How to Stop Dogs Peeing in the House

Before we can look at solutions to stop a dog from marking in the house we need to understand the difference between territory marking and just peeing.

Signs of territory marking include:

·         When a dog urinates against upright objects such as doors, walls, furniture and even its owner. The dog will often mark new objects which he feels he then owns.

·         Markings are normally small quantities. The reason for small quantities is so that the dog can mark at numerous different locations without having to wait for its bladder to refill and with dogs strong sense of smell only small amounts of urine are required to mark.

·         Lifting of the leg while urinating is a clear sign of the dog marking his territory.

As a general rule, small dogs are more likely to mark in the house, the same goes for males making more than females.

Dogs instinctively mark their territories with urine to serve as messages to other dogs that may smell these markers. Messages include information on the dogs’ sexual status, its health and as a message to others that this is his domain. It is near impossible to stop a dog from marking its territory.

If there is more than one dog in the house, especially males they will mark and re-mark on a regular basis if there are dominance issues.

New members to the family such as dogs, cats and even a new-born baby can cause a dog to start making in the house, the reason for this is that the dog may feel less loved and feel the need to show its dominance over the new member.

Signs of peeing (toilet breaks):

·         The dog will normally pee on flat surfaces such as the floor.

·         Pee puddles will be substantially larger as the dog is totally relieving its bladder.

Solutions to keep a dog from urinating in the house:

Keep in mind your dog will naturally urinate more on colder days.

·         Give your dog water to drink earlier so that before you go to bed you can take the dog outside for hopefully its last pee for the night.

·         By simply showing more affection and attention more often, your dog may decrease the frequency of marking significantly as this gives your dog a greater sense of security within the family.

·         Neutering the dog from a young age can stop dog from marking in the house but will also prevent the dog from breeding.

·         Break the habit before it develops. Start off by restricting the dogs’ movement through your house like closing as many doors as possible. Keep a close eye on your dog to see when it is getting ready for a pee. Signs of getting ready to pee include sniffing or circling the same spot. Just as he lifts his leg to pee make a noise to distract him, when he looks at you “NO” Command him. Keep supervising until the habit is broken, it may take a few days to a few weeks. It is very important not to hit him or shout at the dog as this will only break down his confidence which may result in increased marking.

·         When your dog marks its territory outside ‘Praise’ him. This will boost his confidence and encourage him to urinate outside of the house.

·         Clean any pee as soon as possible using a half/half mixture of vinegar and water. Cleaning away the scent should hopefully discourage the dog from re-marking. Do not use any cleaner that has ammonia as dogs’ urine contains ammonia and your dog may confuse the scent of the ammonia as being the scent of another dog and result in him re-marking the area.

So as you can see there are a number of reasons as to why your do may be peeing in your house and there are couple solutions to stop a dog marking in the house. But if you are concerned that it may be a health issue then take the dog to the vet just to check it out.

Good Luck!