If dogs go into the apartment despite being walked, it is usually a sign of inadequate training or a lack of focus while walking. Under certain circumstances it can also indicate anxiety, stress or even medical problems.
The first thing to do here is to investigate the causes. Because the better you understand the cause, the better you can fix the problem at its root.
Below you will learn about the 11 most common causes, how you can recognize them and what is recommended as a solution in a specific case.
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#1 Existing urine smell
Depending on their breed, dogs have up to 60 times more olfactory receptors than humans. This means you can smell up to 100,000 times better than we can. [1]
This also explains why the nose, rather than the eyes, is the primary sensory organ in dogs. But what does this have to do with the lack of house training?
Very easy. If your dog smells old pee or feces in the apartment, it signals to him that this is a suitable place to defecate.
So if your dog goes into the apartment after a walk, intensive cleaning can help. Here I recommend the following bombproof approach:
- 1) In the event of “accidents,” take action immediately instead of letting the smell soak in.
- 2) Wipe up the worst with regular kitchen paper.
- 3) Then spray BactoDes (from Amazon) onto the area and let it take effect.
- 4) Pat the area dry with paper towels.
BactoDes is not the bestseller on Amazon for nothing. Because it was developed precisely to neutralize even the smallest traces of odor.
If dogs can smell old urine or feces in the home, this can send false signals. To ensure that your four-legged friend no longer goes into the apartment despite being taken for a walk, it makes sense to clean it intensively with an odor-neutral product.
#2 Urinary tract infection
Whenever too many “bad” bacteria accumulate and multiply in the urinary tract, inflammation can occur – the “urinary tract infection”.
For anatomical reasons, bitches are affected much more often. This is because their urethra is significantly shorter, making it easier for bacteria from the outside to get inside.
It usually manifests itself through sudden incontinence, so that affected dogs sometimes pee in the apartment even though they have been outside. Other classic symptoms are:
- Constant urge to urinate
- Cloudy urine
- Whining when peeing
- Dog urine stinks
- Frequent licking of the intimate area
- Dog loses pee [2]
According to statistics, around 14% of all visits to the vet are due to a urinary tract infection. It is one of the most common complaints in dogs. [3]
Antibiotics are primarily used for treatment and a large amount of fluid is recommended. The symptoms should disappear within a few days.
Dogs with an existing urinary tract infection unintentionally urinate more often even after going for a walk. However, this is not due to the lack of house training, but rather because the four-legged friends cannot hold their urine due to the inflammation.
#3 Inadequate training
Many first-time owners expect housetraining to be like tying shoes. If it works once, then it should always work in the future.
The reality, however, looks different. Because the process is gradual. Accidents can therefore occur more frequently during the transition phase. That's normal.
A dog is usually only considered “house trained” when it has mastered it for a whole month. It is precisely at this point that two common training mistakes creep in:
- Lack of punishment: There is no clear “no” command when the dog goes into the apartment despite being walked.
- Lack of reward: Instead of just punishing the accident inside, you can also reward every bowel movement outside with a treat.
This way you motivate your four-legged friend on both sides. Because dogs are known to repeat behavior that is rewarded and avoid behavior that is punished. [4]
If you get stuck here, then I can recommend Johanna Esser's online dog school. There you will find several practical exercises for exactly this.
If young puppies are not trained adequately, they will sometimes go into the apartment after a walk. Here it is important to verbally punish bad behavior and reward good behavior. The rest comes through consistency.
#4 Weak bladder
When people talk colloquially about a “weak bladder,” they don’t mean the bladder, but the sphincter. The three most common causes of this are:
The female sex hormone “estrogen”, among other things, is necessary to control the sphincter muscles. However, castration can greatly reduce estrogen levels.
Females have their ovaries removed during castration. And this is the primary production site of the hormone. With male dogs, however, this is less relevant. [5]
In young puppies, the sphincters must first mature. In the first few weeks it can happen that they go into the apartment despite being walked.
In old age, not only do hormones decline, but so does muscle strength. Some four-legged friends also suffer from dementia and forget the rules.
In such cases, I recommend such dog diapers. They are suitable for both puppies and adult dogs, are reusable and are completely leak-proof.
