Whether you have just brought home a new bundle of fur or adopted a senior pup to live out their golden years in a loving home, house training is one of the many milestones responsible dog owners must achieve for a calm and pee-free home. Once your dog understands that peeing inside the house is not a desired behavior, most healthy adult dogs can hold their urine for three or four when they are not overly active.
It can be concerning and frustrating for pet parents when their four-legged best friend suddenly decides that their home is now their personal toilet. However, inappropriate urination in the home is often the first sign of an underlying health issue. Disease, behavioral problems, or excitement are a few reasons your dog may be peeing in the house. Understanding causes, symptoms, and treatment options is critical to ensuring your dog remains healthy, and your household is clean.
Common medical reasons for indoor urination
Any age, breed, or sex can suddenly develop medical problems that may cause them to have accidents in the home. In some cases, inappropriate urination may be the first or only obvious sign that there is an underlying health concern. If your dog has had life-long urinary issues that never resolved with consistent and proper potty training, they are suffering from incontinence. This can be related to bladder development issues or nerve problems.
The list of medical causes for urination in the house is exhaustive; some of the more common reasons include the following:
- Kidney disease
- Liver disease
- Diabetes
- Steroid use
- Bladder stones or crystal
- Urinary tract infection (UTI)
- Bladder inflammation (cystitis)
- Hormone-related disease (i.e., Cushing's disease, Addison's disease, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism)
- Orthopedic problems (i.e., osteoarthritis (OA))
- Brain inflammation or infections
- Cognitive decline (i.e., dog dementia)
Medical causes for inappropriate house soiling are often associated with other, sometimes more subtle, clinical signs. For example, dogs with kidney disease usually drink more water and have clear or less yellow-colored urination. Similarly, diabetic dogs or those with underlying hormonal issues will tend to drink more and urinate more frequently and in large amounts, making it difficult for them to hold their urine until they are outside for their routine walk.
Other medically associated signs to monitor for when your dog suddenly starts peeing in the house include:
- Difficulty standing, walking, or getting up (commonly associated with OA pain)
- Increased panting
- Urinating small amounts frequently
- Puddles of urine present after sleeping
- Lethargy
- Weight gain or loss
- Bloody urine (hematuria) often occurs with a UTI, cystitis, and bladder stones
- Changes in sleep/wake cycle, confusion, or bumping into things commonly occur with dog dementia
- Decreased or increased appetite
- Changes in skin or gum color (i.e., yellow or pale gums)
- Difficulty defecating or constipation
- Vomiting and diarrhea
Common behavioral reasons for indoor urination
While your pup may seem to be punishing you for forgetting their favorite treat at the store, urination in the house may indicate a more serious behavioral problem affecting their mental well-being. For some dogs, especially younger dogs or puppies, urinating inside may result from a lapse or incomplete house training. These setbacks can also occur in a changing environment. Additionally, dogs who move to a new home or shelter or rescue dogs rehomed to a new family may experience confusion, resulting in them peeing in the house. Other common behavioral reasons may include:
- Environmental changes — Dogs, like people, thrive on routine and consistency. Changes to the environment, whether big or small, can cause your dog to act out by peeing inside. Examples of changing environmental triggers may include home construction, visitors, a new baby, or bringing home a new pet.
- Anxiety, fear, and stress –– Like people, some dogs may suffer from situational anxiety related to loud noises, while others may have separation anxiety every time their owner leaves the house. Regardless of the cause, stress, fear, and anxiety can affect your dog's quality of life and lead to destructive behavior, including chewing, scratching, and house soiling.
- Marking — Although more common in young, intact male dogs, any dog may urinate inside to establish its territory. Common triggers include new pets or people in or near the home. In many cases, spaying or neutering can help alleviate this behavior.
- Overexcitement or submission — Peeing indoors is more common in younger dogs. It may occur when a pup cannot contain excitement about a new toy, favorite person, or visitor. Holding urine can be challenging during bladder development, especially during excitement. Submissive urination, which is more common in adult dogs and rescues, may occur for a variety of reasons, including previous abuse, confusion, or being reprimanded. Never punish a dog for inappropriate urination.
- Weather changes – In some cases, healthy dogs without underlying behavioral issues may be sensitive to weather changes and avoid going outside. Common weather changes may include rain, thunder, extreme cold, heat, or wind.
