Help! My Coton de Tulear Is peeing in the house

by Alecia Midgett
(Chesapeake)

My Coton de Tulear, Wilson, is now 5 months old and peeing all over my house!!! Not just one place BUT EVERYWHERE!! We bell trained him from the beginning. He seemed to get it !! We took him out every 15 minutes for the first few days and then every hour for the first week. He is with me most of the day and when he is not, he is in a pen (like a kennel but bigger). He kennels at night. He can go all night and any amount of time in the pen. The second I turn my back on him...he pees in the house. The only option I can think of is to keep him on a leash (which will drive him and me crazy) When I kennel him (when we are home) he barks like a mad man and keeps my kids awake.

I am running out of ideas and towels, clorox wipes, urine cleaner. He is going on carpet, tile...ANYWHERE.

Any ideas!!!

We use treats...bags of treats!! I have lost my temper a few times, but that does not work at all..so I try to stay calm. Most of the time I find it to late (by a few minutes) and can say nothing at all. I just clean and clean and clean. Recently in the last 2 days, he has started to poop in the house also. He was not doing that at all...he would go to the back door to poop out side. AM I MISSING SOMETHING!!!!

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Jun 15, 2019
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marking in the house
by: karen

Get a belly band at any pet store & keep it on him, this will avoid pee in your house. Don't forget to take it off him when you let him out to pee. If you use the belly band get light day panty liners at the drug store or supermarket & put that in the belly band to avoid constant washing. My dog now does it when we visit someone (he is 10) so he is in his belly band when we visit anyone.

Jun 15, 2019
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Almost 10 years later...he’s still doing it. NEW
by: Alecia

Too funny to see my post from 2011. Well he’s never changed just gotten slower at it! Wilson never stopped marking his area. We even changed flooring and sealed the under floor. Wilson now has a pee pad placed in that area somedays he marks it. Others he won’t. Mostly when we’ve made him mad. If we go out too long or I go out of town.

He will also wake in the middle of the night and mark it. I think when he’s doing the round of the house. Wilson now has a sister and she is fully potty trained. No accidents or marking.

Other than keeping him in a kennel all day...Wilson was not going to stop. We even bell trained him. He’s gi outside to potty and 5 minutes later..mark my entry hall.

9 years of training. I’m not giving up. I still keep trying to change him but this old dog is sticking to his old tricks.

Jun 13, 2019
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Peeing
by: Finnigan's frustrated momma

I swear our Coton has some sort of canine oppositional defiance disorder. He has always been a bit of a monkey when we go out, like tipping over the garbage can and spreading garbage all over, or ripping up kleenex, or snooping into bags that aren't for him. He has a younger brother (from another mother [and breed]), that is always with him, but is innocent, as this behavior started before he was born. Finnigan has also randomly peed around the house. It isn't a potty training issue, as he has been fully trained before he came to live with us. It is a definite act of defiance. When there is any change or even any discord in the house he will pee on something. We now have baby gates across every entry way. Recently he has even tried to lift his leg when he thought we weren't looking.. He also has peed on his brother a couple of times recently. We are so done with cleaning and deodorizing our house, not to mention destinking the other dog. Any ideas on how we can change this behavior? (he had ran away from a puppy mill and will NOT go into a kennel).

May 28, 2011
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odor remover
by: Anonymous

Hello Iris, There is a cleaner called x.o. that removes the odor for good .It is amazing, I have used it for awhile. I wick up the pee w/bounty paper towel as they r very absorbant I press on the pee spot untill the paper toweel is pretty much urine free.Then I pour the soulation exactly where the peepee was.I let the soluaTION SAOK IN FOR AT LEAST HALF HOUR ,THEN SOAK SOME OF IT UP THE SAME WAY U DID THE PEE PEE. tHEN JUST LET IT DRY with a single sheet lighly over it so no one steps on the spot until it dries. You can get his product on Q.V>C. and it is the k.v. pet catolog Oreck also had a great odor remover in a direct spray nozel. I use it the same way as x.o. The spray is good for the rugs too Good luck Diana

May 28, 2011
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dog potty habits
by: Iris Miller

I read here (by Gale) it is a good idea to first "have the Vet check your dog for any problem". Just like humans, a urinary infection might also make you have the urge to go more often.IT could also be a teritory action. A dog will usually have to go pee or poop or both within 20 minutes of eating and drinking.I noticed my Coton Tuffy has to pee very soon after he drinks a lot of water, Sometimes I confuse his 'want to go outdoors" signal with, 'come play with me" signals but I take him out first and tell him go make poop/pee' and bring him back in to play. I have reintroduced the pee pad into the house next to the outside door. Most of the time Tuffy will wait for me to take him out, but sometimes he wakes in the middle of the night (like me) and has to pee and has used the pee pad(now why wouldn't he use it when the snow was four feet deep?). I am grateful for any time he will use it. Also, I have mentioned before, Tufffy has gone where other dogs have been in the house we moved into a year ago.I use Oxy Woolite Power Shot foam cleaner and it works great for cleaning up dog messes without leaving a stain or residual odor. A lot of constant praise when your dog is going the right thing works best. I always make a big deal about him going pee and poop outside. Good Boy!!!

May 27, 2011
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Potty training frustration
by: Gale

I know this must be so frustrating, but the only way to correct this problem for good is to do some very consistent training so Wilson knows exactly what you expect from him. It will be a pain for a while, but so worth it in the end when you no longer have to deal with this.

