How can I stop my dog from peeing when I'm gone in our new home?

I believe the accidents are associated with the stress from the move. I would suggest trying some of the following techniques; I am very sorry that you are experiencing these issues with your dogs. I will suggest a few tactics to help you both have some peace. The key is to helping them feel safe and secure at home, increasing exercise to help with anxiety and also increasing mental stimulation. Increased exercise especially a long afternoon or evening walk Chew toys Puzzle toys Interactive games like fetch and hide and go seek Leaving the TV, a fan or a White Noise generating machine on DAP- dog appeasing pheromone releasing diffusers Thunder coats Here are some further resources to help you, but also feel free to ask me any for their questions here on the forum. https://www.petcoach.co/article/top-5-tips-to-potty-train-your-dog-young-and-old/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/10-ways-to-stimulate-your-dog-s-brain/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/7-ways-to-make-sure-your-dog-feels-safe-in-your-home/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/10-signs-your-dog-is-stressed/

It may be related to your absence. You can reinforce crate training. Walk him before you go out. Get him acclimated to your absence as well. Do this by preparing to leave several times daily. Leave sometimes and other times prepare to leave but then stay. Go out for ever increasing periods of time. Do not make a big deal when leaving or arriving. Use a special toys or treat as a distraction when you go. A pheromone product, such as the Adaptil collar or DAP plug in diffuser, may decrease any anxiety.

Hello, sorry to hear about Buddy. It sounds like he is indeed marking his territory when you're not home. I think the crate is a great idea, but if you need some time to get him used to this, a small room such as a bathroom or bedroom would also limit the areas where he marks in the house. Additionally, taking him out to go to the bathroom before you leave will also decrease the amount of urine he has to mark with. A dog urinating on objects, usually vertical, is a normal, instinctive social behavior. Dogs mark their territory by urinating on certain objects within their territory. The dog returns to these spots on occasion to renew this olfactory mark. Usually the amount of urine produced is a smaller amount than when the dog relieves himself. Marking often occurs in areas where other dogs have urine marked or left there odor. Although more commonly seen in intact males, neutered males and females also mark. What is inappropriate marking? Inappropriate marking is when an otherwise healthy, housetrained dog marks objects in an area that is not acceptable to the owner, such as inside a home. Why is my dog inappropriately marking? Causes of inappropriate urine marking can be hormonal or social. Social factors include situations that cause anxiety or territorial stimuli, such as other animals entering their “territory,” or the introduction of something new, such as grocery bags, people, or furniture. Dogs with other anxieties, such as separation anxiety or noise phobia, can also mark. What can I do to prevent inappropriate marking? • If your dog is intact, neuter your dog. One study found that 40% of male dogs castrated for marking drastically decreased their marking, regardless of age of castration. • Neuter all animals in household. Hormonal changes in other animals, like female dogs in heat, may trigger marking. • It is important to rule out underlying medical problems that may cause inappropriate urine marking. The stress of medical problems can be a contributing factor to marking. • Clean up residual odors of the urine with enzymatic cleaners. • Block or eliminate provoking stimuli, such as cover windows where your dog can see other dogs walking by, block access to room where dog may hear other dogs walking by. • Have a conversation with your veterinarian about separation anxiety or other anxieties to determine if this is the cause of inappropriate urine marking. Treat these underlying causes. • Do not place new objects on floor until your dog has gotten used to having them in the house. • During training, when your dog cannot be supervised, he should be confined to a smaller area so that he does not practice inappropriate urine marking when the owner is not home. He may subsequently learn that it is acceptable to mark when the owner is away. • Establish conspicuous objects outside the house where marking is acceptable, and reward for acceptable marking. • Change the emotional state of your dog around target areas to pleasurable areas of play or eating • In dogs with extreme anxiety, anti-anxiety medications may be beneficial. • Establish leadership from the owner and routine in the dog’s life by implementing non-confrontational leadership exercises.

Hello, and thank you for your question! I'm sorry to hear about your troubles with Carter. This may be a behavioural response to stress, but it could also be due to a medical issue, such as a urinary tract infection or urinary crystals or stones. I would start by tackling the medical issues first. This would require a visit to your family vet within the next few days. They will recommend checking a urine sample for evidence of bacteria or crystals. If the urine comes back clear, then we can focus on behaviour and changes we can make in the house to reduce stress. Adaptil, for example, is a dog pheromone that can be used with good success in cases of mild anxiety or adjustments to new environments. I would also use an enzymatic cleaner to neutralize the odour from the previous urine accidents, as he is more likely to pee there again if he can still smell it. Make sure he has comfort items in his new home, such as his favourite toys and bed to cuddle up in. Placing his bed in a quiet area of the house where he can still interact with you would be ideal. I hope this helps, and that Carter gets better soon!

The most common cause of housetraining accidents like this that only occur when you're not home is separation anxiety - so I suspect that your dog may be quite stressed and anxious when you're gone. If you're unsure, you can set up a video camera to record him the next time you go out - it's usually quite easy to tell based on the video if this is an anxiety-related problem or not. I would suggest leaving a special long-lasting treat of some kind for him every time you leave the house, such as a Kong toy stuffed with peanut butter. This will help to keep him busy and encourage him to settle, and over time will help to decrease his anxiety by giving him something to look forward to when you leave. You can also try a DAP pheromone collar along with a natural calming supplement like Zylkene or Composure. If these things don't help, I would recommend taking your dog to the vet for a check-up to make sure that there is not an underlying medical issue contributing to the problem. You can also discuss the possibility of prescription anti-anxiety medication for him if needed.

It sounds like Booker is experiencing some separation anxiety when you leave the house. I recommend crating him when you are gone. The crate will provide him a small space where he can feel safe in it when you are gone. You will have to slowly train him to get used to a crate. Start putting him in it when you are home and sitting nearby so he doesn't think you are abandoning him, and slowly increase the time he is in it. He can have toys in the crate, and puzzle toys with treats in it that he has to figure out how to get the treats out. You can put a tablespoon of peanut butter in a Kong toy and freeze it in the freezer overnight, then give it to him in the crate. That will keep him occupied for a while. Finally, you can get a pheromone diffuser called DAP that helps dogs with anxiety and pair that will a DAP pheromone collar that releases pheromones when in contact with his skin. If these methods do not help him, then I recommend having him seen by a vet to discuss the use of anti-anxiety medications. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

I am sorry to hear about your dog! The first step is to have your vet examine him to be sure there isn't a medical reason for this new issue. There are a multitude of issues that can cause urinary accidents, including urinary tract infection, bladder stones, kidney disease, diabetes, and more. If the vet rules out a medical cause you can discuss if this is an anxiety issue or a loss of potty training. Anxiety is sometimes treated with oral medications. In mild cases a pheremone product like the Adaptil collar or diffuser (available online and at some pet stores or vet offices), thundershirts (also online and at stores), and oral supplements like Composure and Zylkene. You can read more about re-potty training at https://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/is_my_male_shih_tzu_being_a_s_when_he_potties_in_the_house/