my westie who is 3 years old has sundenly started to wee in the house, when i go out
i come home from picking the kids up from school or taking them, and he has peed on the couch or a cushion or on the carpet.
its like he has a tantrum when i go out. i havent had any problems in the toilet department before apart from firework night etc.
because i dont catch him in the act i cannot repremand him or stop him in the middle of it.
any advice please
he is never left in the house on his own all day and even with an extended shopping day he has never done this.
it has been going on for a few months now, he has been checked out by the vet and all seems fine.
i really feel this is a tantrum thing but how do i stop it
many thanks

The only thing ide sujest is crating him wen ur not there ,hopfully some1 will be along who has delt with this problem and has a solution. i hope u can get him out of this habbit :)

You could always try the males 'bands' that act like a sorta nappy on males so that if he did cock his leg it is caught in them...some of which you can add a small ladies 'pad' in! However, you really need to stop this behaviour...is there a bitch around somewhere in heat? Is he castrated or entire? Of course you could crate him...but there must be a reason why he's started this behaviour...have you had another dog visit the house? Really dogs generally will try to put his mark on HIS patch, so wrack your brains for when this behaviour started and see if anything different happened to start it? I don't believe dogs do things deliberatly to 'teach us a lesson' for leaving them...but do things if they feel insecure or challenged? If you start with a crate you must make it HIS house that is a pleasure for him to go in rather than a punishment! Maybe someone with better brains than me in the behaviour stakes will be along soon with a bright idea?! All the best, Dawn

If he has no medical problems, I'm wondering if you've recently had another dog in the house too because 3 is quite late to start marking. Normally, it's one of those things that comes with "Kevinhood" - as if that wasn't enough on its own without the widdling!

Certainly, Nips made a couple of attempts to mark at home after we'd had visiting dogs and there was a phase when he was around a year old when I had to watch him like a hawk in other people's houses. Luckily, after me making it very clear that this wasn't acceptable behaviour, he stopped. But then I was also lucky enough to be watching him when the "cocking" leg raised itself so could deal with the problem almost before it was a problem.

In your case, I'd start by restricting his access when you are out. If he can stay, comfortably in your kitchen, for example, you at least cut down on the damage the widdling will do to carpets, cushions, etc. I'd also ensure you wash everything he has weed on with a solution of biological washing powder so that he can't smell the remains of where he's been before. Otherwise, he'll just think of those places as his personal dog's toilet.

They're called Belly Bands...do a search on e-bay!

there hasnt been any dogs in the house, also there isnt any bitches around, its like he is having a tantrum,
he is entire and not been castrated.
he sleeps in a crate in my room and has done scince birth, i was wondering if i should get a crate for downstairs so he can go in there when i go out......maybe he will get the message.
if i crate him when i go to take the boys to school for a few days then leave him out and if he does it again crate him again, will he get the hint that...if he wee's when i am out he will get crated, and if he doesnt wee then he wont...would this work??? will he get the jist off it.
i think but i am not sure that because of the christmas holidays and my kids were at home he was used to the company and now they are back at school he is having these "tantrums" because he doesnt want to be on his own?

i think but i am not sure that because of the christmas holidays and my kids were at home he was used to the company and now they are back at school he is having these "tantrums" because he doesnt want to be on his own?

Others will, but I wouldn't dismiss your theory completely. I had a little sheltie bitch who was very attached to my Mum. After Mum had been to visit and had left again we would get a week's worth of little 'presents' in the house. It happened every time and we could find no explanation except that she was annoyed that Mum had left her.

I wouldn't confuse him by crating this time and leaving him out the next. I'd just crate him when I wasn't around for a few weeks and see if, at the end of that, he has forgotten about peeing in the house.

I wouldn't agree that the dogs are 'annoyed' that someone's left them. Unsettled at the change of routine, certainly, just as children often start bedwetting when they move house or start school, etc. But not 'tantrums' or 'annoyance'.

I think maybe you underestimate that little minx. :) She was a great talker with an amazing repertoire of growls, grumbles, squeaks and warbles, but she would refuse to 'talk' to us for a week after Mum left. Maybe it is anthropomorphic - not a sin I am usually guilty of - but I aways had the feeling that she was punishing us for 'taking away' her favourite person in the world. :)

Just to say about belly bands, I have used these for the past 2-3 years because of my incontinent elderly cavalier. I use a full proper sanitary towel (Always) in it as pantyliners isn't enough. Now when Rufus leaks during the day that's fine. However if he ever gets caught out and needs to do a full wee (or, as has happened at times, we forget to take the band off when he goes outside!) it has to be said the bellyband can NOT cope with a full wee, the pad and the band gets soaked through at once. They can only cope with small leakages -and I do use super absorbent towels.

I have two entire males and one neutered male, and they all wear belly bands when I go out. Before I got the bands it was a nightmare coming home to a flooded kitchen! None of my boys object to having their bands put on - they are very soft. Most of the time now, when I take their bands off the pads are dry - but if I pop out and forget to put their bands on, the flood is back. :rolleyes:
The neutered boy is actually far worse for marking than the other two!  

OOh these sound good - my washing macine is going a bit rusty with my boy!