Being a pet owner is a wonderful experience in many ways. The unconditional love pets offer is second to none and they can cheer you up no matter how bad your day has been. Still, there are some downsides to it.
Dealing with the waste your pet leaves behind is no fun. It’s even more annoying when they expelled waste in an unexpected spot. For instance, some dogs are known for urinating on the front door.
Your dog urinating on your front door is unpleasant for hygiene-related reasons. On top of that, the door could also be affected if it is soaked in urine constantly.
Putting a stop to your dog’s errant urination is a must. Learn how to do that and also understand why it happens in the first place by continuing with this article.
Why Does My Dog Pee on the Door?
Opening your front door and immediately being greeted by your dog’s urine is no fun. It’s an annoying occurrence that you probably want to stop as soon as possible.
Before you can go about stopping that messy habit, you first need to understand why it happens. The reasons below should give you insight into why dogs sometimes pee on the front door.
Your Dog Is Afraid of the Person at the Door
Does your dog urinate whenever someone knocks on your door? If so, they could be exhibiting a type of behavior known as submissive urination.
Submissive urination occurs when your dog perceives a potential threat. Instead of confronting that threat, your dog lies down and urinates in an effort to ward off the person approaching. They may go as far as to roll onto their back to keep the person they perceive as a threat at bay.
Most dogs don’t partake in the habit of submissive urination, but it could still explain your pet’s behavior. Your dog’s body language will let you know right away if they are practicing submissive urination.
Your Dog Cannot Hold Their Urine Any Longer
Did you remember to let your pet out in the morning? Your dog may be holding in a lot of urine because you did not let them out earlier.
At some point, they will not be able to hold their urine and they will just expel it where they can. They may have chosen the door because they were still hoping they could get out somehow.
Puppies in particular will have trouble holding urine in. Don’t be surprised if your door has been sprayed with pee if you forgot to take them out before you left home.
Your Dog Is Excited
Speaking of puppies, they are also susceptible to another type of accidental urination. When puppies get excited, they tend to lose control and we mean they lose control of everything. Even their urine is not an exception to that.
While they’re hopping around all excited, they may unwittingly be spraying urine all over the place. If they see you or someone else they know approaching the door, they may also start urinating out of excitement.
On one hand, puppies that get overly excited are often very adorable. On the other hand, dealing with the urine that comes from that spell of excitement is no fun.
Your Dog Recognizes the Scent of Their Urine
Dogs have a preference for using the same spots for urination and defecation. Once they’ve urinated on your door, they are more likely to repeat that action. That’s because they can still smell the scent of their urine on the door.
How to Stop My Dog from Peeing on the Door?
Your home’s front door should not double as your dog’s urinal. Prevent them from engaging in that habit moving forward by following the pointers below.
Teach Your Dog to Behave
Whether your dog pees out of fear or excitement, you can still curb that unwanted behavior by training them properly.
Focus on teaching your dog how to behave. Use a command that they will recognize when you just want them to calm down.
Remember to use treats whenever your pet follows the command. Continually reinforce that command until they learn how to stay calm by default whenever someone’s at the door.
Avoid Greeting Your Dog Excitedly
Dogs may sometimes take a cue from their owner when it comes to how they should behave. If you always act excited when you walk in the door, they will try to match you. As we noted earlier, having an excited dog near the door can lead to some accidents.
Remain calm when you walk in the door and don’t engage with your dog too much. Wait until you’re inside your home and away from the door before you start acknowledging your dog.
Don’t Forget about Your Dog’s Potty Schedule
After establishing a potty schedule for your pet, you must abide by it. Let them around the same time every day so they know when they can urinate and defecate. Sticking with that routine should prevent accidental indoor urination.
Keep Your Dog inside a Crate
Placing your dog inside a crate is another option if you want them to stop peeing on your door. Consider going with the crate method if you’ll only be out for a couple of hours. Remember to let your dog pee outside before you place them in the crate so they can stay relaxed while they’re in there.
How to Stop My Dog from Peeing on the Doorstep?
Aside from your door, your dog may also urinate on your doorstep from time to time. So, how do you stop that undesirable habit?
Following the aforementioned pointers will help. You can also add cleaning to your list of preventative measures.
Removing the scent of urine from the doorstep should be your goal. You can rub a paste made of baking soda and water onto the doorstep to get rid of the urine odor. Acidic items such as lemon juice and vinegar can also be used for that purpose.
Clean the area thoroughly so all traces of the urine are removed. Your dog will be less likely to use that spot for urination again if they can no longer detect their scent on it.
How to Stop My Dog from Peeing on the Doormat?
Cleaning the doormat is the best way to stop your dog from consistently urinating on it.
Start by absorbing the urine on the doormat using some newspapers or paper towels. After the urine has been absorbed, you can rinse the doormat with some water. Use more towels to absorb the water.
Keep repeating those until you’ve removed as much of the urine as you can.
You can then use baking soda again to remove the urine odor. Sprinkle the baking soda over the spot your dog urinated on and let it work its magic. Allow the baking soda to work on the odor for a few hours at least.
Finish up by vacuuming the remaining baking soda.
Alternatively, you can also use enzymatic cleaners to remove the odors and stains from your doormat. Follow the instructions laid out by the manufacturer to maximize the effectiveness of the enzymatic cleaner you’re using.
Taking your doormat to a professional cleaner is another option if you’re too busy. They will return the doormat completely clean and you’ll detect no hint of your dog’s urine on it.