Asked on Oct 14, 2014

What homemade remedies can I use to stop a dog from urinating on sofa

Cheryl Francis
by Cheryl Francis
My daughter moved back home with her male puppy and he has constantly been lifting his leg on my micro fabric sofa. We have tried washing it down with alcohol and spraying a commercial boundary spray but he still does it.
  9 answers
  • Hannah V Hannah V on Oct 14, 2014
    I remember seeing @The Garden Frog with C Renee giving some great advice on this in the past- maybe she can help?
  • Cheryl Francis Cheryl Francis on Oct 14, 2014
    Thank you! I will check it out.
    • Paige Paige on Jun 29, 2020

      Training your dog is the only long-term solution, OP.


      I love my dog so much but it constantly did the things that irked me most. It would chew on things that it shouldn’t or jump up and down out of the blue. Whenever I put on the leash, it would pull on it. Whenever it was out of the house, it would continue digging on the ground - I wish I could tell what it was looking for down there. All the things it did left me feeling depressed as if I failed it monumentally.


      But since I discovered Brain Training for Dogs and applied the system offered, it now behaves the way a beautiful dog I always expect of.

  • Male dogs are very hard to break of this habit. The first thing that you need to do is get an enzyme formula spray to eliminate the urine. Alcohol will not get rid of the smell and vinegar can help (enzyme sprays work better) but a thorough cleaning will be need and I would have a professional do it. You will have to retrain the pup and I suggest crate training him and using some sort of positive reinforcement when he goes potty outside. Crate training is the best method and keeping him out the room would be a wise idea. it is now a habit that must be broken. You have to make sure he is not going anywhere else in the house too. How old is he? neutering is a great idea too.
  • Carole Carole on Oct 14, 2014
    When the puppy is old enough have it desexed. This is the responsible thing to do from the perspective of the dog not creating any unwanted pregnancies and more puppies in the world that need a good home, but also from the point of view of it marking its territory in the house by peeing. Use a product such as Urine Off to get rid of that stain and smell. If the puppy is left unsupervised during the day, keep him somewhere where he has no access to the sofa and cannot re-offend. If you catch him doing it he needs a firm hand in telling him this is not acceptable. A sharp word (always use the same word so that he gets to know it and this word should not be his name or he will see his name as a negative thing) and put him outside for a few moments so he gets the message that peeing is for outside the house only. There is never any need to physically smack a puppy or dog - your attitude and body language and a firm word is enough. Dogs usually want to please their pack leader and they will get that you are not impressed with this behaviour by your response to it but only when you catch them in the act of doing it. The dog won't understand the telling off minutes or hours after the act of peeing on the couch and won't connect your unhappy response with it's actions. You need to catch them either as they are about to do it or in the middle of doing it.
  • Kathy Kathy on Oct 15, 2014
    Clean the area as much as possible. Sprinkle a good amount of baking soda on the spot and spray with vinegar. If it is an area that the baking soda cannot lay on then wet the area with vinegar and then put the baking soda on so it sticks and wet well with additional baking soda. This will foam up and help remove the urine. To avoid the pet from going back to that spot or finding another then place moth crystals in the area, smash some into the fabric or hang some in a mess bag where it makes it mark. Dogs will not eat moth crystals, but hate the smell. Sprinkle some on the carpet and vacuum then vacuum the furniture and each time you vacuum carpet or furniture the scent will be there but not as strong. Placing moth crystals in your grass will also deter fleas. Hope this helps..
    • Kathy Kathy on Nov 20, 2014
      @Kathy meant wet baking soda and vinegar with water. preferably warm water
  • Regina Messer Regina Messer on Oct 15, 2014
    I had the same problem. I added my in-laws male toy poodle to my pack when they passed away. They didn't have him neutered before he started displaying marking behavior, and the marking became ingrained behavior. Neutering later on after the behavior is established doesn't help the marking at all. He was hiking his leg on the front of my sofa, the tables, the drapes, the walls, you name it! I finally found belly bands on ebay. There are several people who sell them and they are reasonably priced. Much cheaper than a new sofa! It is a band of cloth in which you place a Poise pad. It wraps around and velcros on. It has saved my house! I highly recommend these.
  • Cheryl Francis Cheryl Francis on Oct 15, 2014
    Thank you! I will definitely look into the belly bands. I am at my wits end and was going to use my granddaughter's pull ups as a last resort.
  • Cheryl Francis Cheryl Francis on Oct 15, 2014
    Thank you all! I will try the suggestions.
  • Grady Grady on Nov 19, 2014
    What kind of dog is it? And usually cats piss on the furniture and dogs usually chew on it. So it surprises me that the dog is peeing on the furniture.