Why Are Male Dogs Harder To Potty Train? – (Let’s Make Them Easy)

When choosing a dog to adopt, there are many things to consider. What kind of dog should I adopt that suits my family? What dog breed? Male or female? When you are going to potty train your puppy by yourself, you must ask what dog breeds are easy to potty train? Are male dogs harder to potty train? 

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Many things need to be considered.

Let us answer one of these questions here. 

Are male dogs harder to potty train? Male dogs are typically harder to potty train as compared to female dogs. This is because of their short temperament, late maturity, less connection with the owner, and more sense of “urine marking” (as compared to females). You can make them easier by neutering them on time, obedience training, and consistently potty training male dogs. 

Are Male Dogs Harder To Potty Train?

Most dog owners who own both genders and have experience potty training both genders claim that potty training female dogs is easier than for male dogs. 

It doesn’t mean that this is always true in all cases, but mostly, this happens that male dogs give a hard time. 

Besides being a male dog, many other factors make a dog harder to potty train.

Find out in this article; what makes a dog hard and what dog breeds are the hardest. 

5 Reasons Male Dogs Are Harder To Potty Train?

There are several reasons behind this 

1- Urine Marking:

Urine marking is when a dog pees on something to mark it as his ownership or territory. It is a natural behavior of all dogs of all breeds and genders, but it is more common in male dogs, especially intact male dogs.

When a dog will a urine mark inside the house, there will be some urine smell. Puppy is more likely to go there again because of his natural instinct to peeing where they smell pee.

So, the more a dog will urine mark, the harder it will be to potty train him. 

Read more: 

2- Obedience:

Female dogs tend to be more obedient when it comes to their training. According to Insider, female dogs are easier to train as compared to male dogs. 

3- Connection:

Insider says that female dogs tend to be more attentive toward their owner. They are more connected with their primary caretaker, so female dogs are easier to potty train than male dogs. 

4- Maturity:

“Female dogs tend to reach maturity faster than their male counterparts, which can be a training advantage.” Source: Pedigree

4- Temperament:

Male dogs are more distracted, and they are a little more short-tempered as compared to female dogs. 

“It is true that male dogs do a posture, threaten and challenge each other more than females.” Source: Psychologytoday.

male dog sitting

How To Make A Male Dog Easier To Potty Train?

Here are a few tips that will make it easier for you to potty train a male dog.

1- Neutering (At The Right Age):

Neutered dogs tend to behave well as compared to intact dogs. Neutering can really help with making a dog calmer and thus helps with potty training. 

Neutering is a great help in reducing urine marking behavior, and as we stated earlier, urine marking can really mess up with potty training. 

So reducing urine marking and a calmer attitude of a dog will make him easier to potty train. 

But make sure to choose the right age for neutering. The best age is around 6-9 months. You can do it a little earlier but not so early. 

Related article: How to deal with housebreaking regression after neutering or spaying?

2- Obedience Training:

Basic obedience training is crucial for dogs. Train them to understand and follow basic commands. 

Before potty training, a dog should at least be able to follow simple commands like sit, stand, come, and go. The body language training will work like a charm too. Where you don’t say a word, but your dog understands you.

Then it will be easier to make him understand when you will say “go potty.” 

When the dog understands the command, potty training him will be easier.

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3- Get A Dog Breed That Is Easier To Potty Train:

Some dog breeds are naturally easier to potty train. Many factors determine if the dog breed is easier or not, such as the size of the dog, obedience, adaptability, intelligence, and cleanliness. 

Find out here what makes a dog easier to potty train, and what dog breeds are easier. 

4- Keep Working:

Potty training requires a lot of work, consistency, and patience. 

Learn the right method of potty training and keep working on it. 

No dog in the world cannot be potty trained; these are the trainers who succeed or fail. 

5- Use Their Sense Of “Urine Marking”:

Dogs mark with urine and like to pee where they smell pee. Mix these facts and make them urine mark there where you want him to go pee. 

Either place a new thing on the potty spot and expect your dog to mark it with urine, or bring a new dog around that spot and bring your dog on his potty spot. Your dog is most likely to urine mark his territory. 

6- Have A Potty-Trained Dog At Home?

If you have a potty-trained dog at home, he can really help you. Puppies follow adult dogs. 

Keep both of them together, and let your new puppy learn from him. 

An important point to note: Besides being a male dog, many other factors make a dog harder or easier to potty train. With the use of the proper housetraining technique, consistency, and patience, male dogs also should not be very hard to potty train. 

It is crucial that the trainer knows what he is supposed to do. Wrong training can actually make things worse. 

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Are Female Dogs Easier To Potty Train?

People often ask this question (are male dogs harder to potty train?) in another way!

Are female dogs easier to potty train? Female dogs tend to mature earlier; they are more obedient and more connected with the owner. These factors make them easy to potty train. 

male dog laying

How Can I Potty Train My Male Dog Fast?

To potty train your male dog faster, you need to understand your dog’s breed traits and his personal traits. Make sure your dog knows how to follow basic commands and then use the right method of potty training. 

Keep up with the training with consistency, patience, and schedule. 

Find out the step-by-step potty training method here. 

Conclusion: 

Why are male dogs harder to potty train? Male dogs are typically harder to potty train as compared to female dogs. This is because of their short temperament, late maturity, less connection with the owner, and more sense of “urine marking” (as compared to females). You can make them easier by neutering them on time, obedience training, and consistently potty training male dogs.

More helpful resources:

How to get a male dog to pee all at once?

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