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Urinating on the Couch in Dogs
Written By Darlene Stott
Published: 06/27/2017Updated: 07/14/2021
Veterinary reviewed by Dr. Linda Simon, MVB MRCVS
What is Urinating on the Couch?
It can be frustrating when your dog is urinating on your couch and you may wonder why they are exhibiting this behavior. Your dog can easily ruin your furniture by urinating on it. If your dog is not fully house-trained, they may urinate on your couch simply because they do not know better. If your dog is fully house-trained and just started urinating on your couch, you should assess your dog’s environment and determine what changes may have triggered it or if your dog is suffering from a medical condition.
Potential causes of your dog urinating on your couch include:
- Disease
- Territorial marking
- Incontinence
- Submissive behavior or anxiety
- Other dogs
Why Urinating on the Couch Occurs in Dogs
Disease
Your dog may be suffering from a medical condition such as bladder stones or urinary tract infection, diabetes or kidney disease. If your dog is fully house-trained and they are urinating on your couch, monitor their behavior. Watch for excessive thirst which can indicate that a health problem is present.
Territorial Marking
A dominant dog may urinate on your couch as a way of asserting themselves. When they urinate on your couch, they are marking their territory and will continue to do so as long as they feel that their territory is threatened. Many people believe that spaying or neutering your dog will stop the behavior of territorial marking, however, this is not always the case. Ensure they are receiving plenty of training and remove the scent with an enzymatic cleaner. Consider hiring a behaviourist to assess your dog and make a treatment plan.
Incontinence
Especially as your dog ages, they may begin suffering from incontinence. This is when they do not have the ability to control their urine and will urinate involuntarily. Incontinence will usually occur when your dog is relaxed, usually during sleep. Your veterinarian will be able to diagnose incontinence in your dog. There are various causes and treatment varies depending on what the underlying issue is.
Submissive Behavior or Anxiety
Some dogs that suffer from submissive behavior will urinate on your couch when you enter the room or stand over them. Submissive dogs can be trained to not urinate indoors, but dogs that have been through traumatic experiences may not be able to be retrained to not urinate submissively. These dogs should not be allowed on the furniture. Dogs that suffer from separation anxiety may urinate on the couch because they are stressed by your leaving the home. Again, behaviourist intervention is sensible.
Other Dogs
Sometimes when you introduce a new dog into your home, an established dog will regress in their house-training. Jealousy can also be a motivating factor for urinating on your couch. Dogs that are used to being the only dog may become increasingly jealous of a new dog and will act out by urinating on your couch.
What to do if your Dog is Urinating on the Couch
Your dog may be suffering from a bladder infection, urinary tract infection or even diabetes. If you suspect your dog is ill, make an appointment with your veterinarian. Your veterinarian will perform diagnostic tests to determine the exact cause of your dog’s problem. Once the diagnosis has been determined, your veterinarian will discuss possible treatment plans with you. Medications are generally prescribed and possible dietary changes may be recommended. Dogs suffering from incontinence may have a bacterial infection causing them to leak urine. Antibiotics will be prescribed if your dog has a bacterial infection.
Dogs that are having behavioral issues such as territorial marking, submissive behavior, anxiety or other dogs in the home may need the help of a professional dog trainer or even a dog behaviorist. Urinating on the couch is very frustrating, especially when your dog is acting out or trying to get your attention. Retraining your dog will most likely be required to stop the behavior.
Prevention of Urinating on the Couch
Simply not allowing your dog on your couch will stop them from urinating on your couch. Proper training will also keep your dog from urinating on the furniture. When you bring a new dog or puppy into your home be sure to give your established dog as much attention as the new dog. This will help your established dog to understand that their position in the home is not being threatened.
Submissive dogs or dogs that are territorial should be worked with to minimize their behavior. Generally, these dogs will benefit from a structured learning environment with a professional trainer.
Cost of Urinating on the Couch
Medical conditions such as urinary tract infections can cost between $300 and $1000 depending on the severity of the infection. Dogs that have diabetes will need to have continual care but the initial diagnosis will cost about $800 to $1200.
