I have 2 dogs from the same house who have peed in our house every day they have been here. I have made access to the outside so they can go. One dog is around 5. She has peed every night on our wood floor. Her cohort, 15, has peed where ever he wants. I caught him peeing on the dining table leg. What is with this?
Dogs pee for many reasons. Normally the least of which is that they have to go. I try to let my Rover tenants out every 30 minutes - 1 hour when they first arrive and offer lots of praise when they go. Normally, however, thats not the case and it's a dominance or anxiety issue. The dog is marking with their smell to better establish their place in the home, which is not desirable. If that happens I usually try to have a playpen (like a pack and play for kids) that they can play in with other dogs. We have a 15 foot long metal gate that can be molded to any shape. That way they are always where I can see them and can't run off and pee in another corner. It also helps when I have many many dogs and I want to separate the shy ones from the more playful ones.
I find that I have better luck keeping them on tile as it's easy to get the potty smell out of. We have carpet in our bedroom and will occasionally let our Rover guests sleep in their with us - but there is one spot a dog peed on months ago that will occasionally get "tagged" or "marked" again. I hope that helps answer your question!
Thank you Brittani. I didnt think of it as "Marking"... I will keep that in mind for next time. Should I tell the owner that they have had potty issues every day while they were with me?
Yes, you should mention it to the owner and ask if they do that at home or just when visiting other places. I have been sitting for about five years for one dog that marks all the time. The owner only admitted that he does this elsewhere after about four years. Now she supplies the belly bands.
I just want to reiterate that you SHOULD tell the owner. This may upset some people, as they will be flabbergasted that their baby could do such a thing, but if they are willing to work with you (provide belly band) the dog may be worth your time again. If not, you prob dont want the dog back anyway
The dogs are marking, which has nothing to do with having to urinate. It stems from territoriality and/or anxiety over a new setting. About all you can do is limit their movement to areas you can easily clean, as Brittnai described, or have the dogs wear diapers (female) and belly bands (male). This doesn't stop the dog from marking but it saves your home and its possessions.
If you have the dogs back, ask the owner to supply you with these things. There are even disposable ones which will save you having to wash out belly bands.
Dogs can be trained to stop marking in their own home, but a new house or even new furniture/items are going to confuse the dog and make him/her want to mark it.
Gosh, those dogs are the worst! Every once in a while I get a dog who just pees EVERYWHERE because he feels like it, and it is so hard to prevent it (because they're not your dog, so by the time you get any "training" done, it's time for them to go home). It doesn't matter how many times they are out to use the restroom: they pee in the house because they want everything to smell like them, and to claim it as their space ("this couch is mine, this is a nice table--better pee on that; that's mine too"). I even had a dog pee on a chair leg WHILE my husband was sitting in it lol There are a few different things you can do to save your house. The first option is to do crate training. Crate them when you are too busy to chase them around the house, and let them out for feeding, and potty breaks. Option two is to tie a long training leash around your waist, so you can catch them in the act and correct them every single time. It's hard to stop a determined marker without a lot of training, and by the time you get them to stop, they won't even be in your house anymore, so it's up to you to decide how much work you want to put in to them.
I'm impressed that Karen R. got a client to supply belly bands! I have dogs pee right in front of their owners, and they are embarrassed but don't really try to correct it. Some don't even apologize. "Oh, I think he peed. Okay, gotta go!" That being said, its up to you whether you want to mention it to them. It's hard to do it without openly complaining, and after several days of cleaning pee, it has a good chance of coming out that way.
In the mean time, I recommend a good enzymatic cleaner to get that smell out for good. My favorite brands so far are the "OUT!" brand spray in the Walmart pet section, and Nature's Remedy. Both are good. Do not buy Clorox Urine, as it makes the whole house smell like ammonia, which is totally awful and makes the pee smell even stronger. (yikes!)
There are also "Keep Off" sprays or essential oils you can use to deter dogs from marking in certain spots, but this probably won't help much if the dog is marking everywhere.
Those have never worked for me at all! It's useful to prevent chewing sometimes, because the taste is awful.
Let us know what you end up doing!