How to Stop a Male Dog From Urinating on Furniture

Many people prefer female dogs because they believe a male dog will urinate on their furniture. This is actually a myth and, with the right tools, you can retrain your dog to stop the behavior altogether. Male dogs in the wild mark their territories by urinating on specific items; this lets other dogs know that the turf is taken. Domesticated male dogs still have the instincts to mark their territory, but the behavior can be curtailed and stopped.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Puppy gate
• Neutralizing cleaning solution
• Can of coffee beans

1. Lifting their legs to urinate on objects is a male behavior called marking. Hiking their legs is an instinctual type of behavior that begins after the dog is an adult and sexually mature. Male puppies do not hike their legs.

2. Getting your male dog neutered as soon as possible will often be enough to stop the behavior entirely. Sometimes the behavior is very much ingrained, and neutering alone will not eliminate the problem. In these cases you must help with the training. If there is a specific piece of furniture your dog has urinated on, purchase an odor neutralizer especially for dog urine smells from your veterinarian or pet store. Do not use anything with strong perfumes as it only covers the smell from you but not your dog.

3. Purchase one or more baby gates, and place them so the dog cannot get to the furniture when you are gone. When you are home, allow him to sniff the furniture; if he does not attempt to hike his leg, praise him. At first he will have no idea why he is a "good boy," but continuing this will click in his mind that sniffing the furniture gets him praise but hiking does not.

4. Marking new items in their surroundings is a favorite activity of male dogs. If you purchase a new piece of furniture, introduce your dog to it slowly, and make sure you are with him at all times so that he does not attempt to hike.

Tips & Warnings

• Dogs like pleasing their owners. If you see your dog attempt to hike his leg, shake a can of coffee beans to stop him; take him to the area he should urinate, and praise him if he urinates.
• Never spank your dog or rub his nose in the urine. Dogs do not understand this and can become fearful of urinating in your presence, which can lead to them waiting until you're not around. Positive reinforcement is always the best way to train your dog.

References

• Male Dog and Funiture Marking
• Understanding the Male Dog