14 Week Old Boxer

Question
QUESTION: Hi
We have a 14 week old Boxer and love him to death, and he is fantastic with my 15 month old son. We have been working on house training  him, and he has been doing wonderful. But, at times we will be in the kitchen or in the living room, and he will look right at us and use the bathroom on the floor. We have a gate we close off so he stays in the kitchen at night, until he gets older, i take him out once maybe twice thu out the night, and not once, does he use the bathroom in the kitchen. When we get home from work,we let him out and he is outside running around in the yard and uses the bathroom, but I dont know what makes him just up and use the bathroom in front of all of us. Im thinking its because my toddler gets him so excited, he does it, not sure..Not sure what to do.

ANSWER: Hello Monty,

So what I am hearing is that he is fine and well behaved in every way- except peeing on the kitchen floor in front of you. No other room, no other times.

This is not a house breaking problem- and not related to it in any way.

I would have to know the "times" he does this. When you've come home from work and taken him outside, and maybe in the kitchen cooking dinner? During a weekend day when everyone is gathered in the kitchen?

The time is the key.

But it sounds to me like a combination of two things. He might have been excited and happy and had to pee and did so. He is still a baby.

But-- once he did- he got attention- and now possibly does it to get your attention when he wants it.

Your attention is on cooking and your spouse and your baby-- a lot of things, and he wants your undivided attention. Peeing gets it.

Now you will have to associate the peeing to get attention with not pleasing you- a bad thing, not a good thing.

Right now he pees and associates it with attention, thus good for him.

You need to associate it with bad, and not a good attention- but reprimand and displeasure of his act inside. (be careful you do not associate peeing with bad or he won't want to even pee outside thinking the act of peeing itself, is bad) Make the peeing on the kitchen floor a bad act by the reprimand I am recommending- and follow up with praise on peeing and pooping outside. Give him treats when he pees and poops outside for a few weeks so he can associate the outside with good and reward.

Next time, and be very consistent with your training-- verbally reprimand him in easy to understand terms, like, "NO! Bad boy! Outside-- pee outside! Bad!" Or whatever term(s) you choose and have already begun with him.

Take him outside immediately, leaving him outside (and I trust you have a fenced yard) for 5-6 minutes (that's a long time to him) and then watch through the window or door. He might scratch the door to come back in, or whine or bark, or do the infamous Boxer "whoo-whoo" song- but tell him "no" to his persistence, and let him stay out the 5-6 minutes. This is associating the act of "peeing" with the proper act of "peeing outside."

When times up and you allow him back inside, love him and act normal and talk normal. Continue your routine as if it never happened.

After about 2 weeks, you should see an improvement- he will stop peeing on the kitchen floor because he has now associated the act with displeasing you and your spouse, being exorcised from the family social dynamics (which Boxers hate- they are social and family- not a dog) and verbally scolded.

Once he has NOT peed on the kitchen floor- give him a special treat. Make that time special for him- replace the peeing for attention with a treat for attention when in the kitchen.

The kitchen will now become a special and sacred place to him- love and attention and a treat and he will have no need to vie for attention in an extreme way-- be sure he never has to compete for love and attention with the baby too. Boxers are jealous for their love and attention, and you want him to feel equal to the baby as silly as it sounds :)



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Ok, its not in the kitchen anymore, he will now do it  in the hallway, or in the kids bedroom. This is after we get home in the afternoon and heis roaming the house. When we get home we let him outside, and play with him and show him alot of attention. But somehow, he always pees on the floor, he goes out enough to where he shouldn't. does he need extra attention? More than what we already give him?

Answer
Hello again Monty,

May I ask if he is crated all day while the family is at work and school?

This can cause anxieties and starving for attention and a lot of insecurities.

A doggie-daycare might be in order to resolve these issues.

I do not recommend an adult dog, let alone a puppy, be crated all day while everyone is at work and school. This is cruel and inhumane.

Please let me know the daily routine of the family and puppy.

Also, tell me the ages of the children, and when you moved, and the outside pee routine.

Did you take him to the vet to check to see if he has a urinary infection to rule out a bladder problem?


He is only 3 1/2 months old. Just as our own children in potty training, there will be accidents. He is no different.

When he is playing with your children, he becomes excited, excitement leads to the urge to pee. Have you ever seen a dog get so excited to see you that he pees a little? This is normal for a puppy.

He is also establishing his territory too. He pees to mark. He has moved from the only house/home he's ever known in his short young weeks of life- which leaving mama and brothers and sisters was and still is, traumatic for him.

1) leaving mom and brothers and sisters
2) leaving the only house/home he's ever known and moving
3) being insecure because of those two traumas
4) being isolated while family is gone all day
5) establishing his own territory in his new home
6) puppy excitement and out-of-his-control pee
7) break in routine(s)
8) children: i.e. they should not be allowed to play with puppy
  UNSUPERVISED at his age YET (what are the children's ages?)
9) he SHOULD NOT be allowed to roam the house freely UNSUPERVISED
10)he SHOULD NOT be allowed to play in your children's bedroom as there is small and dangerous objects that can choke and kill puppy or poison puppy or lodge within his stomach- DO NOT ALLOW HIM TO BE IN THEIR BEDROOMS
11)you must verify he is peeing and pooping outside each and every time
12)you can not allow him to go outside alone UNSUPERVISED
13) cut off his water 30 minutes before your bedtime- and always take him out before going to bed every night


Puppies can not and will not potty train properly and have continual accidents inside the house until 6-7 months old.

Think of him as a 1 year old, or 2 year old child, and a child in potty training with training pants on- he is going to have accidents and he is going to not care and he is going to test it and push the envelope as far as he can just like our children do. A potty training child will not want to bother to go sit on his training potty and just go ahead and pee in his training pants. So will puppy- there's no difference.

Be consistent, have a very rigid set routine, verify his supervised outdoor pee and poops, reward him each and every time you verified he peed or pooped with a little (soft and small, maybe a broken in half) treat. He will associate peeing and pooping OUTSIDE with a reward= treat! Praise him, tell him "good job- good job" with a thumbs up- let him SEE the thumbs up and hear "good job- good job (insert name here)"

....then, he knows peeing and pooping outside gets him a praise and reward and pleases you.

Be patient...