Ever walked into a room and get hit by the unpleasant smell of urine!
It’s likely your dog has peed in the house, even worse if he has peed on the furniture. You must be thinking about how to keep dogs from peeing on furniture.
Keeping dogs from peeing on furniture is done by neutering/spaying, cleaning the area properly, using an enzymatic spray, not allowing them on furniture, training them, and giving them enough outdoor time.
We have encountered this obstacle as well and have discovered several solutions. Stopping this activity involves discovering the reason for it happening. Therefore, why do dogs pee on furniture becomes important to understand?
How to Stop Dogs From Peeing on Furniture?
You can stop Dogs From Peeing on Furniture without wrapping your furniture up in liquid-proof plastic! A number of ways exist, some of which are even simpler than you thought possible. So what are they?
Neutering or Spaying
According to sources, neutering or spaying your dog can help reduce instances of peeing in the house. Spaying applies to female dogs while neutering applies to male dogs. Most dog owners choose to do this for several reasons other than peeing issues:
- Spaying reduces chances of disease
- Reduces peeing on furniture and in the house (reduces occurrence by 50%-60%)
- Neutered/spayed dogs live longer
- Aggression is toned down with neutering/spaying
- NO UNWANTED PUPPIES!! (important for owners of female dogs)
It is no secret that dog owners don’t want extra puppies running around the house! You budgeted for one dog, not a whole litter.
More dogs may mean more work and more costs. Even if you want puppies, more than one litter can be excessive.
This is why owners of a pair of dogs usually get their dogs neutered and spayed after their first litter. Doing this will have several long-term benefits for both you and your dogs.
Clean the Spot Thoroughly!
If you have ever observed a dog’s Peeing habits, you would have noticed they return to the exact same spot. But, even after a quick clean, they return time and time again.
Remember dogs have an excellent sense of smell. So, even if you can’t smell it, he definitely can smell it! Avoid using Ammonia-based products since these tend to entice a dog to come back to the same spot.
To break this cycle you must eliminate the smell of urine from the spot. It will be tough to hoax the nose of a dog, but it must be done.
Various options are available to remove pee marks and smells from floors and furniture. Steam cleaning and chemical cleaning are the best options. It saves you from having to reupholster the furniture all over again.
But the risk with this method is that your dog might just turn around and find a new spot to pee!
Use Enzymatic Spray on Furniture
You have probably heard the words ‘enzymatic spray’ before.
Basically, this spray acts the same way as vinegar. Vinegar has a potent smell that smells foul to the nose of a dog. The enzymatic spray smells a slight bit better and usually does not pose a threat to furniture.
So how does it work? All you have to do is apply this spray to areas where your dog would normally pee. When he does come back and smells the area, the scent will be unappealing.
But, if you are planning to use a lot of this spray, it could get expensive. This is why many users choose to make their own version. It is fairly simple if you have the right ingredients.
One version includes vinegar and citronella oil while another one uses cayenne powder and water. Make your own enzymatic spray or buy it ready-made.
Excessive Training
Just like how you train your dog to pee outside or in a potty, you can train them to pee in a particular place. Or rather, you can train them to change their peeing area.
But, be warned this requires your full dedication if your dog is an adult. Someone needs to be present and watching him 24/7!
For people that often have relatives dog-sitting, the same level of strictness must be maintained. If someone is being lax, you will be unlikely to see results and nothing will change!
But if you are persistent and stern, training will be completed soon without much resistance. Everyone knows a trained dog is the best dog.
Crate Training
Many dog owners see the crate as a space used for punishment. This is false, the crate’s best use is for training.
Restrict your dog from playing indoors if he has not peed yet. Instead, place him in the crate. It is usually the wrong application of this training method that earns the crate a ‘bad reputation’.
This object is very useful during the first training period a puppy is exposed to. Sometimes crates are used as punishment. Many dog experts oppose this action.
There are better ways to let a dog know if he has done something wrong. But caging the dog is not one of them.
Give Your Dog Lots of Outdoor Time!
This is an obvious point. Trained dogs who have a fair share of outdoor time are less likely to pee indoors. Adequate outdoor time also applies during the training process. When your new puppy pees outside for the first time, reward them with treats and a loud “good dog”!
Besides the exercise factor, outdoor time gives dogs an opportunity to relieve themselves. This applies more to dogs who hate the litter box!
As time passes, make sure you do not cut down on outdoor time. A dog that cannot wait for outdoor time will pee inside. This could possibly happen on furniture meaning cleaning up to do!
Indoor peeing seldom occurs in homes where dogs spend the majority of their time outdoors.
