Why does my dog pee in the house in front of me?

If your dog has been peeing in the house in front of you a lot, you might be wondering why and what you can do about it. This post will show you a number of possible causes and what you can do about it. 

So, why does my dog pee in the house in front of me? Possible reasons why your dog has been peeing in the house in front of you are that it is anxious, fearful, young, it has an illness or disease, it can’t pee often enough or that it is excited. 

Since there are a number of possible reasons why it has been doing it, it would help to consider what would make each of them more likely. Once you have a good idea of the main cause, it should become a lot easier to get your dog to stop doing it.

Reasons why your dog pees in the house in front of you

Below are a number of possible reasons why your dog has been doing it and what would make each of them more likely. 

Submissiveness

It could be the case that your dog does it because it is doing it submissively and it is showing that it is not a threat (source).

When trying to figure out whether or not it is submissive peeing it would help to consider the type of body language that shows. If it hunches over, hides its tail between its legs or flips over onto its back then it would be a sign that it is peeing submissively. 

Fear

The cause might also be that something is causing it to be fearful. This would be more likely if it tends to do it more at a certain time such as when there are loud noises outside. 

It might also be the case that it is fearful of you. This would be more likely if it tends to do it when you approach it in a more aggressive manner. 

Anxiety

Anxiety might also be a part of the cause. This would be more likely if it also shows other signs of being anxious and if it does it more at a time when it is likely to be anxious such as when you are about to leave home. 

Age

The reason why it does it could be that it is young and it cannot fully control its bladder yet. If your dog is below the age of 12 months it would be likely that it will stop doing it as it gets older. However, it would help to train it to pee outside while it is young and to take it outside whenever it wants to pee so that it learns to pee outside. 

Illness/disease

The cause might be that it has a medical condition which would be more likely if it is an adult, it has been doing it suddenly and if it has been peeing more frequently overall. If it does seem like it could be a medical issue or you have not taken your dog for a checkup for a while then it would be the best option to take it to the vet. 

It can’t pee often enough

It might also be the case that it is not getting to go outside and pee often enough causing it to have to pee inside. It would help to ensure that it does not have to wait to go outside for too long. 

Excitement

Sometimes, young dogs will pee when they are excited. Excitement might be the reason why your dog has been peeing inside which would be more likely if it does it when it is showing other signs of excitement and it only pees a small amount. If it is no longer a puppy, this would be unusual behavior and it would be important to take it to a vet. 

Things to consider

Below are a number of things to consider when figuring out the main reason why your dog has been doing it. 

What is different when it does it

If it only seems to be doing it at certain times, it would help to consider what is different about the timing. For example, if it only seems to be doing it when you are about to leave home, it would be more likely that it has some separation anxiety. 

What else happened when it first started doing it

If it did not always pee inside, it would help to consider what else happened when it first started doing it. If it started doing it suddenly, it would be more likely to be due to something such as an illness. In this case, it would be recommended to take it to a vet. 

What body language it shows

It would also help to consider the body language it shows when doing it. If it shows signs of anxiety, such as pacing or crying, it would be more likely that something is causing it to be anxious. Whereas if it does things such as wag its tail and jump up at you, it would be more likely that it is excited.

What to do about your dog peeing in the house in front of you

Below are some things you can do about your dog peeing inside when you are with it. 

Take it to a vet

If it is not a puppy or it has started doing it suddenly, the best option would be to take it to a vet. By doing so, you will be able to get expert advice tailored to your specific dog and to rule out medical causes. 

Avoid being intimidating

As mentioned above, it could be the case that something has been causing it to be fearful. When interacting with it, it would help to be calm and to avoid large aggressive movements. 

Ensure that it is able to pee often

It would also help to ensure that it is able to go outside to pee whenever it might need to and that it does not have to wait for long time periods to go outside to pee.