Are you worried about your pup’s bad habits? Are you worried about accidents happening on furniture or carpets in the house? Don’t worry; these tips and tricks will help you keep dogs from peeing on furniture.
If you’re a pet parent or are considering getting a pup, chances are you’ve heard stories of dogs peeing on furniture and have asked yourself: “How do I stop this from happening in my own home?” Whether your current pup is displaying this behavior or it worries you due to upcoming puppy ownership, today’s blog post dives into providing tips and tricks for keeping your furry family member away from those costlier items.
With the right tools at your disposal, teaching Fido where he should “go” can be quite easy. Read on and find out how to keep dogs from peeing on furniture!
What Will You Need?
The first step in keeping dogs from peeing on furniture is to understand why they do it in the first place. Your pup may be targeting furniture and carpets for several reasons, so let’s take a look at them.
- Inadequate Potty Training: Properly training your pup is key to curbing accidents inside the home, especially on furniture.
- Stressful Situations: Dogs can pee when they are fearful or anxious in their environment; this behavior should be addressed with your patience and understanding to help them feel more secure.
- Territorial Marking: Male dogs tend to mark their territory by urinating on objects around the house, including furniture. This is, unfortunately, a common problem with neutered and unneutered males.
- Illness: If your pup is urinating more than usual or if the pee has an unusual color or odor, it could be a sign of a medical condition. Take them to the vet for an examination as soon as possible.
Once you have identified why your dog may be peeing on furniture, it’s time to take the necessary steps to correct the behavior.
8 Easy Steps on How to Keep Dogs From Peeing on Furniture
Step 1. Establish a Routine:
Dogs are creatures of habit and establishing a consistent routine can help regulate their bodily functions. Set specific times for meals, play, and potty breaks. The more predictable your routine, the less likely they are to have accidents on the furniture. Make sure to take them out for a pee break first thing in the morning, before bed, and after meals or playtime.
Step 2. Use Positive Reinforcement:
Whenever your dog urinates in the appropriate place (outside or on a pee pad), reward them with praise, treats, or play. This positive reinforcement will help them understand that they’ve done something right. Over time, they will want to earn that reward and will be less likely to urinate on the furniture.
Step 3. Clean Soiled Areas Thoroughly:
Dogs have a keen sense of smell and can sniff out where they’ve previously marked. If your dog has peed on the furniture, clean it thoroughly using an enzymatic cleaner, which breaks down the pet waste odor, reducing the likelihood of repeat offenses.
Avoid using ammonia-based cleaners, as they can mimic the smell of urine and inadvertently encourage your pup to pee on the same spot again.
Step 4. Use Puppy Pads or Indoor Dog Potty:
If you live in an apartment or cannot take your dog outside frequently, consider using puppy pads or an indoor dog potty. These products are designed to absorb and control the odor of dog pee, providing your dog with a designated spot to relieve themselves inside the house. Doing so reduces the likelihood of your dog peeing on your furniture.
Step 5. Restrict Access to Furniture:
Sometimes, the simplest solution can be the most effective. If your dog has a habit of peeing on certain pieces of furniture, consider restricting their access to these areas. This could involve closing doors to certain rooms, using baby gates, or training your dog to stay off the furniture. The less opportunity your dog has to pee on the furniture, the less likely it is to happen.
Step 6. Schedule Regular Vet Check-ups:
Regular vet check-ups are crucial to ensure your dog is healthy and not peeing on the furniture due to a medical issue. Diseases such as urinary tract infections, diabetes, or kidney disease can cause frequent urination. If your pet is experiencing any of these symptoms, it’s important to take them to the vet for proper diagnosis and treatment.
Step 7. Train with the ‘Off’ Command:
Training your dog with the ‘off’ command can be useful in preventing them from jumping onto furniture and potentially peeing on it. Start by teaching them the command in a low-distraction environment.
You can do this by placing a treat in your closed fist and saying ‘off’ when your dog attempts to get it. Once they back off, give them the treat and plenty of praise. Gradually move this training to the furniture, rewarding them for staying off when commanded.
Step 8. Neuter or Spay Your Dog:
Territorial marking is a common behavior in unneutered male dogs and unspayed female dogs to a lesser extent. If your dog is urinating on furniture as a form of marking, consider neutering or spaying them.
Not only can this procedure reduce the likelihood of marking behaviors, but it also comes with other health and behavioral benefits. Remember to consult your vet to understand the best time for this procedure based on your dog’s age, breed, and health status.
You can keep your pup from peeing on furniture by understanding the underlying reasons for your dog’s peeing behavior and taking the necessary steps to correct it.
5 Additional Tips and Tricks
- If your pup is used to peeing in a certain spot, it can be difficult to break old habits. To help them learn not to go there, try covering the area with something like aluminum foil or double sided tape – anything they don’t like the feel of! This will encourage them to mark that spot.
- Make sure you spend plenty of time playing with your pup and giving them ample exercise. A tired dog is less likely to need to mark territory, so take them for walks or play fetch in the backyard – make sure they get their energy out!
- Clean any accident spots with an enzymatic cleaner, as this will help remove the scent of urine that could attract your pup back to that spot.
- If your pup is still having accidents, try using a crate or puppy playpen to keep them contained when you’re unavailable to supervise. This gives them their own designated space and helps teach them not to pee elsewhere inside the house.
- Finally, reward your dog for good behavior with treats or verbal praise so that they learn there are positive consequences for not peeing on furniture! This will help them learn that behavior quickly and make keeping your pup from marking in the house easier.
These tips and tricks should help keep your pup from peeing on furniture – good luck!
5 Things You Should Avoid
- Punishing your pup for accidents can worsen the problem and lead to more incidents.
- Shouting or scolding – again, this will not help with the problem and only create a hostile atmosphere in your home.
- Clapping or stomping near them in an attempt to scare them away from peeing on furniture – instead, use positive reinforcement and reward good behaviors.
- Restricting their access to the outdoors – can cause them to become anxious, leading to more accidents inside the house.
- Ignoring your pup’s signals that they need to go outside – if you notice them sniffing around or scratching at the door, take them out quickly so they don’t have an accident in the house.
By avoiding or correcting these behaviors, you can ensure that your pup will understand that it’s not acceptable to pee on furniture and help prevent future accidents.
Why Does My Dog Keep Peeing on Furniture?
There are many reasons why dogs may decide to mark their territory by peeing on furniture. It could signify dominance, anxiety, or even a lack of training.
- If your pup is marking for dominance, it’s important to establish yourself as the leader and give them rules they must follow.
- If your pup is peeing out of anxiety, it’s important to make sure they get plenty of exercise and attention and that you create a calm environment.
- If your pup simply still needs to be trained, it’s important to start teaching them rules and boundaries right away so that they learn what is acceptable behavior.
By understanding why your pup may be peeing on furniture, you can better address the issue and ensure that accidents don’t happen in the future.
Conclusion
How to keep dogs from peeing on furniture is not a simple thing to do, but with patience and effort, it can be done. Housebreaking your pet and providing them with plenty of opportunities for potty times can go a long way in keeping your furniture clean and undamaged.
It’s also important to recognize stress triggers, eliminate anything that could be causing the dog distress, and show them lots of love! With consistency and dedication, you should see results before you know it! Regarding canine behavior, rewards are always much more effective than punishment.
So if your faithful four-legged companion ever has an accident, remember to stay calm and remain positive – rewarding them when they do their business outside is guaranteed to get you much better results in the long run!
