Why does my puppy keep peeing on the sofa and bed?
Sudden indoor accidents on furniture and crates completely derail morning routines by forcing immediate laundry and cleanup before breakfast or coffee. Owners are forced to banish puppies from the couch entirely, ruining crucial bonding time like evening cuddles.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Snuggling with the puppy on the floor using piles of pillows and blankets
- 2Using waterproof couch covers and blankets that can be quickly removed and washed
- 3Treating accidents with a spot cleaner and enzyme cleaner
- 4Taking the puppy out more frequently on a strict schedule instead of waiting for signs
- 5Waking up an hour and a half early to try to catch the puppy before the alarm goes off
- 6Trying to get up before the alarm sounds
- 7using positive reinforcement and high-value treats when the puppy eliminates outside
- 8setting up a consistent routine based on naps and meals
- 9using a buzzer or bell for the puppy to signal when they need to go out
- 10using enzyme cleaners for indoor accidents
- 11Using baby gates
- 12Putting down puppy pads
- 13Letting the dog use a dog door to access the garage
- 14pad training
- 15putting the puppy in a confined area
- 16Mopping the house several times a day and using an enzymatic spray
- 17Physically going outside with the puppy every 30-60 minutes
- 18Setting up a camera to identify which dog is causing the accidents
- 19taking him out every 2 hours
- 20closing the doors to all the rooms
- 21tethering him to me
- 22crating him
- 23buying a whole grass turf setup for the balcony
- 24cleaning up all accidents with enzymatic cleaner
- 25Using puppy pads
- 26Giving free range of an apartment or room
- 27taking the puppy outside frequently after waking up, playing, and eating
- 28using a clicker and treats to reward going outside
- 29leaving a puppy pad available during the night
- 30Taking the dog out on a scheduled routine every 2 hours
- 31Covering all furniture
- 32Using enzyme cleaners
- 33Watching water intake
- 34Placing pee pee pads everywhere
- 35Using hormone plugins
- 36Separating dogs when going outside to avoid distractions
- 37Keeping the dog in a crate when not home
- 38Taking the puppy outside every 30 minutes
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Today I came home and she'd pooped inside.”source ↗
“During the first few days of adjusting one of them peed on the bathroom floor by the toilet.”source ↗
“The first week I brought my dog home 14 years ago, she didn't yet know how to signal "I gotta potty" to us - so she went and pooped in front of the toilet.”source ↗
“After the first two or three weeks of us having him, that's when the accidents started to happen.”source ↗
“I've tried everything. All my furniture is covered, the enzyme cleaners, watching his water intake...”source ↗
“Some of these accidents are happening within 20 to 30 minutes of coming from outside from a full urination.”source ↗
“I feel so lost and I'm writing this as I had just taken him out and he peed in front of me in my bathroom before I put him in his crate.”source ↗
“my puppy immediately pees in her crate when my alarm goes off in the morning.”source ↗
“It's maddening to start every morning like this and having to do laundry or scrub clean before I can even have coffee.”source ↗
“Alarm went off, I roll out of bed, she immediately pees.”source ↗
“Golden retriever is almost 5 months old. Still occasionally having accidents which to me, is almost expected?”source ↗
“It’s just frustrating when she goes outside and goes potty and 15 mins later pees inside.”source ↗
“How can I get my puppies to stop going in the house?”source ↗
“Most days, they don’t have accidents, but there are some days that they just don’t go outside.”source ↗
“The difficult part is that when she follows me around the house, sometimes she will literally just stop, put her little butt down, and pee or poop. 😂 There isn’t always an obvious warning or much time to react.”source ↗
“I’m finding it difficult to know exactly when she needs to go outside.”source ↗
“Losing my mind, potty training.”source ↗
“However, he either dosent understand to not go inside, or he just dosent communicate.”source ↗
“Please help don't know what to do, we've had him a month and still not potty trained.”source ↗
“I guess the problem is she still isn’t always letting us know that she needs to go.”source ↗
“However the constant cleaning after her poops when I come home from work is insane lol.”source ↗
“I am currently pad training her because she Refuses to walk outside for longer than 5 minutes (if that) but more so afraid of the elevator and we live on the 17th floor so I refuse to walk her down..”source ↗
“it’s like she gets the pads when I put her in her confined area but as soon as I give her a inch of freedom the entire apartment is her bathroom even with pads in the area..”source ↗
“Our gorgeous lab puppy peed on me on the sofa.”source ↗
“I’m not annoyed but a little upset. I’ve had dogs before but never had this happen!”source ↗
“I guess we don’t allow him on the sofa for a while which is devastating cause evening cuddles are so important”source ↗
“Since coming home, my puppy hasn’t gone more than a week without having an accident inside.”source ↗
“The problem is his accidents are so incredibly unpredictable. He’ll pee outside, come back upstairs and pee on the ground 20 minutes later.”source ↗
“He literally pees whenever and wherever he feels like it, and I’m at my wits end.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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- 2What to do when your cat brings a dead animal inside