Why Does My Dog Keep Peeing On The Couch? (10 Causes)

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To us dog lovers, dogs are family members. They’re companions, babies, and siblings to our children.

So, naturally, you would let your furry baby snuggle up on the couch with you.

But things can get ugly if your pooch suddenly starts peeing on the furniture whenever it gets the chance.

If you’re asking yourself, “why does my dog keep peeing on the couch?” you’ve come to the right place.

In this article, we’ll answer this question, explain why your dog does this, and most importantly, how to stop this from occurring. So, let’s dive in.

Why Does My Dog Keep Peeing On The Couch?

Your dog peeing on the couch can be an unfortunate accident, but it gets incredibly frustrating when this problem keeps happening.

Peeing on your furniture can ruin it or at least make it unusable for a long period, especially since the smell lingers and can be pretty challenging to get rid of.

Understanding why your dog is displaying this annoying behavior will help you find the right solution.

Why Does My Dog Pee on the Couch When I Leave?

There is a difference between housetrained dogs and dogs that haven’t been housetrained.

If your dog is house trained and doesn’t usually pee on furniture and then starts doing this all of a sudden, you need to examine the dog’s environment for any triggers.

There are several reasons why your dog is peeing on the couch.

1 – Not Housetrained

If you haven’t spent enough time housebreaking your dog, there’s a big chance it will pee wherever it wants. This includes your couch.

The dog pees on the couch because it doesn’t know that it’s wrong. It just thinks that it can pee anywhere.

2 – Territorial Marking

This is the most common reason why a housetrained dog will start peeing on furniture.

If the dog feels threatened or triggered, it will start peeing on the couch and other pieces of furniture to mark its territory. Unless you find out why your dog doesn’t feel safe, it will continue to do so.

Your dog can also pee on the couch if there’s a new person moving in. In this case, it will try to establish dominance and mark its territory and property by peeing on furniture pieces.

3 – Not Spayed

Dogs that haven’t been neutered or spayed are likely to pee on the couch more often.

This happens because the dog’s hormones won’t be in control, resulting in several annoying behavioral patterns. Male dogs are more likely to engage in this behavior, although some female dogs also pee on couches.

4 – Disease

Your dog might be sick and suffering from a medical condition. For example, diabetes, a urinary tract infection, bladder infection, bladder stones, or kidney disease can cause your dog to pee uncontrollably, although it’s housetrained.

These conditions prevent the dog from controlling the bladder and are usually accompanied by other symptoms like lethargy, excessive thirst, and fatigue.

5 – Anxiety

Dogs are sensitive creatures and can feel anxious for several reasons. For example, if your dog suffers from separation anxiety, it might pee on the couch when you leave.

Treating the root cause, which is anxiety, in this case, is the only solution to stop your dog from urinating on your furniture.

6 – Fear

Unfortunately, some dogs go through a lot of traumatic experiences because they get to deal with insensitive and cruel people. Fear and trauma can cause your dog to pee on the couch when you approach it.

This poor pooch has been conditioned to think that everyone approaching them might hurt them. So, they lose bladder control because they’re scared.

Your dog might also be scared of animals outside the house.

7 – Submissive

A dog with a submissive character will pee on the couch or wherever it is when you enter the room or approach it. This behavior happens when the dog feels threatened and thinks that it’s in danger.

8 – Aging

Just like humans, dogs can suffer from incontinence as they grow older. When you have an old dog, it usually loses control over its muscles, including the bladder.

So, if it’s sleeping or relaxing on the couch, it will lose control of its bladder and urinate without even realizing it. The vet will be able to determine the cause of the problem and suggest an adequate treatment plan.

9 – Other Dogs

Jealousy from another dog can push your pouch to pee on the couch.

When you introduce a new dog to the house, the one you already have might feel threatened and jealous, so it will try to act out and attract your attention.

The conflict between the two dogs will prompt both of them to pee to establish dominance. Even if your dog is neutered, it might start peeing on the couch if the other dog isn’t until both are properly trained to tolerate each other.

10 – Unfamiliar Objects

A new object in the house might trigger your pooch to pee on the couch or somewhere else where it shouldn’t. This can happen if the new object looks threatening or carries the scent of another animal.

How to Prevent My Dog From Peeing on the Couch?

When your dog keeps peeing on the couch, you shouldn’t punish it or yell at it.

The punishment usually happens when you discover the accident and not when it happens. So, it won’t be effective because your pooch won’t understand why you’re upset.

In order for discipline to work, it has to happen immediately, right after the incident. After urinating on the couch, and even if you take your dog to the spot and make it smell its pee, it will not associate the punishment with the incident.

Any action from your side will make your dog confused, and it will start to feel afraid around you.

You need to understand that your dog doesn’t pee on the couch just to make you upset. Here’s what you can do to make it stop.

