When it comes to potty training my dog, I have to say that getting my dog 100% house-trained was one of the most challenging tasks I had to do as a dog owner. My dog seemed to prefer eliminating himself on the living room carpet
Having your dog do its business in the house can be a very frustrating and smelly experience. But some dog owners claim that a dog that spaying a dog can help to prevent potty accidents at home.
Does spaying a dog help with potty training? Spaying your dog can help with its potty training and prevent potty accidents. A dog that has been spayed will stop with its urine marking at home. A Dog that urine marks will tend to return to the same spot in the house to renew its urine scent.
Let us dive a little deeper into the reason behind urine marking and how spaying or neutering your dog might help with its toilet habits.
What Happens During A Spaying Procedure?
When a dog is spayed at the vet, the vet will remove the dog’s ovaries and uterus to prevent it from reproducing.
The process of being spayed is used on female dogs while for male dogs, it is called neutering. In this article, I will be using spaying and neutering interchangeably so that it doesn’t matter if you have a male or female dog.
The information in this article will still apply to your dog.
Why Spaying Reduces Urine Marking At Home?
Marking objects with their urine is a very common and instinctive behavior for dogs. Dogs do this to mark their territory and the odor also serves as a warning to other animals.
This behavior isn’t just exclusive to dogs but can be seen in most animals, even cats too.
Dogs tend to urine mark more often during mating season to attract potential mates and let them know of their intention to mate.
Spaying or neutering your dog takes away its desire to reproduce while drastically reducing its need to urine mark. Some dog owners even notice other behavioral changes in their dogs like being less aggressive and more obedient.
However, not all dogs may experience a personality change. Some still remain as themselves but without the capacity to reproduce.
Are Spayed Dogs Easier To Potty Train?
Well, yes and no.
Yes because spaying your dog will reduce or even put a complete stop to the dog having the need to mark your home with its urine. If there isn’t a need to mark its territory, it won’t remark on these spots again.
No, because if your dog isn’t properly potty trained in the first place, spaying the dog won’t bring a complete change in its toilet habits for the better. If your dog is difficult to train due to its aggression, it might mellow out after some time but the change in behavior definitely won’t be instantaneous.
The best time to potty train your dog is when it is still a young puppy. Young puppies are easy to train because they have yet to inculcate many bad habits and behaviors.
Why Is My Dog Regressing In Its Potty Training?
Noticing that your dog has been regressing in its potty training is something that can also happen after it has been spayed. Maybe it has started to poo or pee at home after the surgery.
Potty training regression can be caused by the following reasons.
Post Surgery Recovery
If you have ever been through surgery before, you know that you aren’t really yourself for a couple of days. The same thing can happen to our dogs.
It’s definitely a lot to expect your dog to stick to its usual perfect potty time for now.
Your dog is under a lot of stress from being at the vet and having someone mess around with its junk.
Furthermore, being under anesthesia can make your dog behave weirdly until the anesthesia wears off.
Having A Cone On
If there is one thing I dread having to put on my cat or dog after surgery, is the cone.
The cone prevents the dog from licking at the incision site which can cause an infection.
Having a cone on can stress out your dog and make it behave out of sorts.
My dog will try to remove the cone by pawing at it. It will even start to walk backward due to being rather disoriented with the cone on.
For dogs that are too stressed out with the cone on, there are some other alternatives besides a dog cone that you can consider to make it more bearable for your poor canine friend.
Pent Up Energy
Dogs recovering from spay surgery need to rest as much as possible for 7-10 days. It might be fine for an older dog but if you have a new puppy, be prepared to be driven up the wall.
It would be best to create your puppy or isolate it in a room until the wound heals.
Otherwise, you might notice your dog getting a saggy belly if it moves around too much.
All the pent-up energy and frustration in your dog might cause it to act out.
Urinary Tract Infection
Urinary tract infection or UTI can happen to some dogs after getting spayed.
The stress and discomfort of the spaying procedure might cause the dog to have some pain when it pees which makes it reluctant to empty its bladder.
When this happens, your dog can get a UTI and start leaking urine at home.
A UTI needs immediate medical attention. If left untreated, it can lead to many other complications in the kidney and urinary system.
How Do You Punish A Dog For Peeing In The House?
You don’t punish your dog for peeing in the house. Shouting or rubbing your dog’s face in the pee spot will only cause more behavioral issues for your dog.
If you have a new puppy that is having trouble with house training, get some puppy pads and take it out for more frequent potty breaks.
Your dog will soon start to learn that going to the toilet should only be done outside and not in the house.
When Is It Too Late To House Train A Dog?
The good news is that it is never too late to house-train your dog. I do agree that it is a lot easier to train a puppy but it is very doable even for adult and senior dogs.
All you need is some perseverance and patience to let your dog can be used to the new habit.
Iggy Thorne, also known as ‘Iggy the Explorer,’ is a seasoned writer with a flair for adventure and a deep love for animals.
Not only does he craft captivating stories often set in the great outdoors, but he’s also a dedicated pet owner who has owned and fostered both dogs and cats.
His expertise in animal care extends to volunteering at local shelters, making him a credible voice in pet ownership.
With a unique blend of humor and adventure, Iggy’s writing is as engaging as it is informative.