House training problems can be divided into many different types.
The first step to correcting a housebreaking problem is identifying what problem your dog has. When housebreaking a dog, scent marking is treated different than wetting when the dog gets excited, however potty training is beneficial for all types of house training problems.
House training can involve several different types of house breaking problems. One type is the dog or puppy that has never been taught to eliminate anywhere, and just happens to sometimes go inside. This type of dog only needs what I call potty training. With potty training you simply teach the dog to eliminate in the potty area and encourage it not to go anywhere else.
Eliminates inside, wont go outside...
A house training problem I often encounter is the dog that was unintentionally taught to eliminate inside. This type of dog can be put outside for long periods of time, yet it will wait until it comes in to eliminate. A dog like this will usually eliminate where the owner cannot see it going.
Generally this problem is caused, or made more excessive, by taking the dog over to its accident (or on purpose) and punishing the dog (too long in time) AFTER the mess was made.
This kind of potty problem requires quite a bit of structure in the dog's life and a lot of discipline for the owner. A dog with this kind of problem needs to be taught to trust the owner and not to fear them. After the owner gets the dog's trust, the dog needs to learn to eliminate on command.
When the dog fully trusts the owner and has been eliminating on command for at least one week (perhaps several weeks), it may be necessary to correct the dog for eliminating inside. It must be kept in mind that if this correction is done improperly, you could make the house breaking problem worse.
House training, problem with scent marking, and leg lifting...
Another kind of house breaking problem is the dog that marks territory inside the house. This is a problem that is often associated with male dogs who are dominant or that have a high drive to mate. Another cause for this problem (sometimes in combination with dominance or a high drive to mate, sometimes alone) are the insecurities felt by some dogs.
Dogs that feel insecure or threatened have a tendency to warn others that a house (a territory) is already occupied by scent marking. Since dogs can't put up fences to keep intruders out, they put up scent posts.
This can be a very difficult problem to correct, but it can be done. First, if it's a male dog, I suggest that it be neutered. Next you need to teach the dog to eliminate on command, and if the dog is male, on a specific scent post. You'll also need to catch the dog in the act of eliminating and correct it appropriately. It’s important not to correct the dog in a way that makes the problem worse.
Submissive urinating...
A house training problem that's really not a house breaking problem, but instead a social and/or temperament problem is submissive urinating.
If your dog urinates when excited or upon greeting people or when you are upset with the dog, your pet has a submissive urinating problem and you should not punish the dog for it's accidents.
If you punish a dog with this problem, you will only make the problem worse.
There are several things that can be done to help a dog suffering from submissive urinating. One is to develop good communication skills with the dog. Good communication includes not indulging in emotional greetings, avoid eye contact upon greetings (until the dog is trained for eye contact), and avoid dominant posturing with the dog.
You will also need to build a strong bond of trust between you and your dog. Building trust and confidence can be accomplished by various touching exercises that can be highly beneficial for a dog with this type of problem. In addition to these techniques, I would recommend a well balanced obedience training program.
It is recommended that all dogs or puppies with any kind of house training problem be taught potty training.
