, there's a solution. The first factor could be ignorance — if we've adopted an adult dog and nobody has taught them to relieve themselves outside the house, it's normal for them to do it inside. In this case we should apply the same technique we applied in the previous section, where we teach our puppy to relieve themselves outside the house. Patience, perseverance, a good daily routine, and praise plus rewards.

The second factor could be that our dog is dominant and expresses that dominance by marking their territory inside the house. In this case, they'd pee inside the house but in small amounts, marking several spots around the inside of our home. It's their way of saying "this is my territory".

This case is more complicated, since the first thing we need to do is teach our dog to understand they're not the "alpha male". Small everyday gestures, such as letting them go in or out of the house or building first, letting them get on the sofa or bed, feeding them before their owner eats and so on… are mistaken gestures that can make them dominant. If they believe they're in charge, they'll start marking the house because they think it's their territory — clearly a mistaken belief.

Getting help from a canine ethologist will make the process far simpler and quicker, so we recommend consulting one in situations like this.