Owning a male dog that is not housebroken can be very aggravating, and cleaning up the messes he leaves behind can be a real pain. Male dog urine odor lingers for a long time. Luckily, there are several ways and tricks to train your dog to relieve himself outside. The most important thing to keep in mind when housebreaking a dog is to be patient. The dog does not want to make you upset, but it will take him some time to figure out what he is doing wrong. You must be harsher with a male dog during training than with a female dog, as male dogs have stronger feelings and instincts.
Catch your dog relieving himself inside the house. This step is the most important, as it will allow the dog to make the exact correlation between his behavior and your anger. If you find urine or excrement later and then confront your dog, he will not understand what he's doing wrong. Male dogs originally see a new house as territory that must be marked, and it is important to reprimand them immediately. Clean up any mess that your dog makes as quick as you can, as male dogs have strong scented urine and feces that will release foul odors.
Speak to your dog in a reprimanding, angry tone when you catch him relieving himself. Dogs can sense when you are upset with them, and your dog will eventually realize that you are angry whenever he goes to the bathroom inside the house. You need to establish dominance over your male dog, otherwise he will not fear you or listen to your commands.
Walk your dog frequently, and praise him when he relieves himself outside. It is important to praise him every time he goes to the bathroom outside, as this will reinforce the behavior you are trying to train him to do. In the beginning, you can even give him a treat whenever he successfully goes to the bathroom outside. Male dogs want to mark their territory, and praising your dog when he relieves himself outside will show him that he can still mark his territory, but must do it in the appropriate place.
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Writer Bio
James Wiley graduated from Providence College in 2009 as a double major in global studies and Spanish. Wiley's capstone thesis paper was published in the Providence College database. He has also competed in international script-writing competitions and coauthored a pilot which placed in the top 15 percent of international entries over the past year.