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Urinating on the Couch Questions and Advice from Veterinary Professionals
Irish Wolfhound
Bodhi
18 Months
0 found this helpful
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My pet has the following symptoms:
Behaviour
My boy is 2 in August, he is a trained inside dog but all the sudden he has peed on lounge and rubbing himself all over the lounge and trying to dig which is never like him. He has been outside for a bit now but we let him in here and there but this is his second time doing it. Just wondering what’s wrong with him?
June 26, 2018
0 Recommendations
This may be purely behavioural and the rubbing and urination may be just Bodhi making his mark for the territory; I doubt there is any medical issue going on here since this occurs only inside the home. I’ve placed two links below to go over some training methods and there is a section at the bottom of the second link where you may ask a certified dog trainer a follow up message. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
https://wagwalking.com/training/behavior
https://wagwalking.com/training/not-jump-on-furniture
June 26, 2018
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American Staffordshire Terrier
Mia
6 Months
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0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Urinating In House
We have a 6 months old AmStaff female who has been desexed a week ago. She is potty trained but still she piss and poop inside over midnight or early morning especially when my husband leaves for work. Few times she pissed on the couch and bed when my husband and i were next to her but were busy in conversations. She does it especially when we are not around and always have guilty expressions. She knows it really well that it is not right but she never speaks to take her out for wee or poo.
It would be great help if you can give some advise on this.
June 6, 2018
Answered by Dr. Michele K. DVM
0 Recommendations
It can help with housetraining if Mia has a set schedule, and goes outside frequently. You will also need to clean the areas that she has urinated on very well with an enzymatic cleaner to remove the smell. She may need to be kennel trained.
June 6, 2018
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Beagle
Othello
9 Years
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0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Urinating On Couch
We just moved to another country and our 9-year-old dog has been experiencing separation anxiety. At first when we would leave, we would leave her in her crate so she wouldn’t mess anything up. When we would come back she would have either peed or pooped in the crate and managed to get it on her as well (the crate is much larger than her, plenty of space to move around). We thought that letting her on her own (not in the crate) would fix the problem. The first few times we left her with free reign of the house she was fine. Today we got new couches and when we came back she had peed on the couch and pooped on the rug. Can we assume this is still separation anxiety or is it some kind of territorial marking? She is very well house trained- we’ve had her since she was a puppy. Only once before have we had something like this happen- years ago she peed on our bed while we were gone. We have no idea why and it was an isolated incident.
May 22, 2018
Answered by Dr. Michele K. DVM
0 Recommendations
I'm sorry that Othello is having that problem, and it may be due to the recent changes in her life. Things that might help are to make sure that you walk her before you leave so that she doesn't have to urinate or defecate, keep her in the kennel as that may make her more secure, and feed her at regular times to keep her timing of defecation times regular. I hope that everything goes well for her.
May 22, 2018
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English Bulldog
Otis
Five Years
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My pet has the following symptoms:
Depression
Peeing
I have a 5 yr old English Bully that is house trained yet every 2-3 months he will urinate on the couch or even on our stairs. We do give him free reign of the house, he has his spot on the couch where he sleeps and has peed on that spot maybe 5 times in the last 2 years and has peed on the stairs 2-3 times. We always let him out in the morning before we leave and he knows to go out when we get home. We don't want to keep him from going on the couch but he has essentially ruined a cushion and we just can't figure out why he is doing this. We give him lots of love and attention, even more so since we had our first child a year ago because we don't want him to feel left out and now our 1 yr old has been walking a few months and is obsessed with our dog, so he is getting lots of love and always has - yet the more that time goes on, the more depressed he seems.
May 11, 2018
0 Recommendations
There is a long time period between episodes which makes it difficult to say whether it is a behavioural issue or a medical issue, but since the urination occurs in the same location I am more on the side of behavioural; apart from enforcement of house training and punishment for urination I cannot recommend anything else at this point, I would recommend visiting your Veterinarian to check him over just to rule out possible medical causes but as I mentioned the time frame doesn’t really fit. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
May 12, 2018
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