Generally, puppies start to urinate and defecate independently when they are 3 to 8 weeks old. If during this critical period, the owner does not provide correct training and guidance, the dog is likely to urinate and defecate indiscriminately. Another situation is when the dog mistakenly understands its position in the family. If the dog thinks it is the leader at home and needs to be responsible for its group, it may develop anxiety and tension. This can lead to urinating and defecating anywhere, even diarrhea.

If at this time, the owner scolds or overreacts to the dog, the dog's urinary and defecation problems will worsen, and the situation will deteriorate. In the dog's mind, it feels its task is to keep its group happy. Dogs consider the people they live with as part of their group. If their elimination problems upset their small group, especially their human friends, they will try to solve the problem by destroying the evidence. The most common elimination problems are as follows:

No warning signs, urinating and defecating everywhere in the house. Eating their own feces after defecating, diarrhea, wetting themselves.

How to deal with dog urination and defecation problems?

Dogs urinating and defecating everywhere can be quite a headache, not to mention dogs dirtying bed sheets, sofas, or carpets at home, which is infuriating and unacceptable.

If the dog urinates or defecates in the room, as its owner and caretaker, you must immediately clean up the excrement. Let the dog know that you are its leader and person in charge, and its anxiety will naturally disappear.

If you find that the dog eats its own feces, as the caretaker, you must immediately divert the dog's attention after it defecates next time, attracting it elsewhere, such as with food or toys. When the dog focuses on food or toys, you can quickly clean up its feces. Additionally, you can add some pineapple and zucchini to the dog's food because these will make the feces smell very pungent, which will improve the situation of the dog eating its feces.

How to correctly train dogs to urinate and defecate?

The dog's excretory system matures around 2-3 months. Before that, puppies cannot hold urine. Very young puppies will urinate as soon as they feel the need until they develop the habit of rotating to find a place before defecating. In the morning and during feeding, pay close attention to signs that the dog wants to urinate or defecate, such as circling and sniffing around. Once you notice this, immediately take the dog to the designated elimination spot.

Because puppies develop differently, the timing of this stage varies. For puppies under three months, patience is needed. Like children wetting the bed, it takes some time to endure.

However, this does not mean that puppies under three months should not be trained. Training can start from the day the puppy comes home.

1. Choose a location. It is recommended to choose a well-ventilated balcony to avoid heavy urine odor.

2. Set up a marker. Usually, thick newspapers are placed to absorb urine so it does not flow to the floor. Or you can buy a specialized dog toilet. When the dog wants to defecate, place it immediately in the dog toilet.

3. After designating the dog's elimination spot, quickly clean any previous elimination places with bleach powder or bio laundry detergent, leaving no residue.

4. Whenever you find the dog is about to eliminate, whether circling or already starting to urinate or defecate, immediately hold the dog and take it to the designated spot. Note! Once you notice, hold the dog to the spot immediately!! Even if they urinate while you are holding them, wait until they finish at the designated place. Let the dog understand that the designated spot is linked to elimination. Always remember to praise them after elimination, for example, say "Good dog, clean dog" or gently stroke its head. This way, the dog knows it will be praised and accepted if it eliminates in the designated place. The most effective method is food rewards. Greed is a dog's nature; if you reward food immediately after the action, it will deeply remember that to get food next time, it needs to do this. After two to three weeks of persistence, most dogs can urinate and defecate in a fixed place.

Note that if you use newspapers, after the dog eliminates, when changing to fresh newspaper, keep one sheet lightly soaked with urine from the previous use and place it on the new newspaper. This helps the dog recognize the spot, and when it smells the familiar scent, it is more likely to believe that place is for elimination.

As for dog toilets, simple rinsing can't remove urine odors completely, so some scent residue remains, allowing the dog to easily recognize the spot for its next elimination.

5. Dogs dislike being scolded. If the dog eliminates outside the designated spot, do not scold it. Simply quietly clean up the feces. Next time it wants to eliminate, guide it with the above method. Because urination is a dog's way of expressing itself, when a dog feels lonely or unvalued, it may urinate everywhere to protest. From what I know, cats show similar behavior. If you scold it at this time, its mood will worsen, and it will become even more confused about what to do.

6. Generally, if you have enough time, it is best to take the dog for a walk three times a day: morning, noon, and evening. This helps the dog get used to eliminating outside and prevents accidents inside the house. Frequently taking the dog out also strengthens the bond between you and your dog, keeping it happy and more obedient to your guidance.