Interrupt Him
Another method of stopping this behavior is to interrupt him! Yes, you heard right. Of course, not everyone can do this, but if you are home all the time it can help.
As soon as you notice his leg going up (or squatting in the case of female dogs) interrupt him with noises. Take him outside and allow him to urinate.
After this, offer him praise and even a treat would be better. If you do this enough times, the tendency to pee inside will fade away.
Of course, you will have to give your dog the freedom to go outside whenever he wants to. If not, he might start peeing indoors again.
Don’t Let Your Dog on Furniture
One sure way of eradicating cleaning efforts is to stop letting your dog on the furniture.
This is usually the best course of action if you have a newly adopted puppy. It seems a bit mean to leave him on the floor. Especially since he just wants to stay close to his owner.
But all this will change as training commences. Some people would still allow their new puppy onto their furniture. In this case, it is advisable to use dog pads for security.
If you have limited furniture situated in one room, you can limit your dog’s access to these rooms. Use barriers and dog-proof gates that are temporary.
Now that we have established methods of stopping this bad habit, let’s look at why it happens.
DIY Deterrent Spray for stopping dogs from peeing on Furniture
Excessive use of store-bought deterrent sprays can be expensive. So, here is a simple recipe for homemade dog pee deterrent spray. Fortunately, it uses just a few ingredients that everyone has in their homes.
Ingredients
- Distilled White Vinegar
- Water (tap water is fine)
- Citrus Scented Essential Oil
Method
- Take 1.5 cups of water and place it in a bowl
- Add 2 tablespoons of the vinegar, make sure it is the distilled white kind
- Next add 20 drops of citrus scented essential oil
- Place this mixture in a spray bottle and shake before use
Now you can make and use as much pee deterrent spray as you need.
Why Dogs Pee on Furniture?
Dogs don’t just pee on furniture to mark it, there are a number of reasons for doing it. Some are purposely done, others are accidental. Here are a variety of reasons why dogs pee on furniture.
Marking of Territory
Male dogs are very territorial animals, meaning they regularly pee on an area or object to show ownership over it. In these cases, dogs do this solely to assert their dominance over the household. When you see him lifting his leg, assume the worst!
Perhaps this behavior is brought about by a need to mark territory from another dog or cat in the house. There is a way to help this by limiting contact and sight between two animals in the same house.
Anxiety
Emotional discomfort can be another reason why dogs pee on furniture. Suppose the dog is being submissive, it may roll onto its back and pee.
Various emotions can cause your dog to pee on no notice! This includes fear or even just confusion or anxiety. Situations that cause these emotions are:
- New member to the family
- Introduction of new animals in or around the house
- Change of home
- Unfamiliar objects in the house
- New daily routine
- Sudden change in owners behavior
- Illness
Health Issue
Has your dog suddenly started to pee inside the house while on furniture? There could be underlying health issues causing this. Perhaps it is a UTI, or incontinence due to disease (diabetes or kidney issues).
Incontinence and peeing on furniture could be more common in senior dogs who cannot control their bladder. If you are able to, consult a vet about this to confirm this is the reason. This is a medical issue and has nothing to do with behavior.
Over excitement
Perhaps you had been on a long vacation and the incident happened when your dog came to greet you. Overexcitement can be a known cause for unexpected pee accidents on furniture.
Feeling overly excited and happy and well, this can cause him to receive his bladder!
This is also seen among old senior dogs and young puppies who have little bladder restraint. Senior dog incontinence may require adult dog pads and diapers to avoid messes!
Not Potty Trained
Recently adopted a pet dog? Get ready to have to do a lot of cleaning up. Although you will be potty training this puppy, accidents are prone to happen! This is completely out of your hands and is part of the process.
If you do want to avoid cleaning up so much, don’t let your dog onto furniture. It might seem a bit harsh but it is necessary. The sooner training is completed the sooner your dog can join you on the furniture.
How to stop a male dog from marking furniture in the house?
The best method of stopping a male dog from marking inside the house is to neuter him, train him, or clean away the scent permanently to stop drawing him to the same spot. But, these might not guarantee an immediate stop to the issue.
Conclusion
Having a house that reeks of urine is embarrassing, to say the least. Instead of finding a way to clean up, we can agree that stopping it is the bigger priority. There are many ways to keep dogs from peeing on furniture.
But it all depends on the reason for it happening. Once you uncover the reason for it happening, dog pee deterrent actions can be undertaken.
This is a problem that every dog owner has to tackle at one stage in their life. That said, it might be wise to invest in replaceable furniture!