Peeing on sofa

[msyorktown]

I have this problem as well...I have three, so I'm not sure who the culprit is...although I suspect its Raelle, the oldest of the three at 2yrs old. Knock on wood she hasn't done it in a little while, but it was every night!
I usually go to bed early, Daddy stays up far later than I do.
Jeanie, what you say makes sense, she is very attached to me, it could very well be that she does not like me leaving her downstairs to go up to bed.....stressed at me leaving her, so to speak.
I have been on vacation for two weeks now, and I bed them down before I go to bed as I have been going to bed a lot later than is the norm.
Hmmmm going to have to change the routine, put them to bed before I go to bed myself, that may alleviate the problem.

[yorkietalkjilly]

Originally Posted by jessica30

He is left on his own for around four hours and has been since we got him. He is very clingy with me, he is taken out in the morning and when I'm home from work to the local park. I'm constantly playing with him (taught him some tricks too) and he is happy all the time. I don't know why he has peed on the sofa, when nothing has changed........x

If he's clingy, he's insecure for whatever reason. He could have been born that way, something in his day-to-day life is making him that way. But it could be that insecurity that caused him to pee where your scent if strong. If you do play with him a lot, he might be dependent on you and not have a strong sense of his own confidence. Reading all that you can online and in behavioral books will give you some insight into how to help make a clingy dog more independent and self-assured. A good, rigorous, daily training program or agility program where his achievements are emphasized can keep him busy with a job and gaining confidence and a series of challenges for him to keep his mind busy figuring out how to overcome the problem can help with lack of self-confident, build him up in that area. Some separation anxiety training could also be in order just in case he's started really stressing when you do leave him, even for only 4 hours.

Your dog could have become a submissive eliminator that day, peeing out of fear, stress or excitement or extreme respect. While you were away, something could have happened to trigger one or more of those emotions and he relieved himself for one of those reasons. If he never repeats it, don't worry about it. If he repeat it, then you need to delve further into it.

Prevent him from accessing the sofa or bed so he can't have easy access over the next few weeks to prevent a recurrence and then what could become a bad habit. Once a dog does something twice, it can easily become a habit if he liked it or it made him feel good.

Steam cleaning the couch is good but if you didn't use a special urine odor eliminator with enzymes that break down and destroy all biologic material in the urine, he will still smell it and will likely try to repeat on or near the sofa.

[yorkietalkjilly]

Originally Posted by msyorktown

I have this problem as well...I have three, so I'm not sure who the culprit is...although I suspect its Raelle, the oldest of the three at 2yrs old. Knock on wood she hasn't done it in a little while, but it was every night!
I usually go to bed early, Daddy stays up far later than I do.
Jeanie, what you say makes sense, she is very attached to me, it could very well be that she does not like me leaving her downstairs to go up to bed.....stressed at me leaving her, so to speak.
I have been on vacation for two weeks now, and I bed them down before I go to bed as I have been going to bed a lot later than is the norm.
Hmmmm going to have to change the routine, put them to bed before I go to bed myself, that may alleviate the problem.

Very likely she is wondering why you all are so close and she's always near and then you leave her to go to bed, leaving her behind. Pack animals tend to like the whole pack sleeping together in very close proximity and she could feel a bit abandoned at bedtime. Can you rub an old teeshirt of yours all over your body and scalp, under your armpits and other highly scented areas and bed her down on it and see if that comforts her more. Also, see my above post and see if there might be some suggestions there that will boost her self-confidence, independence and sense of security when you are not near. Good luck!

[sandy simpson]

I think it is just good ole male Yorkie behavior. They mark their spot. My Yorkies have alot of toys, soft places to lay down and are spoiled rotten in this house. I have to put them in our large kitchen on the tile when I go out because I cannot trust them. We have a big cemented yard they can romp in. Males will mark. Now in our motorhome if I take them out alot they will not have an accident. But at home-perhaps. The vet checked them both out recently when I went in to get the heartworm check for revolution. So far no pee on the couch.

[yorkietalkjilly]

Gonna disagree with that, Sandy, I can happily say just so some don't think we have to accept it. Not all male dogs mark. I've only had one at a time though. My Scotty didn't mark and my Tibbe doesn't mark ever in the house. Scotty was papertrained but Tibbe is completely housebroken. He's never marked in the house n his life, just the very occasional accident when I was still training him and giving him longer times in the house without watching his every move up until age 2 1/2. He marks over the dog next door's scent along the fence outside but once he hit 2 1/2, he stopped urinating at anytime in the house. And Scotty only went on his paper once he was housebroken. They were years and years apart but neither marked/mark. And boy, you can tell if they do pee in your house! I can scent out urine easily - especially on damp days. Yucky smell. No stains and no smells and no wet spots here, thank goodness. My sister's Yorkie didn't mark in her house either. But we take forever before we stop housebreaking. I worked on Scotty almost a year and Tibbe a year before he was allowed the run of the house without me watching him. He's been a little champion about it. I know when he gets old and incontinent, that could change but for now, I'm enjoying it.

[msyorktown]

Originally Posted by sandy simpson

I think it is just good ole male Yorkie behavior. They mark their spot. My Yorkies have alot of toys, soft places to lay down and are spoiled rotten in this house. I have to put them in our large kitchen on the tile when I go out because I cannot trust them. We have a big cemented yard they can romp in. Males will mark. Now in our motorhome if I take them out alot they will not have an accident. But at home-perhaps. The vet checked them both out recently when I went in to get the heartworm check for revolution. So far no pee on the couch.

I also have to disagree here with you Sandy. Raelle is a female, 2yrs old, she is the one peeing on the couch. Orion will be two next month....male, no marking. He did start to mark when he was younger, once I had him neutered and continued to housetrain him, that behavior stopped.