Having a bulldog as a family pet is absolutely wonderful. You will experience their love and loyalty first hand but will also be responsible to care for its wellbeing. These companion dogs are all fun and games in their own quirky way, until a mess happens. Like when you have caught your bulldog peeing in your house.
Why is my bulldog peeing in my house? A bulldog will pee indoors if it has not been potty trained, it is under duress or stress, or experiencing urinary health issues. Many of these reasons can be corrected through training or seeking medical assistance from a veterinarian.
Reasons for peeing inside:
- Not potty trained
- Separation anxiety
- Depression
- Urinary problems
There are steps you can take and treatments that can be administered to help stop these instances of your bulldog peeing in home. But each step requires you, as the owner, to identify the correct overlying issue. A few tips to help are provided as follows but in any instance where your determine help is needed or your bulldog’s health seems to be in jeopardy, seek the help of a veterinarian. A veterinarian can properly diagnose and treat your bulldog.
Potty Training Tips for a Bulldog
It is normal for a bulldog to pee in your house as a pup. You need to allow time for your bullydog to grow and get to a point where it is ready to begin potty training. It is recommended that potty training can start for a bulldog pup around 8 – 12 weeks of age. At this age your puppy will begin learning to hold it’s bladder, basic habits, and routines. When the new puppy is brought home begin the house training so your bulldog pup learns where to use the bathroom, outside inplace of indoors.
The basic potty training steps are:
- Establish a regular eating schedule. Plan to give water and food at certain times of the day. Maintain this routine and don’t be persuaded by the lovable face to share any food between the scheduled meals.
- Plan to take your bulldog outside to pee every 30 – 60 minutes. Find a specific spot in the yard for your bully to do its business and stay with it. By setting this standard that peeing occurs outside and where to pee your bulldog will pick up on these queues and develop a routine. Be firm on this schedule, it will be exhausting but worth it.
- When your pup pees or discharges, be sure to give lots of praise. Build that positive reinforcement so your bulldog understands correct behavior.
- Repeat these steps, as you do so your bulldog will recognize the scent in the yard where it should pee and the habit to go outdoors when it needs to go to the bathroom.
- After several days, begin changing the potty training routine based off how well your bulldog puppy is learning this pattern. Stretch out the visits outside to be less frequent. As your puppy does better at holding its pee in longer begin going going outside once before bedtime and first thing in the morning. Based off how your pup is doing you may need to get up a few times during the night still but minimize the frequency based off how well the training is going.
- Your hard work will pay off and your bulldog will learn to use the great outdoors as its bathroom. It may take several weeks to well over a month to fully potty train your bulldog but it will learn not to pee in the house.
This training will be most effective as you maintain consistency, patience, and shower your bulldog pup with praise for a job well done. Potty training will be one of the first trainings you will go through with your new bulldog puppy. These new house rules and developed skills will begin a pattern of learning that can be built on for future endeavors.
Separation Anxiety
Your companion dog can be onset with separation anxiety if it has not been trained and socialized well to be alone, refer to Are Bulldogs Okay to be Left Alone. This is especially true when you work or leave the house frequently for long periods of time. An animal that experiences separation anxiety can have an uncontrolled bladder and pee in your home.
To remove separation anxiety some simple steps you can do are:
- Predictability – If you are predictable then the routine is normal and there is less need to worry.
- Caring – Demonstrate affection and love when in your bulldog’s presence.
- Active – Take your bulldog out on walks or similar exercise to burn off steam and anxiety prior to leaving the house.
Your predictability, love, and a regular active lifestyle will promote and safe, stress free environment.
Bulldog Depression
Believe it or not, a bulldog can be depressed. Read Can My Bulldog be Depressed? 3 Ways to Cheer Them Up! Depression can cause low self-esteem, health issues, and even loss of bodily functions.
If your bulldog is in this dire situation quickly make a plan to elevate its spirit:
- Plan to spend more quality time with your bulldog, especially if you are out of the home frequently. Bulldogs are companion pets and thrive off that interaction. Plan to go on walks together, play together, relax together, etc. Let your bulldog know it is top dog in your home and a valued family member.
- Support healthy eating and living. A healthy diet spurs energy, optimal bodily functions, and enriches overall lifestyle. Partner this with regular exercise and you have the recipe for success. Exercise will help exert negative energy by releasing tension. Exercise is a big destresser.
- Try new activities and hobbies. Perhaps your bulldog is bored and craves something different. Mix in new games, activities, training, etc. Not only is this great to stimulate your bulldogs brain activity but this will give you and your bulldog dedicated time to spend with one another.
- Seek guidance from a professional veterinarian on other methods that can be used to treat depression of your bulldog.
Helping your bulldog out of depression will help improve quality of health and hopefully lead to less floor mess from bulldog pee.
