How do you stop a dog from "marking her territory" on your carpet?

[Smartie_Pants]

I have two indoor dogs. I have a miniature daschund who has had two back surgeries and cannot use her back legs due to nerve damage. I also have a rather large beagle that I adopted in July of 2009. On Saturday, I adopted a small beagle who is one year old. We've named her Sadie, and she is as sweet as can be, but she has some behavioral things we need to adress.

For one, she keeps peeing on the carpet. Its not because she just has to go and isn't taken outside, she is "marking her territory." The previous owners of this house had lots of indoor animals that peed in the house, and we tried everything to get the smell out of the wood underneath our carpet, but the dogs can still smell it. She can also smell where our daschund has peed before, and she keeps peeing over all of those spots. We have a carpet clean, the kind that is like a vacuum where it sucks up the spilled liquid and then sprays down cleaner and brushes it in then sucks it up, and we clean all of the spots with it as soon as we see them, but she is still doing it.

She is going to be fixed tomorrow, and she is getting all of her shots and things. Will this stop her? If not, what can we do? She doesn't seem to understand the concept of "no", no matter how you try to express it to her.

 

[ChickenToes]

Maybe you need to treat her like a puppy and start the housebreaking process all over again. When you see her sniffing around looking for a place to pee, scoop her up and take her outside. When she goes to the bathroom outside, give her treats and lots of praise. Ignore it whenever she pees in the house, just clean it up.

 

[jerseygirl1]

Have you ruled out anything medical? UTI, etc?

 

[Smartie_Pants]

She hasn't had her vet check-up yet, that is tomorrow before the spay.

However, she has no trouble peeing. No pain, blood, hesitation, etc. Our daschund has to have her bladder expressed, she can't go on her own, so we are pretty familiar with the symptoms of infections. She just begins to sniff and then squats to pee.

She had been in the shelter for at least 1.5-2 months, and before that I don't know anything about her life, so I'm not sure she was ever potty trained in the first place. Any tips on how to do that?

 

[ChickenToes]

Housebreaking an adult dog may be more difficult than a puppy, but this method should work. Anytime you see her start sniffing around or turning in circles looking for a place to go to the bathroom, take her outside IMMEDIATELY. When she does her business, praise her and give her treats. The idea is to catch it before it happens, so you need to keep an eye on her.

If she does pee in the house, just take her outside. Do not scold her, and do not rub her nose in it. Just clean it up and act like nothing happened.

The idea behind this method is this: dog goes to the bathroom outside, she gets treats. Dog goes to the bathroom inside, she gets nothing. You want to make sure to ignore it if she does pee inside, because if she gets any kind of attention, even negative attention, she'll be more apt to do it again. Negative attention is still attention.

 

[Skyesrocket]

She might smell the other dogs urine and think it's her place to potty. Poor thing, after being kenneled that long she is probably confused. So nice of you to adopt her.
I would crate train her unless you can be right with her inside the house. Is there anyway of blocking her off from the room she is peeing in until she gets settled in and housebroke?

 

[Sunny the Hippie Chick]

I use natural enzymes to get rid of urine smell.. The place I live in has had pets before and I believe they just relieved themselve indoors. Which caused my fully house trained dogs to start soiling only certain places in the house..

Heres a link to the brand I have been using with decent results..
Not a bad price either. Around here I pay for 1/4 of this much for $11
Check out the link..
http://www.amazon.com/Natures-Miracle-Stain-Remover-Gallon/dp/B00008437W

 

[redhen]

You need a GOOD enzyme cleaner.(natures miracles is a good one..).. and you need to start the potty training all over..like a pup...
use a crate... and if shes not DIRECTLY in your sight..then she HAS to be in the crate.... (or dont even bother trying to train her..)
If shes out of the crate..(in your sight!) and you see her squat to pee...you correct her VERY fast... very firmly... and bring her outside RIGHT then... tell her "NO!"
And tell her her potty cue... I say... "go potty"

 

[SillyChicken]

I've recommend to my puppy buyers, putting a string or thin lead on the dog and let her drag around the house. Follow a schedule on taking her outside to go, praise when she does. The leash inside is a quick way to controll the dog without scaring her by running up to grab her... you can just pick up the lead and take her out. Crate her when you cannot watch her 100 %.

replaceing the carpet once she's better trained may help too.

 

[Melissakins]

Quote:
I was going to recommend this as well. GREAT advice.