Help. My dog keeps peeing on sofas and I’ve tried almost everything. Husband is at his breaking point.
I am completely at the end of my rope and desperately need advice.
I have a 5-year-old female dachshund mix whom I rescued 4 years ago. She is a massive "Velcro dog" and gets severely anxious without me. I work from home, but I also manage a chronic illness, which makes taking her outside frequently very physically difficult. Because of this, she is trained to use pee pads indoors.
Years ago, she peed on our bed. My husband got incredibly angry and scared her shitless. Since that exact incident, it became a massive, ongoing problem. For a while, I managed to fix it by doing trick training and rebuilding her confidence.
Well, she is at it again and it’s worse. Last night she peed on my husband's sofa. He is furious and wants to get rid of our dogs.
Here is what I’ve already done/the current situation:
Vet: She has been to the vet and physically she is completely healthy. No UTI or bladder issues.
Cleaning: I use high-quality enzymatic cleaners and keep the sofas covered. Changed the sofa a couple months ago. Block her access to sofas but sometimes we leave a door open or the cover shifts and mayday.
Her Behavior: If I cover my sofa in the living room, she just sneaks over to my husband's sofa and pees/poops there instead. I have *never* actually caught her in the act so I can’t correct her. I praise her profusely when she goes on the pads and give her high value treats. We do tricks and play everyday.
Environment: I haven't left the house in a week, we've had no visitors, and I ignore her mistakes while praising/treating her when she uses the pad. My husband has completely ignored her since that original scary incident years ago. I even got her a companion cat recently, and they play together a lot, so she isn't bored.
The hardest part is my current workload at home: I am already caring for a *second* dachshund who has IVDD and is permanently in diapers, all while dealing with my own health issues.
I cannot handle two dogs in diapers long-term (especially since she hates having anything on), and I can't catch her in the act to correct it because she only "stealth-pees" when I'm not looking.
I love her, but my marriage is strained and my health is suffering. I’m autistic and I don’t think I can live with getting rid of her. I think maybe she feels my meltdowns and gets stressed and feels the need to self-sooth by going on the sofas where my scent is strong.
How do I break this cycle when I can't catch her doing it? Any advice is appreciated.
I’m keeping her locked with me at all times while I deal with my husband’s anger. To his benefit, he’s been very patient since I rescued her.