Dog Peeing next to the pad – Reasons & Solutions

Dog Peeing next to the pad – Reasons & Solutions: A lot of dog owners have to go through the tedious procedure of training their pets to pee in the right place. Yet, some dogs are much more troublesome than others, and have several issues related to their urinating habits.

In most cases a dog may not be peeing on the pee pad due to medical ailments such as UTI, a partial lack of potty training, confusion in dogs as to where they should go when they need to pee, laziness, and not being comfortable with urinating on the pads.

Many dogs like to pee in dirty places and natural environments such as grassy lawns, and take a lot of time in adjusting, and adapting to pee on the pads.

Pee pads are extremely convenient for people who own pets, and keep them inside their home space. These pads are a blessing for times when one cannot take their dog out of the house, or their dog is facing a hindrance in movement due to an illness or injury.

When dogs show lack of improvement and interest to pee on their pee pads, constantly urinating and ingesting off the pads, they can be very frustrating for their owners. The mess they create can be very difficult to clean, and so owners are moved to think of why their dogs pee next to or off the pads, and what they can do to solve this problem.

Medical problems:

Medical problems are one of the most genuine and important reasons why a dog may be peeing off their pee pad, as in such cases it is not the dogs who are at fault, they just can’t control themselves from peeing off the pads when they need to.

A person could realize that their dog has some health issue if they start peeing in inappropriate places when they were previously habitual of peeing on their pads. Here are some of the medical ailments a dog may have, which could be making it pee off its pee pads.

Some dogs may develop urinary tract infection, this disease can cause the dogs to urinate frequently, in small amounts, and with a sudden but extremely strong urge, consequently making the dogs pee in inappropriate places. The signs of UTI are traces of blood in the urine, frequent urination in small amounts, and unusually high licking of private parts.

If you observe these signs in your dog, go to a vet immediately with a sample of your dog’s urine and get it tested, so that you may find out on time if your doggie is suffering from UTI.

Dogs can have an abnormality of the ureter, called the ectopic ureter. The ureters of such dogs do not enter their bladders through correct positions, and can make the dogs urinate in wrong places, at wrong timings. Dogs with ectopic ureters are exceptionally difficult to potty train.

Female dogs are 20 percent more likely than males to develop an ectopic ureter, and the abnormality is most common in Goldens and Labrador retrievers.

Increased drinking and urination due to diseases such as diabetes, Cushing’s disease, and kidney failure can also make the dogs feel strong urge to pee, not giving them enough time for reaching their pee pads, hence making them pee in places other than where the pads are placed.

Older dogs may urinate in wrong places due to pains in the joints, low rates of movements due to certain difficulties, and canine cognitive dysfunction.

Dogs with such diseases may find it convenient for themselves to pee wherever they are when they feel the need to urinate.

The dogs fail to grasp the concept:

Many dogs would pee in places other than their pee pads because they simply do not understand the purpose of it.

They may have pads well within their reach and still urinate next to or around it. Some dogs may think of a pee pad as an item to play with, and may unknowingly damage it.

A dog may not be peeing on the pad just because it hasn’t before been introduced to one, how would they then know what to do with the strange sheets?

Unlike humans dogs take plenty of time to learn things and familiarize themselves with certain objects, so it is advised that owners keep taking the dogs to the pads while potty training them, with patience, the process can be very tiring, but could be worthwhile in the end.

Placement:

A dog bought from breeder, may be well trained to potty and pee on pads, but can be habitual of the pads being placed in certain locations.

When they see the pads in an unfamiliar place, they may not feel comfortable with peeing on the pads.

This means that a dog has an awareness of the fact that it has to pee on pads, but just doesn’t know if the pads are placed where they need to be. There is only one solution for this problem; guidance.

Familiarize you dog to their potty area and pads, take them to that place often and whenever you feel that they need to urinate.

Another reason why a dog may not be peeing on the pad could be that there owner might be changing spots for placing the pee pads. In that case a dog may not become used to peeing in any single place, and ultimately on the pee pads. It is imperative that the dog owners should designate one place for the purpose of placing pee pads, so that their dogs may develop the habit of going to that place when they feel the urge to urinate.

Too many people/distractions:

The part of the house where you place the pee pads is of great importance, this could be a determining factor, directly affecting whether you dog pee on pads or doesn’t.

It must be considered that the area where the pads are located shouldn’t be overly crowded, and must have minimum distractions.

Dogs have short attention spans, so in presence of a distraction, they may move away from the pad without completely emptying their bladders, and consequently dropping the urine around the house.

Size of the pads:

A dog may be familiar with pads and has a habit of peeing on the pee pads, but still some of it leaks away to the areas around the pad.

In that case, the problem is not with the dog, but with the size of the pads. The pee pads you are using may be too small, so the owners can use larger pads to solve the problem, or line several pads together.

Hygiene factors:

Although the dogs are animals, and not as conscious about cleanliness as the humans are, it is still important to them.

Dogs really do not like to pee or step on their own dirt, and may not be ready to use pads drenched in pee or dirt.

Hence, it comes down to the owners to responsibly clean the pads regularly, or change pads once they are too dirty, so that their dogs may potty or urinate on the pads without hesitation and disgust.

Age factor:

Pups that are too young cannot hold their pee long enough to be able to walk to the pads, so they often urinate on their way to the pads, and many of them pee and potty the moment they feel they need to.