Due to castration, young age or old age, the dog's sphincters often do not function properly. This can result in them peeing into the apartment even though they were outside. In an emergency, certain tools can help here.
#5 Anxiety & Stress
“I almost peed my pants because of fear” – This saying has hormonal reasons. Because when you are afraid and stressed, stress hormones and adrenaline are released.
Typical triggers for these emotions in dogs are loud household appliances, fear of being alone, an unfamiliar environment, intense sadness or traumatic experiences. [6]
The most susceptible to this are sensitive four-legged friends such as all types of lap dogs. Bowel movements are also affected by these hormones:
- Dog forgets to do business outside because of fear and so does it inside after the walk.
- Dog pees in the apartment because of fear or extreme stress, even though he knows he isn't allowed to.
For breeds that are very sensitive to cold, the low temperatures can also lead to severe stress. This can often be recognized by physical tremors.
In addition, affected dogs usually tuck their tails and behave restlessly. The solution here is to find out the trigger for these emotions and work on them proactively.
Severe anxiety or chronic stress can cause dogs to forget about their business outside and go indoors after a walk. This can usually be recognized by the dog's posture. To solve the problem, the trigger should be removed.
#6 Kidney disease
The kidney ensures that toxins and waste substances can be excreted through the urine. It is therefore, together with the liver, the central detoxification organ.
Problems with the kidneys can therefore also have an impact on the urge to urinate in dogs. The most common triggers include:
- Bacterial infection
- Kidney stones
- Swallowing toxic substances
- Heat stroke
- Kidney cancer [7]
This can often be recognized by the fact that the dog drinks a lot and has to go outside often. Sometimes they even pee in the house after going for a walk. Other symptoms include:
- Chronic diarrhea
- Frequent vomiting
- Metallic bad breath
- Dog loses weight
- Loss of appetite
- Foul-smelling urine [8]
The accidents in the house are just a symptom here. If you suspect anything, I recommend visiting the vet. Treatment then depends on the suspected cause.
When dogs struggle with kidney problems, this can also lead to sudden incontinence. It is often evident that dogs not only have to pee all the time, but also pee in the apartment despite going for a walk.
#7 Submissiveness
As is well known, dogs are descended from wolves. And with wolves, having their own territory is important for their survival. This is the only way to ensure that they have enough food and water.
For this reason, dogs still have territorial behavior so that they defend their own territory. At the same time, dogs also instinctively form a hierarchy.
The alpha is usually the master in the household. And your four-legged friend then automatically classifies all other family members as Betas, Gammas or Deltas.
The problem? Some dogs have such low self-confidence that they always place themselves at the bottom of the hierarchy and submit to everyone and everything.
The result? They do not dare to do their business outside the house as this could be a threat to the territory of another four-legged friend. [10]
And if it's too uncomfortable for them outside and then their bladder is straining at home, then they sometimes go into the house after going for a walk. However, not on purpose.
The solution? The aim here is to gradually build up the four-legged friend's self-confidence using positive feedback methods. In the meantime, I recommend walking somewhere else.
Dogs who lack self-confidence are very reluctant to threaten the territory of other dogs with their pee or feces. For this reason, they often sneak it out while going for a walk and then go into the house afterward, even though they were outside beforehand.
#8 Lack of focus
Did you know that dogs are so-called “macrosmatics”? This means that they primarily sniff out their environment with their noses, rather than using their eyes like humans do.
You can tell when they walk with their snouts on the ground and constantly change direction. In addition, their senses are much better:
- Dogs see 5 times brighter in the dark and have a viewing angle of up to 270°. [11]
- You can hear up to 4 times further into the distance and even perceive ultrasonic sounds. [12]
- Under good conditions, they smell up to 20 km away and, depending on the breed, up to 100,000 times better. [13]
The result? In the wrong environment, dogs quickly become overwhelmed with sensory input. In practice, this can cause them to completely lose focus.
Because of all the excitement, some four-legged friends forget to do their business outside and instead go into the house. But the solution is just as simple.
To avoid this, avoid dog parks and new environments. Instead, go to familiar, quiet areas and consciously walk in circles.
When dogs are flooded with new sensory stimuli while being walked, they sometimes forget their priorities because of the excitement. Among other things,…