How to determine medical vs. behavioral causes of indoor urination
Determining the underlying cause of your dog's indoor urination can take detective work, close observation, and consultation with experts, including your family veterinarian, veterinary behaviorist, or certified dog trainer. Gathering a complete history and keeping a log of your dog's accident time, frequency, and urination amount will help decode the underlying cause. Ensure to note any changes, regardless of the subtlety that may occur when your dog house soils.
Sometimes, the culprit could be related to a specific person, item, smell, or environmental sound. However, before addressing any behavioral or training concerns, you must bring your dog for a veterinarian examination to rule out any underlying medical problems or diseases.
Diagnosis and treatment for medically related causes of indoor urination
The list of possible medical reasons for indoor urination is extensive. Fortunately, many of the common causes can be determined with basic diagnostic testing. Blood work will check your dog's organ health, and a urinalysis will allow your DVM to determine if your dog is suffering from a UTI, cystitis, or bladder crystals. In some cases, more compressive testing may be required, including hormonal testing or advanced imaging, including X-rays or ultrasound, to rule out bladder stones, tumors, or other abnormalities affecting your dog's ability to urinate normally. A consultation with a veterinary neurologist may be recommended for more complicated cases involving your dog's brain health. Treatment will depend on the underlying medical problem and may include:
- Antibiotics
- Insulin therapy to treat diabetes
- Hormone-regulating medications
- Pain medication for OA
- Anti-inflammatory medication
- Prescription veterinary diets
- Surgery to remove bladder stones or masses
- Fluid therapy
Addressing your dog's behavioral causes for indoor urination
Once your dog has been medically cleared, a consultation with a veterinary behaviorist can help determine why your dog may be urinating inside the home. Although your dog may have been potty trained previously, providing consistent training and praise when they urinate outside will decrease their chances of peeing inside. In some cases, medication, like trazodone or veterinary-approved calming supplements like Native Pet Calm Chews, may be recommended to help your dog in cases of urination associated with situational anxiety, like thunderstorms or fireworks. Working with a certified dog trainer can also help provide you with positive tools to break this undesirable behavior and communicate more effectively with your pup. Never punish, physically reprimand, or yell at your dog; this exacerbates the problem and negatively affects their trust and your bond.
Additionally, follow these general tips when addressing your dog's behavioral causes for inappropriate urination:
- Provide ample praise when they urinate outside so they understand this is the desired behavior.
- Provide a consistent potty schedule and, when possible, bring them to the same elimination area while they are learning.
- Provide a calm environment, and do not draw attention to the undesired behavior.
- When possible and without startling your dog, redirect them outside if they begin to pee inside the house.
- Immediately clean up any messes so that the odor does not trigger them to repeat the behavior in the same location.
- Spay or neuter your dog and other household pets to decrease the desire to mark.
Management and prevention tips for indoor urination in dogs
It's not always possible to prevent your dog from accidentally peeing indoors, and developmental or medical causes are sometimes unavoidable. Determining the underlying cause is the first and most critical step in creating a pee-free home. Follow these prevention tips to decrease the chances of indoor accidents:
- Bring your dog for annual or more frequent veterinary examinations so that medical problems can be recognized early.
- Ensure your dog receives adequate daily mental exercise, like a puzzle toy, to prevent boredom-related behavioral problems.
- Maintain a healthy weight with proper diet and exercise to prevent obesity-associated problems like diabetes.
- Ensure to feed your dog an AAFCO-approved complete and balanced diet for their breed and life stage.
- For dogs prone to UTIs or other bladder issues, support their nutrition with veterinary-approved supplements, like Native Pet Bladder Chews.
- Provide frequent and consistent potty breaks throughout the day.
- Begin potty training when your dog is young, and continue providing positive training as they age.
- Consider crate training so they have a clean, comfortable, and safe place to rest when unsupervised.
The potential causes for your dog's inappropriate urination are extensive. Ruling out underlying medical issues is the first and most critical step to addressing your dog's health. Although addressing your pup's undesirable behavior can be challenging, patience, consistency, and positive training are vital to maintaining a clean, pee-free, and happy home.
For more information and tips on your dog's health, check out the Native Pet blog.
