# Puppy peeing on sofa



## Damo16 (Dec 17, 2016)

Hi all,

I'm hoping someone can help me out with a problem we have. 

Our 6 month old Jug puppy has recently starting peeing on our sofa/couch. There are puppy pads down for him to pee on but he goes on the sofa instead. 

I've started to let him out the backyard everytime I see him sniffing around before he pees. But he will go out the backyard and come back in and pee. 

We also had to throw his bed in the bin as he was standing in it and peeing.

He sleeps on the sofa now as he never slept in his bed since we got him.

Any help or information at all would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks 

D


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## labradrk (Dec 10, 2012)

Has he always urinated in the house as in was he ever fully toilet trained or is this a recent behaviour? 

Is there a reason you are still leaving puppy pads down for him and whereabouts in the house are these located?


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## Damo16 (Dec 17, 2016)

We got him when he was 8 weeks old and have kept the pads down trying to train him as he always goes in the house.

When I take him a walk he will go to the toilet. 

The pads are at the front door and back door. He also recently has started taking food out of his bowl and bringing it up onto the sofa/couch to eat it.


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## JoanneF (Feb 1, 2016)

Is this a new behaviour? Has he been housetrained up to now? If so maybe a vet check in case he has an infection. If not, back to basics with toilet training.

Set him up to succeed by *taking* him out and waiting while he toilets. Do that even more than he needs; for example every 45 minutes to an hour and always after sleeping, eating, playing. When he toilets outdoors make a huge fuss (never mind the neighbours, act like outdoor toileting is the best thing you have ever seen) and reward him with a high value treat. Do that immediately, don't make him come to you for the treat so he is clear that it's for toileting and not for coming to you. The idea is that he wants to earn the treat enough to hold the toilet until he is outside - provided there is no infection and he is physically able to control his toileting obviously. If he has an accident inside don't react at all. If you get annoyed he may learn to fear your reaction and avoid you if he needs to toilet - the opposite of what you want. As he is actually performing the toilet you can introduce words he can associate with it (like 'do weewee' and 'busy busy') that later when he is reliably trained you can use these to tell him when you want him to toilet.

Indoors if you see him circling or scratching the floor, that can sometimes precede toileting so get him out fast.

I don't like puppy pads - they give mixed messages about whether it's ok to toilet indoors and confuse the puppy.


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## labradrk (Dec 10, 2012)

So he's never been toilet trained.

Problem is you are encouraging him to toilet in the house by leaving pads down. So remove them, permanently. The proof is in the pudding that they do not work.

Block off the sofa and go way back to basics in taking him out as frequently as possible. Praise when he goes outside, clean up accidents properly if he goes indoors (if he has favourite spots he likes to use, again, block them off). He's 6 months which means he has bladder control and should if you are consistent hopefully he will begin to pick it up.


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## JoanneF (Feb 1, 2016)

And clean where he has toileted with an enzymatic Cleaner to remove any scent that might attract him back to the place.


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## Maggyd (Mar 4, 2017)

Im thinking he might be marking his territory? have a word with the Vet who will probably advise you to spay him, he will try a injection first to see if that works . Bringing his food up onto the sofa is something my 6 year old bitch does, she also brings it up on to your knee :Joyful I just think they like to be comfortable maybe copying us. I would restrict where he is allowed until he is fully house trained, get a baby gate and keep him out of your living area, Im afraid dogs will mark territory unless spayed, mine dont do it in the house but if we go to some-one else,s house I cant let him off his lead or he will try to mark and he IS spayed.


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## JoanneF (Feb 1, 2016)

Maggyd said:


> have a word with the Vet who will probably advise you to spay him,


Dogs shouldn't be neutered until they have reached skeletal maturity. At this age that would be borderline. Early neutering can also lead to behaviour problems. From what the OP has said, the dog just needs basic training. And just to be a pedant, only female dogs get spayed.


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## Siskin (Nov 13, 2012)

Neutering male dogs doesn't stop them from marking, training stops marking. Neutered male dogs will also mark unless trained to stop it happening.

As said get rid of the puppy pads and take him outside to toilet at regular intervals. If he toilets indoors do not say anything, don't get cross, just clear up using a suitable enzyme cleaner for dog wee to eradicate any remaining smell.
The problem with using pads is that your dog thinks it's ok to toilet indoors, he hasn't been taught not to. Puppy pads and soft and fluffy, so he thinks anything with a similar texture is fine to wee on, hence using his bed and the sofa.

As above, keep him away from the sofa until you have trained him to toilet outside.


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## fernlady (Feb 27, 2013)

I know someone who has just had 4 weeks off work. Her 6 month old puppy is still weeing & pooing in the house so I said to her 'you could use your time off to toilet train the pup. You don't have to worry about getting up for work so you can get up in the night & take him out as well'. I really tried to explain that by putting in a bit of effort for a few weeks it will pay off. She's back now & guess what! I might as well not wasted my breath!


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## JoanneF (Feb 1, 2016)

fernlady said:


> I know someone who has just had 4 weeks off work. Her 6 month old puppy is still weeing & pooing in the house so I said to her 'you could use your time off to toilet train the pup. You don't have to worry about getting up for work so you can get up in the night & take him out as well'. I really tried to explain that by putting in a bit of effort for a few weeks it will pay off. She's back now & guess what! I might as well not wasted my breath!


Some people are their own worst enemy


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## Maggyd (Mar 4, 2017)

Ive trained 2 dogs and 1 bitch on a pad placed on a wooden tray !! once they know that is where to go, the tray gets moved outside they MOSTLY went there !! then when you remove that they are big enough to go outside , but like any baby it can take a while just make sure you have lots of cleaning products on hand.

Maybe I got my bitch done too early then that could account for a lot of her behavior ?? my dog was 18 months !! and whats in a name?? neutering/ spaying / nuts lopped off ?? we all know whats meant.


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## Blitz (Feb 12, 2009)

Maggyd said:


> Im thinking he might be marking his territory? have a word with the Vet who will probably advise you to spay him, he will try a injection first to see if that works . Bringing his food up onto the sofa is something my 6 year old bitch does, she also brings it up on to your knee :Joyful I just think they like to be comfortable maybe copying us. I would restrict where he is allowed until he is fully house trained, get a baby gate and keep him out of your living area, Im afraid dogs will mark territory unless spayed, mine dont do it in the house but if we go to some-one else,s house I cant let him off his lead or he will try to mark and he IS spayed.


male dogs are not spayed, that is the term for the neutering of a female dog.

OP it sounds like you have done nothing about house training your dog. Why are you putting puppy pads down unless you want your dog to go in the house. How is the dog supposed to know the difference between puppy pads and your sofa. You have left it rather late to start house training but it can still be done.


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## Blitz (Feb 12, 2009)

Maggyd said:


> Ive trained 2 dogs and 1 bitch on a pad placed on a wooden tray !! once they know that is where to go, the tray gets moved outside they MOSTLY went there !! then when you remove that they are big enough to go outside , but like any baby it can take a while just make sure you have lots of cleaning products on hand.
> 
> Maybe I got my bitch done too early then that could account for a lot of her behavior ?? my dog was 18 months !! and whats in a name?? neutering/ spaying / nuts lopped off ?? we all know whats meant.


Yes, we do know what it means. Spaying is the removal of the uterus and ovaries of a female dog. Castrating is removing the testicles of a male dog. Neutering is a general term for either. If you say your dog is spayed it will be assumed it is female as male dogs are NOT spayed.

Your method of house training is very counter productive. As soon as you get your puppy home it is big enough to go outside in the garden so why on earth would you let it toilet indoors.


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