RIGHT IN FRONT of my boyfriend! And that’s his couch, the place he spends his time! He peed on his den!
This dog’s housebreaking is rock solid. ROCK solid. (That one time he had an accident in his laundry room turned out to be nothing - the vet said he probably just drank too much water because he had some spicy food and then couldn’t hold it all.) Last night I took him out, he pooped, and he ran back up the stairs, which is his signal for “I’m done! Let’s go back in!” Now, granted, it was raining, and he doesn’t like the rain. But not ten minutes later he ran around the living room three times like a maniac, got up on the couch, gave Aaron a look, and peed all over the couch. It’s bizarre, it doesn’t make sense at all. I just don’t see how it could be medical, since he did it right in front of us - it’s not like he crept away and peed in a corner. He knows it’s wrong! He would never do that!
I dunno, I think maybe when some asshole let him out by breaking the lattice under my porch they must have also done something invisible to the dog - scared him or something. He’s been not that fond of the back yard ever since (and he’s not allowed out alone anymore, since then) and I just remembered this morning that the last time that happened it was raining outside, too. I took him on a long walk this morning in the pouring rain and he was fine with it, but seriously balked at going out in his own back yard. Maybe he’s developed some sort of PTSD complex about peeing in his own backyard in the rain? (The thing is, I think it’s supposed to rain for the foreseeable future.)
Bladder infection? Maybe he tried to pee outside, but didn’t empty his bladder completely. He might have passed enough urine to trigger his “I peed, now I go in” behavior, only to find himself caught up short as he hopped on the couch. Is he normally allowed on the couch? Was is a bladder-emptying pee, or just a small amount of urine?
My dog has grown increasingly scared of rain, because she has had more experience with louder, longer thunder storms through the years. She used to be just annoyed by rain now she’s just terrified. I have to make sure we get in potty time between rains, and if it rains for a while I need to drag her outside on a leash to potty.
He’s scared of thunder storms isn’t he? I seem to recall you saying. I think he’s just starting to figure out that rain = thunder and he’s scared.
As for how to make him not be scared and not pee on the couch because he’s scared…I don’t have any advice, sorry. Just wanted to let you know you’re not alone.
He practically lives on that couch. It was a LOT of pee.
He was fine with the rain when we went out for a walk this morning - it was pouring! I figured he might need to get used to it by doing something he really likes (going for a walk) in it, but he was absolutely fine on his walking leash (he has a special collar for walking, so he knows we’re Going for a Walk.) The back yard, he doesn’t like so much.
I guess it can’t hurt to take him to the vet tomorrow. I’m always a little concerned that he doesn’t drink very much, might as well kill two birds with one stone and make sure he’s okay with his pee parts.
ETA - and no problems peeing on the walk, he did his normal thing - one big pee at the beginning and additional pees on interesting features as Mama’s patience allows. He also did his usual two poops. That damned dog can crap in the yard before we go for a walk, and he can produce enough crap to make you think there’s a grown hermit living in your back yard, but he will somehow still poop twice on his walk. Once in the first half mile and once in the last.
I would like to thank you for this image, which had me struggling not to laugh out loud at my desk.
Also, get one of the enzyme-based pet stain removers (if you don’t have some already) for the couch. It will take care of any lingering pee smell, which otherwise might encourage your dog to pee on the couch again.
Didn’t I read that you were making homemade cat food? Or was that someone else? You might want to consider going to homemade dog food–it reduced the amount of crap our dogs produced by about 70% (and we have three, so it matters), and they also drink a lot less water than they did on dry food, thus peeing less. And shed much less. And smell better. Good luck with the couch thing–I hate it when the pets do random, out-of-character things like that.
Is your boyfriend newish? We had a cat once that looked straight at my then boyfriend just after he moved in and peed on the floor right in front of him. Also, our boxer dog was very friendly to everyone, yet would growl at every boyfriend I brought home (not at male friends though).
I don’t think I can afford to make homemade dog food - the dog is a lot bigger than all three cats put together, and he eats a lot. I’ve got him on a high quality food, though (was Wellness, then I switched to Blue Buffalo, but he poops more on the Blue Buffalo so we’re going back.)