First, you have to establish a schedule and stick to it (should be pretty often for a puppy). Take him outside according to the schedule and also when you anticipate that he has to go. Use a command as he's going such as "go potty". When he goes outside, ALWAYS reward him with a treat and praise. You want him to see going potty outside as a positive experience.

Until he's 100% trained, he needs to be restricted inside the house and closely monitored. If you see him have an "accident" say "NO" and calmly take him outside and give him the potty command. Never yell or punish, especially after the fact because he won't have a clue why.

Usually the combination of routine, rewards, and restriction leads to success. I hope that's true for you. If you're still having problems after this, you may want to consider a professional trainer. I also think Doggy Dan has great advice on potty training and you can have access to all of the videos for just $1.00.

Good Luck!!

May 27, 2011
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We have tried
by: Alecia

Wilson will not go in his area when crated or when the crate area is moved to a spot that he is peeing in. He then moves to another spot. We now take him out in the AM as soon as he gets up. He take a morning walk around the neighborhood and then sleep for a few hours. Once the afternoon hits, I try to get him out to go potty and run around for a bit.

By 3:00 the kids are home from school, walk him, play with him and keep him company. He start peeing on the floor around that time. Our Aunt takes him out and the minute that he comes back in...he pees somewhere (this ony happens some of the time) During the evenings when everyone is home, Dinner is being cooked and all seems well...that is when he pulls his tricks. I find pee in 3 to 4 different places.

We know that Wilson has a ton of personality and is very smart. Dances, Sits, Walks, Stays, Lays Down...YES he can do all that, but not house broken??????

TODAY HE LIFTED HIS LEG TO PEE!!!! I about died!! We have a apt to get him fixed in June, so maybe that will help change some of his behaviors.

May 27, 2011
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Peeing Coton
by: Dee

I am sorry to hear about all your mishaps. I have to say i am surprised and hoping that my 5 month old coton, who has done well since we brought him home, will not start showing these same issues.

I have to say, Im' really surprised hearing so many issues with so many cotons, being they are so eager to please, they are usually extremely easy to train.

Our Spanky, is in his crate only when we are not home to be with him. Otherwise, he has full range of the house. We walk him before work, let him out to pee in the afternoon and then another walk after work. In between, he rings a bell(which he figured out within an hour of having the bell) if he wants to go outside in the back. He doesn't always have to go when he rings the bell, but we let him out regardless since we just never know. We also bring him outside one last time at 11pm before he goes to bed for the night.

I would suggest reading up on housebreaking... the cesar milan way... http://www.cesarsway.com/tips/puppytips/Housebreaking

Also, perhaps a crate (in lieu of a run or kennel) would be better. He does not need much room for resting and sleeping and will not soil where he sleeps so if you put him in a crate, then immediately taken him to the wee wee pad or outside when taking him out, he should get the idea pretty quickly.

We have been very lucky with Spanky, he has been a pleasure and learns quickly. He is now fully housebroken and we still use wee wee pads on the deck so he does both outside on walks and wee wee pad. When the weather is really bad, we take the wee wee pad inside, and he goes on the pad. Let's hope this continues! Good luck!

May 27, 2011
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Dog peeing in the house
by: Cathy

When I first got Jasmine, she only went in the house if she was left alone. When I was home always asked to go out side. I then started to potty pad train her, and she does great! I leave two pads out one in the kitchen the second by my french doors. Never pees or poops in the house except on the pads. My sister in law watched her (in her home) for two days and commented that she refused to go out side with her dogs to go to the bathroom. Would only go on the pad!! Give him time he will get the routine.

May 27, 2011
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peeing indoors
by: sherry

i know how frustrating it can be. our girl 9 mos. will sometimes do the same thing. we have noticed it usually happens after she is mad at us for leaving her. she also can go 10-11 hours thru the night without using her pad but---if we leave her alone for an hour or two sometimes we come home to a puddle. pads and rugs are always available to her, she chooses to use the carpet in living room!

wish i knew the answer but we scold her for it, showing her what she has done and make her stay outside by herself in the pool area
for a few minutes. seems to help for awhile. hope as she ages she will feel more secure and quit this behavior.

good luck and if i hear or find a solution i will sure pass it along.
they are so wonderful i guess she is worth it no matter what she does.

May 27, 2011
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Peeing I. House
by: Anonymous

Our coton who is 4.5 mo is not allowed full or free access to our home. He is either in his crate or his pen or with us where his actions are supervised. This way if he shows signs of sniffing etc I can take him out to go potty. I just have the mindset that he is not to be trusted (at least not yet!!). Good luck. I know it is VERY frustrating.

May 27, 2011
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pee problem
by: karen

My coton was very very hard to train, it took almost a year for him to get the idea. I used to use a belly band on him & in the belly band I would put paper towels or panty liners to keep it from leaking. I thought he would be in belly bands the rest of his life, LOL. Be very very patient & do not lose your temper. The belly bands were the best investment, they run between 15 & 20 dollars, but a few

May 27, 2011
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help needed
by: Laura

I have two adult Cotons. Females. They have been wee wee pad trained as they cannot got outside here due to wild animal threat. In the past year, one of them has started to pee in the living room and in the guest room....where there are no wee wee pads. She ALWAYS poops on the pads, so she knows what to do. Help?

May 27, 2011
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Peeing indoors
by: Anonymous

I had a similar problem but it was only one room of my house. As it turns out the previous owners had a dog who peed in that room alot. The carpet was replaces prior to us buying the house but the floor under the carpet was not properly treated and my super smeller Coton picked up the scent and decided to mark it as his territory. We have put up a gate so he can no longer go into that room and knock on wood have not had any further issues. Perhaps the same thing is happening in your home!

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