English or Any Bulldog Urinary Problems
Bad bacteria can lead to urinary tract problems for bulldogs and continuous urine leakage. A veterinarian can treat this health issue with antibiotics when diagnosed but when should you take your pet in? A few symptoms that can help you identify the need for expert medical advice are:
- Whimpers or cries during urination
- Difficulty peeing
- Continuous urination leakage
- Urine contains blood
- House trained pet peeing inside
If these symptoms are prevalent, immediately seek your veterinarian for assistance.
BEST Steps to Clean Up Bulldog Pee
When your bulldog pees in the house there are two primary concerns:
- How to clean up the pee mess
- Getting rid of and deodorizing the awful smell of bulldog pee
The smell of dog pee can sit and linger for what seems like FOREVER if not treated promptly. When treating this mess you will also be considering how to wipe up and kill bacteria from the hardwood, laminate, or tile floors and carpet. Hard floor surfaces in general will be a breeze to clean. I highly recommend having a hard floor service wherever your bulldog will linger and relax, in fact I recommend hard floor surfaces for any pets. Cleaning up is easier and the fur, pee, or other animal messes will not seep in like it does on carpet.
A bulldog that pees on these hard surfaces requires a simple wipe down with an eco friendly product that will kill bacteria. There are several on the market, or just buy some Clorox (scented, I prefer lemon) spray. Spray the pee and wipe clean.
How to Clean Bulldog Pee from Carpets and Remove the Smell
Peeing on carpet though is a whole different ball game. Here are some pointers on how to effectively clean it out.
- Gather a few household rags
- Fill a bucket with cleaning solution and warm water
- A few recommended cleaning solutions on Amazon for dog pee are:
- Nature’s Miracle Stain and Odor Remover
- Rocco & Roxie Professional Strength Stain & Odor Eliminator
- Dip rag in the solution and scrub back and forth.
- Repeat this process 3 – 5 times, depending on the severity of the pee stain in the carpet.
- If a strong odor persists, use vinegar and warm water to scrub the floor thoroughly a few times.
- Once scrubbing is completed, let the carpet dry thoroughly.
- Use a deodorizer, like baking soda, to ensure a fresh smelling carpet. Just sprinkle a little on top and let it sit. Wipe or vacuum the baking soda off the carpet.
- Your carpet should now smell fresh as new.
When all else fails, just rent a carpet cleaner. Professional carpet cleaners were made with this specific purpose to soap wash and remove any foreign objects. A carpet cleaner can rinse deep and thoroughly, pulling pee and grim from the carpet. You will be shocked how dirty your carpet can get with a family and bulldog in the house. Everyone tracks in something from the outdoors. This is why my family rents a carpet washer on a regular basis, yes we have some carpets but also lots of hard laminate floorings.
Usually, a carpet cleaner can be rented at large hardware or tool chains, large grocery chains, etc.
If your dog peed and it has dried before you found it but the poignant odor lingers, use a black light to search for and find the stains in the carpet that require a good, hard cleaning.
Other Steps to Deter a Bulldog from Peeing in Your House
In the rare case that your bulldog continues to pee freely in your house there are a few unconventional steps that can be tried. Hopefully this will curb the peeing once and for all.
- Dogs will many time pick a frequent spot to pee. If this happens to be on your nice carpet or hard surfaced floor spray some vinegar on it. Bulldogs find the smell of vinegar to be foul which will act as a deterrent from peeing where they once did. Continue this step until your bulldog no longer pees in the house. BONUS: Tie a bandana around your bulldogs neck with some of its pee on it (after the pee has dried). This scent will eliminate or minimize the need of your bulldog to mark its territory inside of the house.
- If gone for extended periods of time make sure to walk your bulldog before you leave and when you return home. This gives time to your bulldog to pee outside so it when be cooped in the house trying to hold it in while you are away.
- A good practice is always to spay or neuter your bulldog, unless you are a trained breeder.
Related Questions
Why is my bulldog peeing in her bed? As your bulldog ages you may notice more leakage on its bed. This can be a result of declining health with age and possibly the development of urinary tract infections and even kidney disease. These health related issues can lead to urine leakage while your bulldog is resting in bed. Depending on the stage of their health, treatment options may be limited. Certain antibiotics can be prescribed based off what a veterinarian diagnoses.
If the problem is due to aging and an overall health decline, you will need to plan on more frequent visits outside to minimize the amount of leakage.
Why does my french bulldog pee on my bed? A french bulldog may pee on your bed to mark its territory or perhaps it has a health condition that won’t allow it to hold its pee in, such as a urinary tract infection. If this becomes common with your bulldog, seeking a veterinarians opinion to properly diagnose the situation. If your french bulldog is simply marking territory, refer to the above steps under Deter Your Bulldog from Peeing in the House. Begin implementing these steps immediately, teach your french bulldog this is not good behavior.
