Boston Terrier Peeing in the House? [Problem Solved]

Zack Keithy, our author, is a certified veterinarian technician (UC Blue Ash) for over 6 years (contact him here). The articles written here are based on his expertise and experience, combined with a review by our expert vet reviewers including Dr M. Tarantino. Learn more about us here.

As a dog owner, one of the most frustrating and downright annoying behaviors that your furry friend can exhibit is peeing inside the house.

This is a common issue among many dog breeds, but it can be particularly prevalent in Boston Terriers.

In this blog post, we will discuss some of the reasons for your Boston Terrier peeing in the house, and what you can do to stop this behavior and prevent it from happening in the future.

Whether you’re a new Boston Terrier owner or you’ve had your furry friend for years, this post will provide you with the information you need to understand and address this issue.

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how to stop a boston terrier from peeing in the house

Have You Housetrained Your Boston Terrier?

When it comes to training your Boston Terrier, one of the most important things you can teach your furry friend is how to use the bathroom outside.

This process, known as housetraining, is essential for keeping your home clean and free from accidents. But have you successfully housetrained your Boston Terrier?

Poorly trained puppies will relieve themselves anywhere they like, but puppies who have received good training are not likely to do so without reason.

Consider how the following suggestions relate to your dog if it has been effectively housebroken but has started to urinate at random once more.

Doggy says, check this out too: Why is my puppy sleeping on the pee tray?

Reasons Why Your Boston Terrier is Peeing in the House

There are many reasons why your dog may be peeing in the house.

Stress, anxiety, medical issues, and separation anxiety are among the reason that can all lead to this behavior.

Forgotten its training

Even if you believe that your dog has improved throughout toilet training, this is not a guarantee.

This can occasionally result from a failure to understand or a misreading of the regulations.

Did you also relocate the restroom? Has anything lately changed in the house that your dog might find confusing?

Due to all of these factors, your Boston Terrier can forget what they were taught.

You, as the dog owner, will still need to consistently encourage and retrain your pet even after it has received the proper training.

When this occurs, you can try to retrain your pet using the fundamental techniques and reinforce the lesson with its favorite rewards.

Doggy says, consider reading this too: Dog Pooping After Spaying – Common Issues

Behavioral problems

Your Boston Terrier could urinate accidentally or deliberately as a result of internal and external circumstances.

In particular, unneutered male dogs frequently mark their territory with urine.

Even while this can be changed, transformation takes time.

External influences like fear, stress, or even over-excitement can also lead your dog to urinate carelessly throughout the house.

Consider whether any unexpectedly loud noises like fireworks, thunder, or slamming doors happened.

Have you seen any negative exchanges between visiting friends and family and your dog?

Have you recently brought a baby or a dog into your family?

Does your dog have separation anxiety?

Puppies are prone to overexcite themselves and accidentally urinate; this is a trait they will outgrow quickly.

Doggy says, you might want to read this too: Dog crying at night in new house

Potential medical issues

Sometimes a problem is hidden from our immediate view, but if we look closer, we can see it.

Your Boston Terrier may be suffering from a urinary tract infection (UTI), which affects approximately 14% [1] of dogs over the course of their lives.

Symptoms include frequent urination, straining to urinate, weeping or whining during urination, and perhaps having blood in their urine.

Naturally, a trip to the veterinarian needs to be scheduled right away.

It will be beneficial for you to be aware of the hereditary disorders Hyperuricosuria and Cystinuria, both of which can lead to frequent urination.

You can learn about all of these with a DNA test.

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Your Boston Terrier is getting on in years

Older dogs are more prone to forget their training.

In addition, dogs’ bodies weaken with age and they lose some bladder control.

Your dog’s tendency to urinate all over the home could be caused by dementia or other age-related disorders.

They might also experience bladder and kidney problems, which are harder to notice immediately away.

If your elderly dog exhibits any signs of decline, it is essential for both you and your dog to visit the vet.

