# Breaking the "pee room" habit.



## jjohnson (Nov 9, 2011)

I need to solicit some ideas for how to stop our puppy from thinking he is allowed to pee in a certain room of our house!

For about 1 week every month of every couple of months, my husband and my work schedules overlap so that our 8 mo old pup Gus has to be left home for about 8 hours. (Usually he is home about 4 hours, and left in his crate). For these times when we are gone more than 4-5 hours, we leave him in this giant room downstairs that we don't use and has linoleum floors, big windows looking outside, and nothing he can ruin. He does fine when left alone in the room that long, doesn't chew up anything, except he WILL pee on the floor. Every. Single. Time.

I am pretty sure the mistake we made was leaving him in there when he was younger, before he could hold his potty that long. We left him there because if he needed to pee, he could, and it would be easy to clean up. Now, I think he thinks that it is just okay to go in there. I am pretty sure he can hold it now, but he thinks the room is his own personal "pee room". 

Does anybody have any ideas for how to break this? It is hard because he is only left in there a couple times a month, and we can't catch him in the act! Also, hiring dog-walkers or doggy day care is out- he is terrified of strangers and would not tolerate either (hence leaving him in there in the first place)...any ideas???


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## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

I did something like a "litter box" for our dogs when they were young. Got a large storage low plastic box (like those that go under beds) and put some real grass turf in it. A roll of turf is cheap.

Then the rest of the turf is outside where I wanted them to learn to go.

We have a dog door into an area of the yard where they can come and go now.

RBD


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## jjohnson (Nov 9, 2011)

Thanks, that is a really good idea and sounds much cheaper than those pee patches they sell at Petco for $100+!


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## kristen (Oct 18, 2011)

What have you been cleaning up his pee with? Strange question I know, but if you've been using soap & water or something of the nature, the scent can still linger (not to our nose, but to the dogs)
If it still smells like pee to him, he may think its okay to pee some more... In that case, it would be worthwhile it to sterilize the whole room with a pet cleaning product/deodorizer. 

Also, I know its not ideal... but you could consider leaving him in his crate for the 8 hours. Its only a couple times a month, and if he's anything like my pup, all he does during the day when I am not home is sleep... (no really, I have been home sick with a migraine, and the dog has stayed fast asleep in his crate untill I have woken him! Not a peep)


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