When they are about three months old, dogs can hold it in a little longer, however, it is only when they are almost 6 months that they become capable of walking to their pee pads without having accidental urination on their way.

Dogs, especially young newborns, need proper potty trainings, and peeing on the pads is part of that.

Large breed dogs are comparatively easier to train than small breed dogs, who require long and tiresome trainings before they become capable of walking themselves to pee pads when they feel the urge to urinate.

Behavioral issues:

It is not always the case that dogs urinate to empty their bladders. They could be urinating here and there to mark territories, or leave messages for other dogs, especially for those of opposite sexes. That kind of urination is called ‘urine marking’.

Usually, sexually mature male dogs practice urine marking when there is a female dog around in the same house, but female dogs may also mark places with their urine.

However, dogs may also excrete a bit of urine when they are extremely anxious and terrified.

Urine marking can be very frustrating for dog owners, as their dogs might urinate in any place around the house, and some dogs specifically like to pee on new objects for claiming them.

They may also be habitual of peeing on the pads, but that wouldn’t mean they will not pee in other places for the purpose of marking them.

It is indeed very inappropriate for dogs to urinate wherever they want to and on whatever they want to, so owners look forward to solutions such as getting their dogs neutered to put an end to the annoying habit of ‘urine marking’.

Excitement:

Dogs feel a special kind of love for their owners, and often get very excited when they see them after a long time.

In such kind of excitement, some dogs may lose control and urinate on spot, and off their pee pads.

Treatments/Measures that you can practice to tackle and/stop the problems:

If you’ve completed your dog’s potty training routines, and they still haven’t given up the habit of urinating in places other than their pads, here are some options you may consider to deal with the problem.

However, you must keep in mind that you need to be consistent and patient in your efforts to help your dog learn the basic peeing lessons.

Understanding and compromising lest your dog is too young:

First things first, if your pup is too young (12-14 weeks old) and you want them to walk all the way to a pee pad and urinate there, you are expecting too much from them too soon.

Such small dogs cannot hold their pee for even small periods of time, and often urinate the moment they feel the urge to empty their bladders, hence the owners must make their mind that accidents around the house are inevitable, and that such dogs are not mature enough to pee on the pads.

What you can do is that you can buy enzyme-based cleaners, and with its help clean the places your doggie urinates. These cleaners remove the smell of urine, without spreading the pungent odor of ammonia around the house.

Medical treatments:

In case your dog has a physical ailment, take special care of it. Take such dogs to professional vets regularly, and do all you can do to rid them of their diseases.

Be extra patient if your dog doesn’t urinate in the right place, as it is not their fault.

So, be kind and considerate to them, while also taking care of their medical treatments.

Designating specific, disturbance-free areas for the placement of pee pads:

The area of the house which you designate for placing pee pads must not be a high traffic place.

Pee pads should be placed in a quiet and distraction free zone, so that when a dog strides there to urinate, they know that they’ve come there for a purpose, and hence focus on peeing at the right spot.

Also, designating one specific spot for the purpose would help your dog to differentiate it from areas that you’ve set up for its other activities, such as its sleeping and eating areas.

Most dogs start to instinctively learn that they should be away from these areas when they have to potty and/or pee.

Solutions to the problem of ‘Urine Marking’:

To stop sexually mature dogs from marking places with their urine, they can be neutered.

Neutering is the process whereby sexual organs of animals, such as dogs, are surgically removed from their bodies.

Also, not keeping a dog of opposite sex near your dog may also solve the issue.

So even if you want more than one pet dog, consider adopting dogs of the same sexes.

Selecting the size of the pee pads in accordance with the size of your pet/deliberately marking pee pads with their urine:

If you see your dog struggling with keeping itself and its waste on the pads, consider using larger pads as that could give your dog a larger area to settle and pee on, and could also prove to be an easy target for them. Aligning several pads together may also solve the issue.

Another way to help your dog target their pee pads is putting a bit of their previously excreted urine on new pads, so that they may be able to smell it, and know where to go when they need to pee for the next time.

Encouragement:

When you observe that your pup is improving its habits, and is learning to pee on the pads, reward and appreciate it, so that it may be encouraged to pee on the same spot again. It must be added here that even if you see no improvement in your dog regarding the matter in question, you must not scold or punish them, as that would only weaken your bond with your pet, while also encouraging them to deceive you by urinating in hidden areas so that you may not find out about it.

Alternatives to indoor pee pads:

Potty/peeing trainings are extremely time consuming and often frustrating, especially if you are trying to teach your dogs to pee on the pads.

You could save yourself from a lot of hassle if you could consider training your dog to urinate or egest its waste outside the houses rather than inside.

You could also save the money that you may be spending on pads, as there will not left a need of pee pads.

However, if you really want your dog to pee inside the house, consider using artificial grass mats to place in their potty areas, because dogs are often more comfortable with urinating in areas that resemble natural environment.

Conclusion:

Your dog may be urinating next to or off the pee pads for several reasons as we have seen.

While you must try out measures to help them develop the habit of peeing in the right, designated place for the purpose, don’t forget for yourself to be consistent and patient in the process.

Training a dog, changing its habits, or instilling new ones can be a very tedious process, as dogs take a lot of time to learn and develop new things and habits respectively. It is not unfair on their part though, as their intelligence levels are not as high as humans, and they have to put in a lot of effort to grasp new concepts.

So, it is advisable for the dog owners, to understand that their dogs can’t just learn things in a snap, and that they must stick to helping them without getting angry or frustrated.