my dog is peeing on my NEW couch

[blissfulbride]

I want to scream at the top of my lungs, because I can''t take her anymore. She is truly the cutest thing. I love her to death but my fiance is at the verge of snapping her tiny little neck lol

She has a wee wee pad so i dont understand why this is happening. This morning we found it, and I took her face in put it on it and yelled to try to get her to get the hint. I pray it works. I can''t believe we can''t have nice things. We also just spent about alot on a brand now duvet set, but Im afraid that next. I dont want to have to lock her up on the bathroom.( She is punished, and is in there right now) but I don''t want her to have to live like that. We have a tiny apartment in new york so we dont have any other options.

ugh im so upset. This is going to ruin the leather.

 

[Cleopatra]

How old is the dog??

I''m afraid to say that not many pups like those pee pads...at least none of my pups ever did....

My only suggestion is to take her outside every few hours (every 2 if possible)....i know it''s tough - but reward her for when she goes outside - that is, of course, if she is still a puppy...

If she is an older dog, maybe she has some sort of kidney problems?

Sorry - I know it can be frustrating, but don''t give up on her yet!!!

 

[Northern Lights]

I have a toy breed and I noticed that she pees more frequently than larger breeds. My mom suggested that I get her fixed, but that is not common in the country where I currently live. So, I opted for a litter box and put it in one of the spare bathrooms, and now when she has the urge to mark or whatever she just goes in her litter box.

 

[HeadOverHeels4James]

My puppy would walk on the potty pad and pee like 5 inches away from it!

My ff would get SOOO mad at him! I don't know why he got so mad when I'm the one who cleaned it up! Have you tried crate training? How old is your little bundle of joy, and what kind of dog? Ours is 8 1/2 months old and he still will occasionally have a few accidents here and there. The only discipline puppies really understand is if you do it why they are peeing. When are would see him going we would clap loud and say AHH!! After that we would put his face in it and say "NO" then take him outside. If you find the mess and it has been for a while, then you really can't get mad. You just need to watch him better. When you see them sniffing around BIG CLUE take them out!! Also, when you clean it make sure you use an enzyme cleaner otherwise they will smell their pee pee and it encourages them to go right there! If you have any more questions please ask, I'm not an expert by any means but I've been through this and learned a lot. I would get so frustrated I would just cry. HAHA I feel you pain sweetie!

 

[neatfreak]

It's the new couch. It's invading "her" space. And she doesn't like it because she thinks she's the leader in the house. Unfortunately you really will have to buckle down and start working with her on showing that you are the boss. And yelling at her and shoving her face in a pee pad isn't the way to do it...

I really don't think this is an accident at all. Especially if she's only doing it on the new couch.

 

[Erin]

I don''t believe putting her face in it does a gosh darn thing.

Instead, take her out frequently. Ask her if she wants to go outside. Every time she pees outside, bring her back in the house and give her a treat. Not a whole dog bone, just get a small bag of the bigger sized dog food that doesn''t taste like her regular food.

Dogs will learn to do just about anything based on rewards.

 

[HeadOverHeels4James]

Date: 7/8/2008 9:34:13 AM
Author: neatfreak
It''s the new couch. It''s invading ''her'' space. And she doesn''t like it because she thinks she''s the leader in the house. Unfortunately you really will have to buckle down and start working with her on showing that you are the boss. And yelling at her and shoving her face in a pee pad isn''t the way to do it...


I really don''t think this is an accident at all. Especially if she''s only doing it on the new couch.

We tried NOT to put his face in the pee at first (some dogs that is not right for!) With our (shar-pei/pitbull) that was the only way he would get it, he is very stubborn just like FF! HAHA

 

[Rosebud8506]

We have a toy breed also, and I have heard it can take almost a year before they "get it". Ours peed in our bed a couple times in the very beginning, so I can imagine how upset you guys are.

Patience is the key here - I have lost my temper many a time, and yelling at the dog and shoving their face in it really does nothing. You have to make sure you take them out often. I don't recommend wee pads. It only will encourage the dog to pee in the house.

I would suggest taking them out often and try to do it in the same place. They will eventually grasp the idea that going outside is what you want, and I also agree with giving them a small treat every time they pee and poop. They have these great treats called Zuke's (at pretty much every Petco, or Pets Supply Plus, etc.) and they are small like kibble and easy on the small tummies for toys breeds.

