Danggit Dog!!

[NovaAman]

I dont know what the heck is wrong with these little monsters! Lately they've taken to going potty on my couch! I clean it, I discipline... I make sure they go out plenty, and they can go when ever cuz I have a dog door... One is a year, the other is 10 mo. Male is fixed, but he's the one doing it! Any suggestions? I have never had a dog that I couldn't potty train, and these two were but suddenly not!

 

[LyonFuzz]

Get a crate and use it! Also ban them from the couch and bed. It makes them feel alpha in the "pack" to be elevated like that. They are peeing on it to claim it as theirs. If the other dog is a female, she should be spayed as well. Just because your male is neutered doesn't mean he isn't interested. Good luck.

 

[xchairity_casex]

seeing as how the dogs are quite young i would have them checked out by a vet this could be a UTI or other issue its very uncommon for a potty trained dog to suddenly start urinating indoors especielly on furniture.

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

First thing to do...stop allowing them on the furniture! That means 100% compliance. Second is put them on a feeding and water schedule -- no water after say --8 PM. Go out side with them to make sure they have gone potty. Crate them when you cant supervise or are in bed!! These things will fix the issue if done consistently

 

[redhen]

Crate them when not directly in your eyesight...
And get an enzyme cleaner ..

 

[AinaWGSD]

Any changes in routine or environment? While most dogs at that age are fairly reliably potty trained, they are still quite young and can have lapses in their training if they are stressed. My younger dog seemed to be completely potty trained at a year old, until we went to visit family for Christmas and he suddenly forgot (while we were guests in their houses no less

). After we got back home, he has never had a problem with it again, the only accidents he's had since were when he was sick.

That said, you need to treat them as if they are new puppies that have never been potty trained. They need to be confined to a crate or easily cleaned room (like the bathroom or kitchen) when you can't be watching them. And you need to be actively watching them when they are loose. Better yet, leash them and tie them to your belt when they are not being confined. It's annoying but guarantees that they can't sneak off in a moment of inattention and make a mistake. Since it sounds like they keep going back to the same place, you should also remove their access to that place (ie the couch), at least until you get them back on track.

Given that they were potty trained and now have lapsed, you really should consider taking a sample to your vet and making sure that they don't have a medical reason for the accidents. If it is the older dog that's doing it, he may have an infection and the younger dog may simply eliminate in the same place because she's following his lead. You didn't say if it was feces or urine, but either way it would be a good idea to get it checked out as dogs can have problems causing them to have less control over either. I remember when my son was about 5-6 months old I was annoyed by my younger dog constantly asking to go out. I assumed it was because he was bored and not getting enough exercise with a baby in the house. I felt awful when I took him in for his annual exam and they ran bloodwork that indicated he might have kidney issues, then a urine analysis that showed he in fact had a bladder infection. And until recently, when my older dog started to get a little bit of fecal incontinence, I have never had either of my dogs poop in the house unless they had a parasite or bacterial overgrowth that made it impossible for them to hold it.

 

[NovaAman]

Well, when I first got Rotten Ruby, Argus (the perpataitor ?) he had no accidents unless he couldn't get out... But he was bored and lonely. Well, Rotten Ruby WAS NOT potty trained properly by the girl I got her from. You'd say potty to her and she'd cower and pee rigth on the spot. SHE'S the good girl now(unless she's see my chickens). Got her house broke real easy. Everything was fine, no potty accidents, nothing, until early summer when something outside bit his butt and he would not even go out the door, we think it was a bee or something of that nature... Well since then, he's been randomly doing it. THe thing is, he has constant access to go outside and we have a potty station just incase they need it in the middle of the night... Rotten Ruby will use it. Argus will too. But I swear he's doing it on the couch on purpose. I mean, to be out, and then come in the house, go directly to the couch, and go pee on it!

I did get enzyme spray. WORKS WONDERS! But its getting annoying to have to constantly steam clean the sofa! SO, going to ban them both and get a crate...

Thanks everyone. Concensus seems to say CRATE their butts.

 

[Eris]

How are you cleaning the furniture? Did you test it under a black light? They might of peed on a spot you don't know about and the smell from that spot is attracting them there like a beacon. I would also spray the spot after its cleaned with a deterrent spray.

 

[Okie Amazon]

He needs a vet visit and checked for urinary tract infection. This is VERY common with dogs and cats to literally look you in the eye and pee somewhere they aren't supposed to. It is just literally saying, "HEY YOU! CAN YOU SEE I'VE GOT A PROBLEM HERE?"

 

[FireTigeris]

+1 crate

+1 vet trip

+1 leash in house (we had to do this with the guide dog puppies)

+1 no furniture (this too, guide dogs are not allowed on furniture)

*Praise like crazy when he goes outside

I don't know animals to be spiteful, we think they are spiteful sometimes but really its something else- discomfort, fear, illness

You didn't mention the punishment or when you did it, but here's what we were taught before we could have a guide dog puppy form Southeastern Guide Dog

-clearly animals doesn't enjoy punishment (and unless you catch him/her doing it right then do not punish- it is not connecting even 5 seconds ago- its done and gone, any further reaction (slinking, moping, crouching, fawning, etc- is because you are angry. Punishing a dog (or cat) not in the act just makes you seem inconsistent to the animal - "Is mommy/daddy going to yell at me when I come up or pet me, I'm not sure...")

We were taught to pick up young dogs when urinating (by the scruff and lean then belly up- running outside and let them finish outside- (lifting them stops the bladder) not punishing any dog less then 1 year old for that.

Also some dogs (labs are bad for this) have a second puppy hood where they forget everything they know for some reason- it takes patients to get over this.