Maltese peeing only on husbands clothes!

[Lady Bird]

I need help...my 3 years old maltese Harley will not stop peeing on my husbands clothes. He loves my husband so I am so confused! We have been together 7 years, married 15 months. We did not live together before we were married. I got Harley 3 years ago. When we first moved in together thats when it started(the peeing)...but only lasted about 3-4 months. We went on our 1 year anniversay for 10 days. When we returned it started all over again! Its been 3 months and he wont stop! My husband had his jacket hanging over a chair and he peed on the sleeve! If he takes off his tee-shirt before bed and throws it on the floor...it gets peed on! He takes a shower and takes his socks off ...peed on! He is even occassionally just peeing anywhere he feels like it! First of all why is he doing this? and how do we get him to stop! I need advise fast....my little Harley is on my husbands last nerve!

[beeniesmom]

Maybe your husband uses a particular soap or cologne that the pooch doesn't care for.

[ginagt]

Who feed the dog? Who does most of the care, playing etc?

[Lady Bird]

I do....I do all the caring, feeding, bathing, etc...but he does alot of the playing with him (so do I). My husband is also the first to give him a treat, lets him eat off his meals constantly (which drives me crazy!) potatoe chips, cookies, piece of his sandwich...so on! So I know they like eachother? I just dont understand the peeing on his things? I even left my stuff on the floor just to test him. He doesnt touch my things?

[Lady Bird]

I dont think cologne or soap....nothing has changed.

[gemini9961]

Maybe he's jealous of your husband. Maybe he feels left out. Who knows. Is he neutered? Maybe he feels like he's 2nd in line now and not 1st anymore.

[ginagt]

It sounds to me like a dominance issue. That is why I asked who feeds/cares for the dog. Dogs are pack animals you are the alpha dog (the one who is in charge) and in your dogs mind your husband is lower in the pecking order than he is. To remedy this problem, you have to turn over all care especially feeding to your husband. Make the dog sit before he gets every meal and all food comes from your husband. Your husband needs to become the pack leader and therefore will earn the respect of the dog. I know it sounds a bit odd, but it really is how dogs think.
Also is the dog allowed on the bed? If so I would put an end to that right now. The alpha dogs (you and your hubby) are the only ones allowed on the bed, the rest of the pack is to sleep on the floor next to the bed. The dog must earn everything, sit to go outside, sit to be pet, fed, etc. Once your husband takes back control hopefully the peeing on everything will stop.
Is he crate trained? If so and you catch him in the act of peeing, say NO and put him in his crate, if he is not crate trained or you are not using a crate, when you catch him in the act say NO and put him in a room alone (bathroom) for 5 minutes. The important part of this is you can only punish him if you catch him in the act. Dogs memories are short and they don't remember what happened 5 minutes ago. That is why it is important to say NO while he is doing it so you mark the bad behavior and put him away.
When you let him out don't say anything about it and go about your business. I wish you luck and lots of patience.

[Pit Chick]

It could be a dominance thing or it could be that he is so bonded to your husband that he is marking your husband's stuff as his territory, since it has your hubby's smell it's almost like marking your hubby. Or he could be telling your husband that "this is now my stuff, see it has my mark".

If he is not neutered, I would highly recommend having that done to help eliminate his territorial issues, totally eliminate his chances of prostate and testicular cancers, and help him live a longer happier life free of hormonal frustration.

Have him checked for a UTI. This will require you catching a fresh sample of urine as he is going, into a clean container and having it checked by your vet.

I would not put him in a crate when you catch him in the act of peeing on something that isn't his, you don't want him to associate a crate with punishment, the crate should always be a positive place. If you catch him, tell him no sternly, pick him up and take him outside where he SHOULD be peeing.

[ginagt]

I don't think putting him in his crate for unacceptable behavior will make his associate the crate with negtive experience. You could think of it as his way of telling you he needs some time alone. "Oh, you peed on Daddy's clothes again, I didn't know you wanted some alone time. "

[bckrazy]

Originally posted by ginagt
I don't think putting him in his crate for unacceptable behavior will make his associate the crate with negtive experience. You could think of it as his way of telling you he needs some time alone. "Oh, you peed on Daddy's clothes again, I didn't know you wanted some alone time. "

Pitchick is right. . when house-training, you should ALWAYS use positive reinforcement and show the dog what you want from them. When he starts to lift his leg or sniff around or starting peeing, pick him up right away and take him outside, then tell him to go potty. Start potty training all over as if it was the beginning, tether him to you when you're home and take him out over and over again during the day and reward + praise when he potties outside. Crate him with a treat, bone or stuffed Kong when you aren't home or cannot supervise him.

Having your husband feed him, care for him and be Alpha is also a good idea! Get your husband to teach him tricks, along with practicing NILIF (your dog has to SIT before getting anything, treats, outside, food, toys, etc). If that fails, tell your hubby that if he leaves things laying around, it will get peed on !! That might actually be a good thing for you

Oh, and neutering will definitely help this!! Unneutered male dogs have much much stronger urges to mark their property than neutered boys.

[Lady Bird]

Wow...this site is fabulous! I really appreciate everyone taking ther time to help me and Harley and my Husband out. Alot of great advice here...I will have my husband start sharing all the everyday stuff, feeding, bathing, so on....its worth a try. I am guilty of letting sleep with us every night...he has every since he came home at 6 weeks. I tried when I first married but that was a lost cause....I ended up sleeping on the couch with him so he would stop crying! Problem with the peeing thing is that I NEVER catch him in the act...he is smarter than that..he always does it when no one is around Think my best bet is neutering....I am so scared to do that to him even though I hear it is better in the long run....it just seems so cruel. Is 3 years old....too Old??

[Lady Bird]

My Harley

[ginagt]

Having Harley neutred is your best line of defense. Since he has been doing it for a while it has probably become a habit but hopefully you can break. He is not to old at 3, I had my boyfriends Golden Retreiver spayed at 8 years old and she did fine, and neturing is a lot easier than spaying.
Having you husband do all the care will hopefully help as well.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[wolfsoul]

What a cutie pie.

I agree, have him neutered! There is no difference between death rates in neutering a puppy or a senior dog --- infact, there has never been a single death or complication from the newer anasthetics. Ask your vet for an inhalent anasthetic. In the long run, your dog will be alot happier and healthier. Right now he is at risk of prostate and testicular cancer. You virtually eliminate those by neutering. He is also probably very sexually frustrated inside. Dogs can be quite vengeful, which could be another reason he is peeing in inappropriate places -- he might be angry because he isn't breeding. He also won't try to "roam" and he will be less aggressive. I'll bet that once you neuter him his marking problem will go away.

Good luck!

[wolf_Q]

Harley is very cute!

I would definitely recommend neutering him. No, 3 years is not too old. I've had 2 dogs that weren't neutered until they were older than 10 years and they had no problems. It's a very routine surgery and I would not call it cruel. When I brought home Nebo (my husky) home after being neutered as a pup he was bouncing off the walls, didn't act the least bit in pain.