You love your dog. He's wonderful, and he's never been a problem, and then all of a sudden he's starting to lift his leg and pee on furniture. You're shocked! You clean it up, but he won't stop doing it! You have to look at a variety of factors to figure out when he's doing it (in front of you or behind your back), why he's doing it (new dog or baby in the house, dominant temperament or territorial habit) and what your options are for keeping him from continuing to make your house smell like the inside of a public kennel.
Instructions
1. Try to catch him in the act. If you see your dog starting to lift his leg, say "NO!" and stop him in the act. Put him outside promptly. You have to catch him several times for him to understand that this behavior is something you want him to cease doing. Putting him outside encourages him to think of outdoors as a place for peeing/marking. Shaking a can of pennies or spraying him with a water gun is helpful too, but not everyone carries these things around with them all the time.
2. Clean the areas with Nature's Miracle, or a 50/50 solution of vinegar and water. Avoid ammonia-based cleaners, since they smell just like urine to a dog and will make the problem worse. You can dab some perfume or a drop of vanilla extract on the area to de-scent the marked area. You can also rub dog biscuits on the area, if you don't mind your table legs smelling like dog biscuits.
3. Put a bowl of water down by the place the dog is marking. Most dogs will not mark where food or water is. This is difficult if your dog marks in too many places. If your dog is marking in many spots, he's probably trying to show dominance, especially if there is another male dog in the house. You can get him under control by reestablishing your dominance as the pack leader, even if this means carrying around a can of pennies and not being afraid to use them.
4. Confine your dog when you go out. The kitchen is a good place, as is a bedroom. Most dogs keep these areas nice and neat. Do not let the dog roam free in the house when you are home until you have his marking under control. Keep him in your eyesight.
5. Try using a Belly Band on your dog when you can't supervise him. You can buy them at pet stores or online, or you can make one with a strip of material and some velcro, or with a snug old T-shirt and a hair clip. Measure the dog around the stomach, and adjust your Belly Band to fit snugly over the dog, clipping or velcroing on top of the back. Put a sanitary napkin or a folded washcloth in the Belly Band under the penis to absorb all the pee. This way, when the dog lifts his leg, nothing will get on your furniture. If you keep using a Belly Band, the dog will eventually stop marking, since his marking isn't making any cool smells in the house anymore. You have to remove the belly band when he goes outside, or when you can supervise him indoors (see Resources below).
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