Interestingly, an older dog will also regress with a new puppy. The stress it goes through can really change things up.

Urinary incontinence

Although younger dogs are not entirely excluded, older dogs are more prone to develop this condition.

Sadly, your dog has little control over this, so when it happens, you will see little puddles of urine all around the house.

Fortunately, there are medications that can help your dog in this circumstance, so visit your vet for help.

Difference Between Inappropriate Urination and Territorial Marking

Unknowingly, we may occasionally “blame” our dog for not peeing in the proper location and become frustrated when we have to clean up messes.

But how can we be certain that it was just an accident and not a result of a natural instinct?

Dogs, whether they are male or female, will mark their territory, and there are several obvious pieces of evidence of this.

Do you know what’s going on when your dog keeps trying to poop after pooping?

How to Tell if Your Boston Terrier is Just Marking?

Peeing on upright objects

The most common sign that your Boston Terrier is establishing territory is this action.

To mark their territory, they frequently urinate on the legs of furniture or even the tires of your car, in particular upright objects.

This can happen more frequently if you recently moved into a new home or apartment and your dog is attempting to stake out its area.

Additionally, you might see urine streaks that look to have been sprayed there on purpose and are higher off the ground than usual.

A small amount of urine

This is a common way that dogs mark their territory.

They might just urinate once or twice, or they might urinate in small amounts repeatedly in the same area.

You won’t witness a big puddle that indicates accidental peeing, but rather merely a tiny patch that occasionally goes undetected.

Only peeing and no pooping

If your dog only urinates and doesn’t pass any motion, that could be another sign that it’s only marking.

That suggests that rather than experiencing a strong urge to urinate, it is likely just trying to mark its territory.

Peeing at doorways/entrances

Your Boston Terrier may occasionally have an “accident” only at entrances or even close to your bedroom door.

They are aware that the house belongs to them and their owner, and they are therefore bound to defend it.

They merely use marking as a means of communication with other dogs.

Change in the way it pees

This is mostly applicable to female dogs only.

A female dog’s urination pattern may change when she is marking.

Similar to how male dogs do, a female dog may lift one of its legs and spray a small amount of urine.

This behavior is especially obvious when a female Boston Terrier is in heat.

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Any idea why your dog is always lying in the bathtub?

How Long Does It Take to Housetrain a Boston Terrier?

The truth is that every dog is different, and the length of time it takes to housetrain a Boston Terrier can vary.

However, on average, it usually takes 4-6 months for a Boston Terrier to be fully housetrained.

This may seem like a long time, but it’s important to remember that housetraining is a process and it takes time for your dog to learn and understand the rules.

One of the key things to remember when housetraining a dog is to be patient.

They are intelligent and energetic dogs, and they can be a bit stubborn at times.

This can make housetraining a bit more challenging, but with patience and consistency, you can teach your pet to use the bathroom outside.

Another important aspect of housetraining a Boston Terrier is to establish a consistent routine.

Take your dog outside at regular intervals, such as after meals or when they first wake up in the morning.

This will help it learn to associate going outside with using the bathroom.

Additionally, be sure to reward your dog for going potty outside.

This can be with treats, praise, or playtime.

Not only will this help reinforce the behavior you want to see but it also encourages your dog to continue using the bathroom outside.

Overall, housetraining a Boston Terrier may take some time and effort, but with the right approach, you can successfully teach your furry friend to use the bathroom outside and keep your home clean.

How Do I Stop My Boston Terrier From Peeing in the House?

Now it’s time to think about what to do when your Boston Terrier pees inside.

What’s important is that as soon as you bring your dog home, you should begin a solid training schedule.

If you’ve had your dog for a while and notice it’s regressing, providing appropriate training is equally crucial.

Whether your dog is accidentally peeing or is simply marking, the techniques listed below can be beneficial.

Bringing it out more often

By taking your Boston Terrier out more often, you can help prevent accidents.

