Dog peed on the sofa

[FritzyMousey]

We have just spent the best part of 2 hours trying to clean the sofa after ddog peed on it. So frustrated, hate the bloody sofa anyway but can't get a new one now incase she decides to make it a regular thing! We have had her from rescue for a year now, she is just 2 and up until a couple of weeks ago she had never peed indoors except when caught short when home alone, and even then she only did it on the kitchen floor by the back door, such a good girl!

Just venting really, I think I know the reasons, she has done it the last 2 times I've been away with work. DH works from home so she is well looked after, but I think we have let her get too attached to both of us as we both work from home usually, she must have been anxious. We are going to take steps/do some training, I'm just so annoyed about the sofa coz it still stinks and I'm worried if it smells of pee she'll do it again. Last time was on our duvet on our bed, so that was slightly easier to take to the launderette and wash.

What are you cleaning it with? You need to eliminate any trace of her pee or she will, as you say, go back and keep peeing there.

Johnsons make a cleaner called 'Stain and Odour Remover', don't know if you know it. Brilliant stuff. Will get rid of any lingering smell.

If it's out of character, you should also get her checked to rule out a UTI.

OP, I used to have a little Staffy, when she was around two years old, she started weeing, on the sofa, bed etc.. It was so out of character.
I took her for a vet check, as she was fully house trained.
It turned out that she had Diabetes Insipidus, she was on daily medication, eye drops, for life.
She was a lovely little thing and lived a long happy life,
Please address this issue, to be on the safe side. 😀

She did it out for defiance because you left her. My dog does it of we go upstairs and lock her downstairs.. She is mad as hell so pees on the carpet -

Pretty sure dogs don't pee to get back at their owners.

Distress or excitement or illness as pps have suggested, but bloody mindedness? Really?

Sorry, started this last week and never came back! pigs I used urine off or some such stuff, drenched the sofa and it smells great now!

Unfortunately I've just had a text from DH, I've been away since yesterday and she's just done it again, on her bed this time, it has to be linked to anxiety of me being away. Any training tips to make her less attached to us? We work from home usually so she is spoilt by our company most of the time.

sugarpie Thankyou for the info about diabetes, I will get her checked out as she is in the vets for her spay next week anyway.

My sympathies, so hard to know what to do. My 18 month old pup peed on a bed last night. Dd was chasing him round the garden late last night, he came in at 10pm and drank a load of water, it's my fault for not letting him out during the night, he's normally 100% house trained.

I wonder if anxious dogs then get anxious about being anxious, like humans. Have you tried the dog equivalent of feliway, the pheromone plug in that can calm dogs down?

Glad you read my post Fritzy It took three trips to see three different vets to get her diagnosed. The first said anxiety, I knew she was a confident girl.
The second said it could be incontinence, spay related, which was very plausible, she was given medication for this, however she carried on weeing.The final time, I was at a loss, we were all pretty miserable, and sad for the poor dog. She had a final urine test, and we never looked back.
This condition is rare, hence them not testing her earlier.
I'm only mentioning this, as a possibility, and for you to get her urine tested.
She could just as easily, be missing her Mum. 😄
OP, if this is the case, she needs to be allowed to build a stronger relationship, with your DH, re feeding, walking, playing, snuggling etc.
Hope you get it sorted soon.

I second checking for an infection but it could equally be a form of marking. I have a female terrier of a similar age and she is really good except that sometimes she pees on things to mark them as hers. Once, when I had another dog around she got up on my bed and peed right through my duvet. She sometimes sleeps with us so it was as she was saying" don't come on here it is mine". I bought her a lovely plush dog bed once, she loved it, so much that she peed all over it! She also took a fancy to my sons new beanbag and that had to be thrown out. It is anxiety and territory related,I think.

If she is ok health wise then a doggy crate may be a practical solution if this goes on. Ironically they don't pee in those!

When you go away is there any difference to how she is let out for the toilet? Just wondering whether you're the one that typically opens the door for her etc so she just doesn't think to 'ask' to go out.

We have got some Adaptil Bradley will get DH to plug it in.

Sugar she is just as bad when left with me while DH goes out, she sits and stares at the front door.

Spybot I'm slightly worried it's a territory thing, but it's been a different place each time, and only the 3 times I've been away. She is good in her crate at night, it's been during the day when she's home with DH that she's doing it.

Bitey she has never learnt to ask to go out we just let her out every hour or two, DH swears he is doing the same whilst I'm away. It's causing him a lot of laundry and cleaning so he'd be silly not to!

Ah ok, do you think he thinks he is letting her out regularly but is distracted and it's actually longer than usual. Just asking in that you mention you both work from home and I do that as well and sometimes you do just get your head down and not realise the time.

The other thing I guess is try and train her to ask to be let out but I presume you haven't for a reason (mine hardly makes a gesture so had to get him to associate bashing a bell to tell me he wants to go in the garden)

I think he probably is letting her out often enough. She doesn't ask to go out in that she doesn't bark or anything, but she will wait by the back door (we only notice if we're in the same room obvs) We have tried to teach her to bark but not sure how to train it right!

Mine was like that in that in that he does not bark and I would miss his sign which was a half hearted paw up unless I was watching him. I have a training bell which only took me a couple of days to get him to associate barging into it means the door is opened. I can now hear him when in another room

I have seen the bells, I might get them, although then she will prob ring them when she just wants to go out and play! Still it's weird that she's been doing it on furnishings when usually when she's caught short she's always gone on the hard floor near the back door.

If she's weeing on her bed and the sofa I would strongly suspect that there is a medical problem causing her to wee in her sleep. This can happen in dogs, particularly in females where it can be a hormonal issue. I think you should take her to the vets.

I second vets, but in case it is separation anxiety, I too work from home and DDog is very attached to me, which has been manifesting itself in resource guarding around DS. Not ideal. So I've been putting him downstairs into his bed for set periods of time each day - I walk him, put him to bed, leave him for an hour, then go back downstairs for a brew and play/pee, then I let him back upstairs with me while I work, then repeat. He has definitely been less 'guardy' with me since I started this.

Also anyone that thinks dogs pee on things out of spite might want to do a bit of reading on dog behavior. Jean Donaldson's book Culture Clash is a good place to start.

OP regarding the bell, yes mine also bashes it when he wants to go out and play but I don't mind that as he has not had any accidents in the house since we got it.

Hope you get the peeing under control soon.