Potty Problems Inside the House
Advice from Animal Expert Dr. Grey Stafford
 Recently, some dog owners have asked for advice on how to solve some potty problems with their adult animals. In each case, the dog had started to mark inside the house even minutes after going for a walk! While this situation can be very frustrating, it is also very common.
The first thing you should consider is whether there have been any changes to the pet’s home. For example, have you recently adopted another pet, have the kids come home from or left for college, or has a new animal moved in next door? Is your pet ill or reaching maturity? These dramatic changes can be unsettling for some animals causing them to want to establish their space through scent marking. Often as animals adjust to these changes, the problem will go away on its own, provided we set them up for future success rather than punishing them.
If you haven’t already, you should consider spaying or neutering your pet. This will help reduce the tendency to mark; however, it is not a guarantee, especially for animals that have had a lot of practice marking your furniture.
Next, prevent their access to their favorite targets! This will help you get these items as clean as possible, and will also prevent them from rehearsing this behavior in the future. Also, as the temperatures cool down, give your pets plenty of exercise and extra opportunities to go outside. Look for opportunities to praise and reward them for urinating in appropriate locations. As they become more successful, give them greater access to the rest of the home for longer periods of time and, reinforce them for walking by (i.e., ignoring) previous spots where they have marked inside the home.
Finally, help your animals adjust to any changes that accompany all of our lives by actively desensitizing them to new things and situations you can control. Check out some of our past columns on how to help animals adjust to changes such as new pets in the home, storms and so on. Working with your animal on a regular basis will help it learn and remember appropriate behaviors which will make life more pleasant for both of you.
Dr. Grey
Learn more about Dr. Grey Stafford
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