Good luck, and again, try be patient with the little one

 

[Dreamer_D]

I have two small dogs so I recall the house training period well.

I can only say that it is important to remember that if you dog pees in the house it is not their fault, it is your fault for not making it clear to them where they are supposed to pee, and for not taking them to that spot often enough. So there is no point in getting mad at them! It is hard hard work, but they get it eventually!

For now, you may need to restrict you dog''s access to areas of the house that you are actually in, so you can monitor her. Then you may need to not allow her on the couch anymore and any other place where she pees. Take her to her pee spot very often, and reward her when she goes there. If you don''t already, you may need to try kennl-training. That means she stays in her kennel (crate) for a few hours, gets let out to pee, and then gets rewarded with 30 minutes to an hour in the house playing, and then back in the kennel for a few more hours. This is really the only way to train them to NOT pee in the house because they simply don''t have the opportunity. Ian Dunbar has a good book that outlines this technique if you are really interested.

I also suggest that you no longer punish your dog unless you catch her in the act. Unless you actually see her peeing, the reprimand will be meaningless. And there is no need to rub her face in the pee. If you catch her in the act, simply clap your hands and firmly yell "No! Stop!" This should shock her into stopping. Then take her immediately out to pee or else put her in her kennel until she is ready to come out and pee in her pee spot.

I also would refrain from locking her in the bathroom. Keep the kennel in the same area as you are in so that it is not a punishment. If you do use the bathroom as punishment, then when you catch her in a bad act, clap, yell no, and put her in the bathroom for no more than 2 - 3 minutes. Any longer and she will forget why she was in there to begin with! After 2 minutes, let her out and watch her carefully.

We used all of these techniques with our two dogs and they worked very well, and our dogs are now 2 1/2 and are very well behaved, and they never pee in the house!

 

[VegasAngel]

Do you crate train? If not I highly recommend it.


Is the dog a pup? You have to take it out frequently.



You could always give doggie diapers a shot.

 

[Dogmom]

Two words - Crate training. (Along with frequent trips outside and LOTS of POSITIVE reinforcement when she does what she is supposed to.)

Shoving her face in her mess and yelling at her will not work. You are simply scaring her and she has NO idea why you are mad.

Puppy-proof your home for now until she gets the hang of things, and you won''t go crazy worrying about the leather couch and brand new duvet.

 

[Babyblue033]

Date: 7/8/2008 2:03:06 PM
Author: dreamer_dachsie
I can only say that it is important to remember that if you dog pees in the house it is not their fault, it is your fault for not making it clear to them where they are supposed to pee, and for not taking them to that spot often enough. So there is no point in getting mad at them! It is hard hard work, but they get it eventually!

I agree. There''s no point in getting mad at her for doing something you didn''t teach her not to do. She''s not doing it to spite you, remember that animals don''t think the way we do and and do not understand why you''re mad at them.

I agree with others that recommended crate training. I think that, plus taking her out more often if she''s a small breed, will be the answer for this situation.

This made me laugh though, because it made me realize how desensitized I''ve become with something like this

Messes and ruined furnitures have become normal part of my life, especially since Roxy joined the family. Her disability means accidents, which led to commercial size bleach bottle, couch covers, frequent trip to laundry room, waterproof mattress covers, and a revived sense of humor

 

[Bia]

Date: 7/8/2008 9:34:13 AM
Author: neatfreak
It's the new couch. It's invading 'her' space. And she doesn't like it because she thinks she's the leader in the house. Unfortunately you really will have to buckle down and start working with her on showing that you are the boss. And yelling at her and shoving her face in a pee pad isn't the way to do it...

I really don't think this is an accident at all. Especially if she's only doing it on the new couch.

Yup. She thinks shes the boss alright. Already went through this with my pup and it took a few weeks but we had to show her that WE are boss.

Also, be diligent about taking her out every hour if you have to--routine is key. When she "goes" outside, you give her her favorite treat. If she doesn't like the wee-wee pad, she will never like it. The couch will be her place of choice until she can't go there anymore. If taking her outside on the hour doesn't work, as its hard for most people to do that, then try crate-training. Most dogs will not pee in their crate. When you get home, take her outside immediately, and wait until she goes. BIG Treats when she goes outside.

Good luck!