• If you’re getting a new dog and it’s peeing on the couch, give it time to adjust. It might still be stressed because of the new environment.
• View the dog’s surroundings and check out if there are any new objects or people. If it pees on a guest’s backpack, it might feel a little bit intimidated by an intruder’s presence, and this doesn’t mean that this person is evil or has hurt the dog.
• Try to limit access to any triggering objects like a guest’s shoes or backpack.
• Take your dog to the vet to rule out any medical issues. Then, follow the vet’s instructions and the treatment plan to help your pooch get better.
• If your dog is peeing on the couch because of a new person moving into the house, try to get them to be friends with each other as soon as possible.
• If your dog is a male and it’s peeing on the couch all the time, think about having it spayed or neutered. Female dogs are less likely to pee on furniture but spaying them can also help.
• Make sure that you’re using all the adequate techniques to housetrain your dog, even if you’re getting an adult dog. It takes time, but it’s totally worth it.
• Clean the mess, so the dog doesn’t get attracted to the same spot.
• If possible, limit access to the areas where your dog urinates. If it’s not possible, try to play with your dog in these areas, so their significance eventually changes.
• Make sure to give your dog time if you’re introducing a new pet to the house.
• When you spend long hours away from home, make sure that there’s someone who can check on your dog, feed it, and play with it, as this can reduce separation anxiety.

You should also make sure that it has enough toys and treats in its crate to keep it occupied.

• If you spend the day outside, spend time with your dog as soon as you get home. Make sure that you take it outside to play and exercise so it doesn’t feel bored or irritated.
• Ask the vet if there are any medications that can help your pooch with anxiety, as this will help you both overcome this behavioral issue.
• Limit access to doors and windows if your dog pees on the couch because it’s scared of other animals outside.
• Keep an eye on your dog, and watch out for signs of peeing. If you notice it’s about to pee, interrupt it, take it outside, and then praise it for not peeing inside the house.

How Can You Remove Pee Smell From Couch?

Accidents are bound to happen if you have kids or pets, but for some reason, the urine smell from your dogs and cats tends to linger.

No matter how hard you scrub it off, the smell always stays, and you might think about throwing away the soiled piece of furniture.

However, you shouldn’t do that. You need to understand why the urine odor is too stubborn and difficult to remove and then deal with it accordingly.

After cleaning the urine stain, the smell usually returns after a few days and even gets stronger with time. This happens because of the uric acid and bacteria in the urine.

These are very difficult to remove and require a special cleaning technique. Your regular soapy water might remove the stain, but not the odor.

Here’s what you should do to remove the pee smell from your couch.

• Blot the stain using paper towels to remove the liquid. You can place these towels where your dog should be going to help them understand that this is where pee should go.
• If possible, take the cushion off the couch for easier cleaning. If it’s not possible, you’ll clean it where it is.
• Before using any cleaning solution, test it on a hidden area of the fabric and see if it affects the color.
• Prepare a mixture of 3 parts of water and one part of white vinegar and spray it on the stain. The vinegar attacks the bacteria, removing the odor quickly.
• Use a soft bristle brush to scrub lightly. You might need to reapply the cleaning solution if the stain is already dry.
• Wait until the stain is completely dry, and then apply a generous amount of baking soda. Let it sit for several hours.
• Use a vacuum cleaner to vacuum the powder.
• If this solution doesn’t work, prepare a cleaning solution from dish soap, hydrogen peroxide, and baking soda. Apply the baking soda first to absorb most of the odor, and then mix a cup of hydrogen peroxide 3% with one tablespoon of dish soap.
• If the odor lingers, buy an enzyme cleaner to break down the urine particles. Make sure that it’s designed to work on upholstery or the fabric that covers your cushion, so it doesn’t damage it.
• Follow the instructions and make sure that you let it sit as recommended. You might need to reapply if the stain is too stubborn.
• After removing the cleaner, cover the area with aluminum foil until it completely dries. The foil’s crinkly sound will scare your pooch and discourage it from urinating on the couch one more time.
• Let the couch or the stained cushion stay in the sun for a few days. This will help dry the fabric and get rid of the bad smell.

However, ensure you don’t leave it in the sun for too long, as this might affect the fabric’s color.

• Once your couch is dry, use Listerine or any furniture deodorizer to freshen up your couch.
• If nothing works, hire a professional cleaning service to get rid of the nasty smell.

Final Thoughts

When you have a dog, you know that accidents happen sometimes.

It’s essential to understand why your dog is peeing on the couch, so you can find a potent solution to get rid of this annoying behavioral problem. In most cases, your dog might be too anxious or just trying to mark its territory.

You shouldn’t punish your dog for soiling the couch. Instead, make sure that it’s not suffering from any serious medical condition, and then train it not to pee on furniture.

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