My stanley is great in nearly every way, he is a 7mth old shih tzu only just lately he has taken to weeing on the sofa!
He doesnt do it when anyone is around, he ask's to go out in the garden normally for toilets but will still come in and if no ones around will wee on the sofa!
any suggestions as to how to get him to stop?
thanks
Stanleys mum

I did write a bit more detail in my blog dont know why it eneded up there? not to clever at writing these things x

he may have had an accident one time and keeps going back because of the smell he left behind (you may have cleaned it up and cant smell it but he will be able to.) Wipe it down with surgical spirit.
unless another dog owner person has maybe sat on the sofa and he could smell it but its  possibly a little early for marking. Once a dog pee's in an area they do tend to go back as they can smell it when you cant.
Are sure he hasnt got a water infection?  ..keep him off the sofa, easier said than done I know ....  have a small crate in the room if he 'has' to go in the living room or when you have to go out or leave the room put him in the crate. Hopefully this would break the habit.

Are we talking leg lifting or a proper full blown empty out.

If the former then he has reached that age (it is often quite early and stubborn trait in small breeds) and doesn't realise it is inappropriate to mark his territory indoors.

You need to watch him like a hawk and not allow him anywhere near soft furnishings unsupervised and at the first sign of a leg going up indoors a stern no and escort him outside.

If the sofa has removable covers launder them in biological washing powder so that any traces of previous marking/accidents are removed.

Not leg lifting yet, he still squats (should he be leg lifting at 7mths?)
He has never done it in front of us, and we have stopped him being allowed up on the sofa.
Unfortunately the sofa is nubuck leather without removeable covers, which is why i think he can still smell it as it is not waterproof!
thank you for your advice, will persevere

Dont think he's got a water infection as he's not doing it anywhere else, i'm covering the sofa so he cant get on when i'm not about and he's fine everywhere else.
I'll try the surgical spirit, will have to do the whole sofa i think as he's done it a few times in various places!
thanks for your advice

I would get  him outside every half hour or so to empty his bladder so that if he does have a temptation to mark it will be a dribble.!

Do you have a crate as I find them invaluable , make it his bed a nice place to be, cover it to make it like a den you will find he would much rather be in there and you will be able to close it when you need to leave him alone rather than roaming around the house, a pup so young need some sort of confinement when you are not around to watch them so that they dont cause harm to themselves or your favorite furniture :)  , you need to break his routine so that he doesnt have the inclination to pee in the house. This time should pass the sooner  it is.. is up to you.

Hi stanleysmum, I had this problem with one of mine and a leather sofa :-), I think it was brought on by another dog visiting the house which encouraged the guilty party to mark his territory. He never did it again. My new puppy is a bit younger than yours and still squats, but has been known to cock his leg in the kitchen--at least everything is fully washable there...I try to get him outside within 15-20 minutes of a drink, which helps.

My male gsd was still not cocking his leg at 18months in fact at home and occasionally out he stands legs wide and wee even now and he is 3 in June. However female pom/chi always lifts her leg when she goes I think it is to stop her "skirts" getting wet LOL

> he still squats (should he be leg lifting at 7mths?)
>

Buster doesn't cock his leg and he is 2&half years old! He once cocked it, but that's it, back to squatting! He too still has the odd wee on the sofa - a full-bladder, mastiff, piddle He had got out of the ahbbit, but with routines changing over the olidays, he's started again.
So it's back to forcing him out in the garden before I go to bed (a monumental task as he loves his comfort & hates the cold night-time grass) or risk waking up to a sopping (fabric ) sofa again :(

Our middle boy was squatting for a long time after he came to us at a year old...I assumed he was squatting because he was brought up in a house full of bitches and didn't realise he had an alternative :-)

I have girl who if she ever gets the chance to get upstairs goes straight to my bed and pees on the eiderdown. She never does it anywhere else in the house. It's maddening.

lol one of the dogs has done this to my son's bed...he was not amused.

Thank you all so much for your advice,
It's great to know i'm not alone!