Hi, I have a 21 month JR, he is left for appx 5 hours in the day and does not urinate anywhere and is able to hold it overnight. He has 3 walks a day and he has toys etc to keep him occupied. But if we go out for a couple of hours during the evening, he has urinated on the sofa! Ahy ideas why and how to combat this please?
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Urinating
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Sorry, I need to start with some questions.
Is this a new behaviour?
Does he have access to the same sofa in daytime?
How do you clean it?
At night, can he hear noise from neighbours that he might not hear in daytime? Or, vice versa - is there sound in daytime that stops in the evening?
Is this a new behaviour?
Does he have access to the same sofa in daytime?
How do you clean it?
At night, can he hear noise from neighbours that he might not hear in daytime? Or, vice versa - is there sound in daytime that stops in the evening?
Not new, but over the past 6-8 months.He's done it a handful of times, but only when we go out in the evening, never has done it during day when we are out or overnight.
Yes he has access to sofa all the time. I clean it with disinfectant and have trued a 'urine stop' spary. No unusual noises.
Yes he has access to sofa all the time. I clean it with disinfectant and have trued a 'urine stop' spary. No unusual noises.
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There's a few thoughts in my mind, but just guesses really.
Maybe he can cope with the five hours in daytime, but the additional alone time in the evening is stressful - what happens if you go out in an evening, but have been home all day?
Maybe wildlife, or an electrical appliance or something similar, creates a noise that he can tolerate when you are there, but worries him when you are not.
Maybe something happened once when you were out in the evening (fireworks, car backfiring, a siren) and he hasn't forgotten and worries about it happening again.
You could try setting up a camera to see if you can identify the trigger. Or use white noise to mask sounds.
Maybe he can cope with the five hours in daytime, but the additional alone time in the evening is stressful - what happens if you go out in an evening, but have been home all day?
Maybe wildlife, or an electrical appliance or something similar, creates a noise that he can tolerate when you are there, but worries him when you are not.
Maybe something happened once when you were out in the evening (fireworks, car backfiring, a siren) and he hasn't forgotten and worries about it happening again.
You could try setting up a camera to see if you can identify the trigger. Or use white noise to mask sounds.
Thank you for your help. It seems to be when we've been home all day then go out for a meal etc later that evening. I don't unerstand why he can't cope for an extra couple of hours. He even has a cat for company! I do have a camera and we leave tv on, can't find any triggers.
Do you walk him just before you get ready to go out so that he has emptied himself properly?
Also I'd suggest for the moment you cover the sofa with a tarpaulin before you leave, which is unpleasant for him to wee on. The sofa is not only soft and warm but smells of both your bottoms, so this is a signal that your dog is feeling insecure and wants his smell to be there with yours for comfort.
Also I'd suggest for the moment you cover the sofa with a tarpaulin before you leave, which is unpleasant for him to wee on. The sofa is not only soft and warm but smells of both your bottoms, so this is a signal that your dog is feeling insecure and wants his smell to be there with yours for comfort.
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That's why I wondered if five hours is his limit, and a night out after being out all day is just too much.
You could try going out after being with him in the day and see if it still happens. If it does, I'd go back to the theory that something is disturbing him, something he cannot with when you are there but not when he is alone.
You could try going out after being with him in the day and see if it still happens. If it does, I'd go back to the theory that something is disturbing him, something he cannot with when you are there but not when he is alone.
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Dogs can be very contextual. He may have weed on the sofa just once out of anxiety (maybe heard a fox or a firework) and then decided 'this is where I wee in the evening when Mum and Dad go out'. I do also know a couple who could leave their dogs happily in the day when they went to work, but not in the evening, for no obvious reason - sometimes our dogs simply do have little quirks we can't quite fathom (like humans!).
You said you have a camera on him and can't see any triggers - does he tend to settle down on the sofa, have a wee and settle straight down again, or does he get on the sofa to wee, or what? Does he seem totally chilled and relaxed at the time, or are there signs of alertness prior to him weeing?
You said you have a camera on him and can't see any triggers - does he tend to settle down on the sofa, have a wee and settle straight down again, or does he get on the sofa to wee, or what? Does he seem totally chilled and relaxed at the time, or are there signs of alertness prior to him weeing?
He wee'd on the sofa christmas day evening when we left him to go to my daughters, I just happened to check the camera, he jumped on the sofa wee'd and got back off and into his bed! He did it again this weekend when we went to the cinema, didn't see this time, but we were only gone 2.5 hours. We've been out in the evenings in-between those times and he hasn't done it! I'm beginning to think he's doing it to get back at us for not taking him out with us 
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This absolutely won't be the case. Dogs don't think like that, and he will have no idea that you object to dog pee on your sofa!I'm beginning to think he's doing it to get back at us for not taking him out with us
The amount of time he's left for is probably irrelevant - it may simply be the fact that you are going out at all. But again, this may be one of those quirks. Actually, you could try an Adaptil diffuser or spray - this is a pheromone that can calm dogs in some situations. But if you don't get the impression that he's anxious, the easiest solution would probably be to cover the sofa with something that makes it unappealing for him to pee on. Sometimes upturned side tables can do the job.
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I thought you were probably tongue in cheek, but didn't want anyone reading and thinking dog revenge was a thing!
I have had similar with my 2yr 5mth old Frenchie. A couple of weeks ago I was working in the kitchen almost all morning and he was on sofa snoozing in the lounge. He had got down from the sofa and gone to the other sofa and dug up the blanket and cushions and had peed in the middle and curled up next to them. He didn’t move when I came into the room and it was when I was putting the blanket etc back that I noticed. When I asked him if he had done it he just stayed laying down and looked up at me. He then done similar the other night on the bottom of my bed while I was laying there. It wasn’t a full pee it was like he had squeezed a little out just to let me know. Why has he done this does anyone know?
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It could be for a couple of reasons but my first thought is that at five months, it's a bit early to expect him to be 100% reliable with house training.
Then, did you ever use puppy pads? If you did, dogs will sometimes look for a similar surface to toilet on, and your cushions and duvet tick that box.
I'd suggest you keep taking him outside more often than he needs, and reward him immediately for toileting outside. We have a thread on toilet training here so please have a read but let us know if you think anything doesn't apply and you need further suggestions -
House training
I'm posting this as part of a series of helpful articles for common problems. If you have more information to add (or disagree with anything in this post) please do so in this thread, but if you have a specific question relating to your dog, please start a new thread. How do I toilet train...
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Thank you, that'll teach me to use my tablet rather than my phone ... Sorry @Rosemary .
Is this a new habit? I'd recommend a vet visit to make sure there's not a medical cause rather than a behavioural one.
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Thank you Joanne, yes this is new behaviour. He had access to me in the kitchen and to the garden and on the bed he was right in front of me.
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That's actually quite good, because sudden changes like that are more likely to be medical, so more easily fixed - you might want to pop a sample into your vet for testing. Apparently it's best to collect it first thing in the morning if you can.
A ladle, or a plant pot saucer can be helpful ...
A ladle, or a plant pot saucer can be helpful ...
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