Dog is now peeing in home

[JessicaPoff]

Our German Shepherd/ Huskey mix is 5 years old. He is fixed. When we first got him we did not know if he was house broken or not. We assumed not b/c we had a time getting him to come into our house. Well we never had a problem with him going inside our home. Until here recently. Let me give some details.
Over the summer I brought home a golden retriever female dog (9 months at the time). She was not fixed. But she was inside with us. However our dog Ruger there was no peeing issues going on then. I found her a great home. Well when my Parents in law came down in Sept they brought there little 1 year old 2 pound chiuaua down with them. She is not fixed either. When they went home Ruger started peeing in the house. He would instantly come in from outside and go lifted his leg and pee. He has peed on my child's toys which had to be tossed out. He has peed on clothes and today which was the last straw he peed on my favorite shoes that can not be cleaned. I figured by now the smell of the chiuaua if that is the problem would be gone but I guess not. I don't know what else to do. We want him to be around us in the house. But at the sametime we do not have the money to go get him trained esp when it was not an issue b4. And we can not tell my husband's parents they can not bring their dog when they come to visit. HELP!!!!!!
FYI: He does not have any medical problems like a UTI or anything similar. If he did we would notice problems with him outside. He is fine. He is just marking his territory I believe and I want it to stop in the house.

[Karen]

Okay, this is definitely a behavioral issue. What kind of training have you done with him? And have you cleaned everything with a good enzymatic cleaner that will eliminate both any scent left by the chihuahua and and scent of his own? What is your daily routine with him? You need to become the one in charge, and take him outside and keep him outside, for a long walk if necessary, until he "empties the tank," and work on some obedience training. It need not be expensive, you can do it yourself, get a library book if necessary.

[jessewills]

Hi,

If you think this is purposely being done by dog, then you really need to train him well. You must start off by giving him proper toilet training.

[Freedom]

I would start with a vet check and be sure he does not have a UTI. I'm not sure why you think you can tell by what he does outside, whether or not he has a UTI; that is just not possible.

Once a male starts marking, from the online research I have done, it is a life long thing. You can start using belly bands, as this will save your carpets, furniture and sanity! You can make them or buy them. I get mine from this site: www.pawstoadmire.com She has lots of fabric to choose from. I recommend you have a minimum of 3: one on the dog, one in the wash, and one in the closet ready to go on the dog. There will be times, especially at the beginning, when the band gets wet, until YOU get used to the band and how often you need to check it.

My Willy is a marker, so he always had a band on in the house. He is the only male here.

A belly band is a piece of fabric which wraps around the dog and closes with velcro. You put in a Poise pad (do not use a sanitary napkin, those are made for a different type of fluid). One theory is that the dog feels a more dominant dog has a leg over his back, so he does not pee. Another theory is that the dog isn't free to pee the way he wants to. I don't know / care about the theory I just need a clean home! LOL You dog can develop diaper rash just as a baby, so you need to check the pad and change it regularly. And of course you remove the belly band when the dog goes outside.

[lizbud]

The un-spayed females being inside your house is probably the cause of the male's marking the spots inside.
The spots most people can't even smell, stand out like big red flags to other dogs. Is there a reason your in-laws
have a unspayed dog? The first dog was also un-spayed and she probanbly left her own spots as well. It's no
wonder your male dog is confused.

Probably need professional cleaning to remove the spots & the odors that remain in the house. Because people
can't smell them doesn't mean they aren't there. Good luck fixing the problem.

[carrie]

You have a male husky mix, this dog cannot help but act on instinct. He NEEDS to show any dog that arrives in his territory that he is already resident and pretty happy to stay where he is. An entire female is an asset as far as your dog is concerned and he is proving that it is worth sticking around and having puppies with him. The only way he has to do this is to prove that he defends his territory with no violence, his pee says enough about him to deter other males (or at least that is what he is demonstrating). The fact that he can't mate does not reduce this instinct in most husky crosses unless they have very very very strong leadership and work to do. A dog like this exposed to entire females can not be blamed for his actions. Get active, learn how to get respect from the dog so he is not in the position that he feels he should mark and until you have control do not allow entire females on your property. Basic rule is that your dog should not see your house as his, but should defend it for you.