dog pees everywhere

sheezza

New Member
My 2 & a half year old year old cairn terrier pees everywhere --- not in the house , but outside on the patio furniture , he is desexed , he only does it at night , not during the day ,I've tried spraying with various products designed to keep dogs off gardens etc , with no luck, because he does it at night it's hard to "catch him in the act " to reprimand him
Please any ideas anyone ??? :dogrolleyes::dogrolleyes:
 

CollieMan

Experienced Member
Just so we can better understand the issue...

You say that he only does it at night but it's on the patio furniture, etc. Do you mean late night, and that the dog sleeps outside?
 

snooks

Experienced Member
Remove access to the furniture and you have an instant fix. Personally I don't let my dogs sleep outside or even stay outside during the day when I'm not there. Most times that I hear of dogs soiling what smells a lot like their humans is anxiety based. They look for somewhere safe to go that smells comforting like their humans and go there.

How much exercise and time out of the yard is this dog getting and how much human interaction, training, and mental stimulation is he receiving each day. If his needs aren't being met maybe his anxiety, boredom, or frustration are manifesting in a way you don't like.

Without more detail it's hard to guess.
 

sheezza

New Member
He sleeps inside at night , but he has a dog door for access for toileting ,I'm starting to think he's scared of the dark ,if he goes outside while we are still up , he comes running back inside really ,really fast ,does anyone think this is a possibility ? I put a solar light in the yard to see if it made a difference but it's too pale , I was thinking of a motion detector flood light , but my husband thinks it's crazy , besides he's got to get out in the dark to make it turn on
 

snooks

Experienced Member
Many dogs are confused and have potty regressions with a doggie door esp if they aren't used to them or there is some anxiety involved. I suggest going outside with him and really rewarding and praising him when he does go. There may be something that is scaring him outside and you may never figure it out since his senses are so much better than yours. If you teach a potty on cue and reward on the spot with food I think you'll see an improvement.

Peeing on the furniture given what you said sure could be that he's looking for a safe place that smells like you. the furniture is a great place. It may also be what surface he's used to going on. kennel dogs use concrete preferentially and my dogs use grass or snow preferentially. They don't like dirt or concrete much. We now have a fenced patio with a potty box filled with soft bark mulch that they like a lot. I think unless you go outside and watch what's happening you can't find out the why. Until the why is solved the problem likely won't change.

If you are outside you can also correct getting on the furniture with a leave it and reward for that. Positive correction/redirection for staying off furniture and positive rewards for potty where he should. You'll get the behavior you attend to. Really rewarding potty will get results.

FWIW We don't leave the dog door to our second story deck open dusk to dawn b/c of the mountain lions. They would be prey if outside and the lions do enter houses. Maybe your dog is being harassed or scared by noctournal critters. Even small mice can be very aggressive if protecting young, roaming tom cats, possums, rats etc. It may be just smells or sounds.

Good luck. :dogsmile:
 

sheezza

New Member
I think I've solved the peeing problem , though technically it has nothing to do with training ,I read somewhere to try & spray the problem area with a mixture of white vinigar & lemon juice & guess what ??? it works !!! I'm hoping that eventually he will learn not to pee in those areas
without me spraying there , Yay :dogbiggrin::dogbiggrin::dogbiggrin::dogbiggrin:
 

snooks

Experienced Member
Well that's good at least. Just be careful this doesn't bleach your furniture. Lemon and sun does bleach well enough that we used to spray it in our hair in the summer. Not very good for your hair but then a 13 year old doesn't think about such. :dogwacko: :dogwub:

There are specific dog deterrent sprays for furniture but read the labels and make sure they are safe for kids and humans and fabrics. Citronella comes to mind but I have no idea how long it would last outside.
 
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