[harryshears]

Our 9 year old female dog has started peeing on new carpeting that has recently been put in the basement. She never goes anywhere else in the house and she only does it when we are gone or sleeping. She has a doggy door to go out side when ever she would like which is half way down the basement stairs. She goes past the doggy door and urinates on the new carpet. We put a gate up some times and she never goes anywhere else, but when the gate is left down and we leave or sleep she does it again. It all started the night after my girlfriends brother came over with his dog to do work in the basement for a couple hours. Could someone help me out and let me know why she does this and any ways we can stop her.

[nikki_22]

Have you had her checked out by a vet for this problem? If she only does it when there is no gate, then she is probably OK. I would have her checked out just to be safe. She is probably trying to mark her territory because of the smell of the other dogs. Males do that more often, but females will too. Maybe shampooing the carpets will help get the other dog's smell out. But, then again, I tried that with my dog, and he kept right on. I started putting him outside on a leash for about 20 min. every time he did and he got the idea. Your dog could also just be trying to get your attention. Maybe she feels lonely. Some dogs will go inside when they have separation anxiety. Call a local pet store and ask them about products that will mask the pee odor. This way your dog may quit doing it. I can't remember the name of the product, but I used to work at Petsmart and we sold a spray that did this. I remember a lot of people said they used it successfully. Also, putting up the dog's food/water when you are sleeping may help at night. But, if she has a doggie door, it sounds like she wants attention or is jealous of the other dog. Hope this helps!

[labman]

I am quite sure it relates to the male dog being in the basement. Even spayed females want to let other dogs know they are around and I think the older a dog gets, the more obsessed with leaving their mark they are. You could try shampooing the rug. Be sure and add a pet odor enzyme product. Usually you can buy it where you rent the shampoo machine. I think somebody reported success yesterday with shampooing the carpet.

You may want to give her stronger leadership too. The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts. Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at Raising Your Dog with the Monks of New Skete For more on being top dog, see Establishing and Keeping Alpha Position, Letting your dog know you are the boss