Have you recently noticed that your dog pees inside the house? You may also realize he does his business in the same spot each time.
Having to clean up the same area can be frustrating, and what could be worse is finding it difficult to stop your dog from messing up your space inside the house.
When a dog loses its training and starts to relieve itself inside your home, it could be because of some recent changes that have been made at home.
These incidents should not make you give up on your dog, as there are effective ways to deal with this problem.
Read further as we discuss these methods!
Common spots that a dog likes to urinate at
Virtually all dogs have similar spots where they pee in the house; various factors like odors, dirt, or a change in the environment could be why these spots get littered with dog pee.
Here are a few areas dogs urinate at.
Rugs
A rug is one favorite spot where dogs like to urinate. Dogs are attracted to smells, and if your rug smells a certain way, it could be why your dog prefers to pee on it.
Another reason your rug could be your dog’s favorite spot is if it looks or feels like grass, and they have been trained to urinate on grasses in outdoor spaces.
Beds
If your dog spends much time with you in your bedroom, then your bed might be one of the spots he loves to do his urine business.
Dogs try to assert dominance by marking spots or items they see as theirs with their urine. The tiny puddle of urine on your bed might be your dog telling others that “this spot right here is mine.”
Shoes
While this might sound weird if you have not experienced this, many dog owners have told tales of how their dogs have decorated their footwear and shoelaces with dog pee.
This situation is, however, explainable.
Shoes are known to produce foul odor if they are not well aired; your dog then sniffs these shoes and decides that they are smelly enough to accommodate even more odor.
Furniture
Your home furniture is also a common area that your dog might decide to eliminate for several reasons.
Your dog peeing on a piece of furniture is more likely to occur if you just purchased a new set and your dog is not used to it.
Out of curiosity, he would sniff around the item for a bit, and this could eventually lead to some urine marking.
Other areas
Dogs also pee in other areas: the bottom of the stairs, on electrical equipment like a fridge, or on walls.
How to stop a dog from urinating in a certain spot inside? (5 tips)
It is a common saying that dogs are creatures of habit; this makes it possible to re-train them, but this requires patience and attention.
Hence, if your dog has been urinating in the same spot in your home, here are some ways to curb the act.
Tip 1: Unmark your dog’s territory
Dogs sometimes mark their territory with pee; this could be why your dog keeps returning to the same spot to relieve himself.
They would continue to pee in that spot until the scent clears off, and there is a way to make that happen.
Rinsing off your dog’s pee with water is not enough to wash away its stench, especially when it is several days old.
You need something strong enough to eliminate this smell; an example is vinegar.
You can also use essential oils or other safe substances that dogs do not like. These will help keep your dog away from that spot while you re-train it.
Tip 2: Feed your dog in that area
Naturally, dogs like to be clean and do not urinate or poo in places they consider “food places”.
So, if your dog keeps peeing in a specific spot, you can make that place its “food place” by consistently giving him treats or placing his food in that area.
Tip 3: Create a barrier
When peeing in the house is an issue, you might have to re-train your dog to only pee in a particular area, but this training might not work if the old site is still accessible.
This is why creating a barrier is a great way to curb this act.
You can always ensure the doors are closed if the spot is in places like bedrooms.
However, if it is in open spaces like the living room, or kitchen, set up a barrier around the area. You can use simple materials like crates or pet fences to keep them away.
Tip 4: Spend more time in the area
Your dog may be peeing in a particular spot because they do not stay in that space often.
Dogs usually like to do their toilet business far away from where they spend their time; this is a way they try to stay clean.
Hence, unused rooms or spaces in the house can become a target for your dog’s boisterous behavior.
Are you wondering how you can fix this? Try spending more time in this unused space.
Make sure you are in the room often and spend at least 30 minutes daily with your dog beside you.
Doing this will make them see the area as a place where they hang out and would not like to soil it with their pee.
Tip 5: Identify triggers
An essential factor to consider when your dog keeps doing their business in the same area is the triggers and signs they give to show that it’s about to happen again.
Does your dog circle around a spot, sniff excessively or raise his hind leg before relieving itself? Knowing these triggers can help you stop the act.
You can try every method and effectively stop your dog from peeing in the usual spot, but he could easily find another place inside the house to do his business.
Hence, knowing what triggers him and how he acts before doing his business will help you re-train him to hold till you are outside.
What you should not do?
Many dog owners have taken different actions to ensure that their dogs stop urinating in the house.
While the motives are just, some of these actions are not the right approach toward training dogs as they may eventually lead to worse situations.
Ensure that you avoid these things when trying to re-train your dog
Do not ignore the problem
Do not ignore your dog’s incessant peeing in the house; ignoring would not fix the problem and could make things worse.
Some dog owners believe that their dog frequently pees in specific spots in the house because he is calling for attention or acting too spoiled.
Hence, they ignore the dog, thinking that would stop the habit.
Rather than ignore it, you should immediately seek solutions to this condition.
Avoid yelling at or punishing your dog
Yelling at or punishing your dog because he peed inside the house would only lead to emotional issues for your dog and eventually make re-training them more difficult.
Understandably, it can be frustrating to regularly find certain spots in the house soaked with your dog’s urine.
However, yelling or punishing the dog does not solve the problem, as your dog might not even realize why he is being punished.
Don’t push your dog’s nose in the urine puddle
Pushing your dog’s nose into his urine to show him what he has done wrong is not the proper way to treat your dog, even when he is wrong.
He might not understand what he did wrong, which could make him afraid of peeing in your presence.
Why does a dog urinate inside the house?
Changes at home
When you make a few changes in your home, like bringing in some new furniture, having a visitor move into your house, or even moving into a new apartment, your dog notices and then marks the area with his urine to show that he owns that space or the latest furniture.
Overexcitement
“Happy peeing” is a term that describes when a dog eliminates urine based on a feeling of excitement.
This can happen when you have just returned home after a long while away, and your dog missed you, or when your dog sights you with a treat.
You may notice that each time your dog does a “happy dance” around you, it either pees on the spot or moves to a specific area to relieve himself.
Redundance in training
It is not unusual to have your dog exhibit certain behaviors like peeing inside the home even after being appropriately trained only to go when he is outside or in a designated area.
This setback could result from several issues like having a new pet in the house or relocation of your dog from one family to the other.
Anxiety
Another reason your dog might be peeing in certain areas inside the house is because he is anxious or scared.
This fear may also manifest in other ways like restlessness, loss of appetite, or other bad behaviors.
Since dogs cannot talk, they communicate differently, and peeing inside the house might be your dog’s way of letting you know he is scared.
Final thoughts
Being a dog owner is like raising a child, which means setbacks occur. If you find your dog soiling certain spots in your home with its urine, it could be that your dog is anxious about a new item, visitor, or pet in the house.
Re-training your dog by mounting up barriers and ensuring that you are patient and calm through the process would teach them to eliminate correctly.
An aggressive reaction to your dog’s errors could eventually worsen the situation; hence ensure that you correct your dog carefully, as you would with your kids.