How to stop your dog peeing in the house
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Is Your Dog Peeing in the House? Are You At Your Wits' End?
I tried everything from ranting and raving, to rubbing his nose in it. Nothing helped. Why not? Because I was doing it all wrong! I was aggravating the situation instead of helping him.
Luckily I found a quick and painless method to solve the problem for both of us.
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Why does he keep doing it?
Understanding the difference between marking territory and just peeing.
A dog does not just starting peeing in his own house for the fun of it. Ask yourself if your dog is merely peeing in the house, or is he marking his territory?A big clue is normally found in the location. If the dog is peeing against upright objects then it is probably an attempt to mark his territory. Remember though, male dogs normally cock their legs when they pee so they necessarily pee against upright objects.
A good clue is also the amount of urine involved.
Small puddles are normally indicative of marking behaviour, while drowning in dog urine means your dog is regarding the house as his new toilet.
Copious amounts normally means the dog is urinating due to a physical need, and either couldn't, or didn't want to, go out.
Easy solution: If your dog pees during the night it is usually enough to let him drink water earlier, rather than later at night, and take him outside for a pee before going to bed. Careful though! You don't want to dehydrate the poor little guy!
Marking territory.
Why does a dog do this?
A dog has a sense of smell that is significantly better developed than that of a human. Incidentally, this is why it's a bad idea to take your home-grown stash on holiday with you. Airport dogs can smell that stuff a mile away.
While a dog's urine might smell offensive to us humans, it's as good as a letter to other dogs. It tells them who he is, and whether or not he or she is available to mate. It also establishes dominance over other dogs ("I was here first, so this is my turf"), and helps to dispel his feelings of insecurity and builds confidence.
If your dog is struggling with confidence problems, any sudden change in his home environment can trigger this behaviour because they engender feelings of anxiety. For instance; the arrival of a new baby may mean that your dog is now not getting as much attention as previously. He'll start marking territory to establish his dominance over the new member of the pack, and to reaffirm his place in the pecking order.
Do All Dogs Do This?
Yes, they do. Depends on you where they do it though.
Usually dogs mark outside the house because they don't feel the need to mark inside the house. They feel secure and safe inside the house, they know everyone inside the house and their position is secure. It's when they feel they need to establish dominance inside the pack that they start marking inside the house.Small dogs are more inclined to pee inside the house than larger dogs; males are more likely to mark than females. Two or more dogs in the same house may regard each other as competition and are then more prone to marking.
While marking is a natural thing for your dog to do, he needs to understand that he does not have to do this inside the house. He needs to feel he is a respected and valued member of the family. Helping your dog feel secure in your love for him will go a long way to alleviating the problem.
Solving the problem.
What can you do?
A few very important things to remember is:In order to speed up the learning process be sure to lavish praise upon him when he pees where you want him to. Your dog learns fastest from your positive responses to his behaviour.
Plan for the future
Prevention is better than cure!
Clean the spots where he marked or peed thoroughly, but don't use ammonia. Dog urine contains ammonia and instead of deterring him it will only make him think some other strange dog is leaving messages. Instead use a solution of water and vinegar to wash the areas thoroughly.If you don't make too much of a fuss over the whole thing you can easily change your dog's behaviour and get him to pee where you want him to, i.e. outside the house!
A resource I found helpful in positively modifying my dog's behaviour can be found at Kingdom of Pets. They have a free course you can download to see if the method works.
Click Here to download the free Introductory 6 Day Course and get you and your dog started with no further obligation.
A final thought to remember:
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Christy wrote
My 12 week old yorkie will hold going to a bathroom outside for up to an hour and as soon s she comes inside she pottys. help
Posted April 04, 2009
Jennifer wrote
I have two poodles brother and sister 8 years old. My male will pee in the house when nobody's home. We can leave him(Jack) out before we leave and he will still pee. I just moved in with my boyfriend and he has not done this until recently. I know Jack and JIll came from an obucive home ,but Jill never peed in the house until recently.I live in an apartment what do i do
Posted March 19, 2009
Michelle wrote
My 9 year old Maltese has started peeing and pooping in the house for about a month now. She did have a ear infection and was on medication and new food, but she finished the medicine in January. It is now March and she's still at it. Everyday I come home from work she has pooped and peed. I'm thinking that maybe she is being mischievous because it is strange that she doesn't do this when someone is home and she's still in the house the same amount of time pretty much as when I'm gone. I take her out in the morning before I leave and again when I come home. Any suggestions, because really don't want to put her on lock down durning the day.
Posted March 14, 2009
Michelle wrote
My 9 year old Maltese has started peeing and pooping in the house for about a month now. She did have a ear infection and was on medication and new food, but she finished the medicine in January. It is now March and she's still at it. Everyday I come home from work she has pooped and peed. I'm thinking that maybe she is being mischievous because it is strange that she doesn't do this when someone is home and she's still in the house the same amount of time pretty much as when I'm gone. I take her out in the morning before I leave and again when I come home. Any suggestions, because really don't want to put her on lock down durning the day.
Posted March 14, 2009
