I have two puppies one is 9months the other 2 months. Before I got the second puppy the first female was house trained. The second pup the male was 100% trained within one week. But now the first pup is peeing in the living room only there. I block her from the area and she does great and uses her potty pad every time but the moment she gets into the living room she pees. I have scoured it with special products even though it is a sealed hard wood floor. I have put her bed in the spot I have played with her in the spot to no avail. I still gate them to one room when we go out. My questions are should I be gating both when I trust the other pup and any suggestion to stop the living room peeing incidents.
This type of problem is really common. The problem is that a puppy will not understand that going inside is undesirable as compared to outside, all they know, is that they will return to the spot where they have been before, which it can recognize by scent.
Basically, inside in the living room is continuously your dogs toilet because it can smell that it has been there before even though you cannot.
You will have to buy a quality DOG ODOR neutralizer, which you should be able to find at most good pet stores. Clean your carpets, with the odor neutralizer, in all the known places that you can find where your dog has been .
This will help disguise the scent and you will find it easier to catch your dog preparing to go potty before it has the chance to do so inside. No product can take away the scent 100%, however the weaker the scent is made the better, so buying an odor neutralizer will still be worthwhile.
The next time your dog has an accident inside:
Growl as your dog is doing it. You must reprimand your dog as it is performing the undesirable behavior, because dogs only ever associate your punishment or reward with the very last action they have performed.
Soak up the puddle or pick up the waste with a sheet of newspaper.
Then clean the spot with your odor neutralizer.
Keep the soiled newspaper, place any solid wastes or the soaked paper outside, or wherever you want their bathroom spot to be. This will give your dog a place it can return to that is marked with its own scent and therefore safe to use as a bathroom. (keep in mind that dogs mark their territory and therefore claim their dominance as they eliminate, if another dog has been where you want your dog to go, your dog will only go there if it is of a dominant disposition and wish to challenge the opposing 'dog'.)
Make sure that your designated urination area is the same place all the time. Do not move the piddle pad, newspaper or outside spot around.
Try to be present when your dog relieves itself in the correct location, else it may hold on until it is in your vicinity before releasing the load so to speak.
If there is a particular room that your dog is urinating in then after you have neutralized the odor and let it dry, you can try to feed your dog a few treats in the same spot. It will start to associate the area with eating rather than urinating.
I dont think that you need to gate both dogs. The older one should be fine if that spot is de odorised. If, however you have problems with the older one than by all means gate both of them.
Once the smell has definately gone you really should not have so much of a problem. This of course needs to be combined with letting your puppy know that the behavior is completely unacceptable and what the right place and thing to do is.
I have kept a spotless floor so I know it is not the smell it is a behavior issue so I put the dog bed in the area that she pees and I placed her toys around the area. We train and play in the room and so far day number 4 and she has gone in her potty. The only bad thing is now whenever I give the 2 pups a treat the little one races to where his bed used to be (they share a bed which is their choice not mine) and since the potty pad is next to it he jumps onto the pad and eats his treat sitting on the pee :eek: Hoping he will figure it out himself as they are both doing great now.I have my fingers crossed
