If you are reading this article that probably at least means your puppy pees in the house more than it pees outside. Your puppy might even go so far as so "hold it" when you let it outside to pee, then immediately let it out when they get inside. In this article I am going to explain two common reasons behind why your puppy is "holding it" while it is outside.
Reason 1: Discomfort
For people, it is quite common for some to refuse to use a public restroom. Others are picky, but will do it if given no other option. Still others don't mind using public restrooms at all. The reason is because of discomfort. For people, unsanitary conditions present a certain level of discomfort that we often actively avoid. For dogs the source of discomfort is different, but can still be a huge factor in where your dog chooses to relieve itself.
Psychological Discomfort - Safety
One source of discomfort for dogs is safety concerns. Most dogs won't want to go to the bathroom in a place that makes them feel vulnerable. For example, if you live next to a busy street and your puppy is new to traffic, it may be stressed by the cars driving by and thus "hold it" until it feels safe. If your puppy does not pee outside, first ask yourself if there is something that is making your puppy feel vulnerable or scared. If you determine that your puppy is dealing with fear, get help from a trainer to learn how to help your puppy feel safe when faced with fear inducing stimuli.
Physical Discomfort - Sensations
Another reason your puppy may refuse to pee outside due to discomfort is because of a sensation that is new or uncomfortable. For example, cold rain or wet grass. These are sometimes new sensations to puppies and many puppies must develop positive associations with these and other sensations before they will go to the bathroom outside. If your puppy is uncomfortable with sensations such as grass and rain, contact a trainer to discuss ways that you can help your puppy.
Note: If your puppy refuses to pee both inside and outside on a regular basis, please contact your vet. Your puppy may be in pain or have some other medical issue that need to be addressed.
Reason 2: Reinforcement History
The second common reason puppies often refuse to go to the bathroom outside is because of reinforcement history, or lack there of. If a puppy is reinforced more for peeing inside than they are for going outside then they will learn to "hold it" until they are inside so they can access more reinforcement. However, they may also "hold it" to avid punishment.
Reinforcement Timing
One reason a puppy gets reinforced for peeing inside more than when they do for peeing outside is because people accidentally reinforce the behavior of "holding it" until they can pee inside. This is often done when people take a puppy outside, wait for it to go to the bathroom, then immediately take the puppy inside for a reinforcer such as a food treat. Because the reinforcer is given inside, the puppy might get confused or develop a different association than the one you were intending to build. The puppy might think, "why not just go to the bathroom in the house where it is warm, because the treats are inside anyways."
In some cases, no reinforcer is actually given because the puppy receives something that it does not find reinforcing (e.g. a simple "good boy" or a treat it does not like) this can result in your puppy relying on reinforcers you have no control over, such as room temperature (your puppy might think it is not going to get anything reinforcing from you, so it simply chooses the warmer or more comfortable location).
Punishment History
Another reason puppies get more reinforced for going to the bathroom inside is because puppies don't learn behaviors by being told what not to do. When a puppy goes to the bathroom inside, then gets yelled at, they don't learn that going to the bathroom inside is bad or where they should go to the bathroom. They do, however, often learn to simply go when people are not looking. As a result, puppies will go hide before going to the bathroom rather then try to communicate that they need to go in the first place. This means they get reinforced for going to the bathroom in general (the act of going to the bathroom is self-reinforcing) and punished for doing so in the presence of people. If you take your puppy to the yard on leash to have it relive itself before bedtime, it might not go to the bathroom because it has learned that doing so in front of people is not reinforcing.
Staying Positive and Consistent
To help your puppy understand where it should go to the bathroom, stay positive and consistent. Focus on using reinforcement to teach your puppy when it has done the right behavior and make sure you only reinforce going to the bathroom outside. To get help training your puppy to go to the bathroom outside, email me at happyats@outlook.com.
Comments