As you should know, it’s important to take your dog on walks and play with it every day in order to keep its mind active and reduce its desire to mark territory.

Each time it relieves itself outside, give it praise and offer a small treat to let it know this is the right behavior.

Doggy says, you might be interested in this too: Dog Keeps Ringing The Bell to Go Outside? Stop the Madness!

Thorough cleaning after accidents

If your dog has an accident, you don’t have to scold it or attempt to correct the behavior right away.

Instead, ignore it right now and tidy up the mess as soon as possible.

Use an enzyme cleaner to clean up the spill rather than a paper towel or wet wipes.

Your puppy won’t be as likely to mark that location again because they are so effective at getting rid of odors and stains.

Consider spaying or neutering your dog

There are valid arguments on both sides of this debate, but we think getting the procedure is the best choice if you don’t plan to breed your Boston Terrier any time soon.

Sterilized dogs are significantly less likely to mark and exhibit undesirable behaviors like humping arms (or anything at all), according to numerous studies.

Controlling the places it can access

Training your dog helps out heaps, but sometimes, if they are left unsupervised, they will misbehave!

If no one is present to keep an eye on it, you will need to limit the areas it has access to.

You can achieve this by using simple tools like playpens, crates, or baby gates.

Doggy says, consider reading this article too: Puppy Sleeps in Crate at Night but Not During Day? [RESOLVED]

Establishing hierarchy

Your dog will surely continue to mark wherever it goes if it does not understand who is in charge.

To improve your relationship with your dog and lessen the possibility that it will mark, establish yourself as the pack leader.

For those of you who might have forgotten, the alpha is always the oldest and largest male in the pack.

In fact, male dogs mark more often than female dogs because they automatically try to assert their dominance.

In a similar vein, you should choose the dominant dog in your household if you have multiple dogs.

Hiring a professional

If all else fails, hiring a dog trainer or behaviorist might be the answer.

You would most definitely move in the right direction after a handful of sessions with one.

They provide very different services, so be sure to have a chat with both of them.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Are Boston Terriers hard to potty train?

No, Boston Terriers are a breed that is eager to please their human owners, and thus makes them quite easy to potty train. Consistency and patience will go a long way in achieving success, as will starting at a young age.

Do Boston Terriers have peeing problems?

In general, no, Boston Terriers do not have peeing problems. Common causes of Boston Terriers peeing in the house are related to lack of training, old age, and behavioral issues.

How often does a Boston Terrier need to pee?

An adult Boston Terrier will need to go potty 3 to 5 times daily, no more frequently than every 8 hours. Puppies will urinate more frequently, and their age can be used to estimate. A 3-month-old will be able to hold their pee for 3 hours.

How long can a Boston Terrier hold their bladder?

Adult Boston Terrier are able to hold their pee for six to eight hours. If it urinates more than 5 times per day, it may be a sign of a health problem, such as kidney or bladder diseases. On the other hand, if it holds onto its pee for more than 12 hours, that could also be an issue. A veterinarian should look into this.

In Conclusion: Boston Terrier Peeing in the House

Now that you know the reasons why your Boston Terrier is randomly peeing in the house and the steps to prevent it, it’s time to get down to work!

Make sure your Boston Terrier gets plenty of attention and exercise throughout the day if you don’t want her to urinate inside the house.

Also, try taking her for walks on less-busy paths or streets where there aren’t as many distractions.

With patience and consistency, you will soon be able to get rid of this problem once and for all!

Consider checking out other dog behavior articles on our blog such as dog licking paws after grooming, dog won’t move with cone on, dog obsessed with water hose, and many more!

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Zack Keithy
Zack Keithy

Hey, I'm Zack, the Chief Editor here. I was formerly a Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT) for a good 6 years before moving on to greener pastures. Right now, I am still heavily involved in dog parenting duties, and it is my desire to share all our knowledge with fellow dog owners out there! Connect with me on LinkedIn, or read more about Canine Care Central!

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