What is going on, why is my dog peeing in the house when he or she is normally housebroken?
Well-trained dogs do not typically urinate in the house. If your Corgi or other breed of doggy suddenly starts peeing inside when he or she knows well enough to signal to you that he/she needs to go outside, there could be a really good reason why.
Additionally, if your dog is a senior dog, there is a wide variety of additional reasons for inside urination.
See if any of the following possible causes for peeing in the house apply to your dog.
Urinary Tract Infections
If you have ever had a UTI yourself, you know what it feels like. You have this constant urgency to urinate, and in dogs it’s no different. If your dog has a UTI, he or she will have frequent indoor accidents. Moreover, you may notice that your dog has the following accompanying symptoms:
- Pain while urinating that typically causes your dog to yelp or howl as he/she pees.
- Blood in the urine, which will be obvious when you wipe up potty accidents off the floors inside.
- Constant genital licking, which is your dog’s way of trying to remove that discomforting feeling “down there.”
- Emptying the water dish more than twice a day as a means to alleviate thirst and a fever that accompanies a UTI.
If you notice these symptoms in your dog, a trip to the vet is urgent and necessary. An infection can reach dangerous limits, and even cause major blockages in the dog’s urethra. This is even more common in dogs that are long and low to the ground, like a Corgi.
Dog digestive issues can also lead to your dog licking the carpet or floor.
Something Is Triggering Your Dog to Pee In The House
A car backfiring outside, a dog whistle blown continuously, a cat meowing under the living room window, a rolled newspaper, etc.; what do these things have in common? The answer is that they can all be triggers for a dog to pee. Your dog may be peeing out of fear, out of excitement (chasing a cat sure would be fun, wouldn’t it?), or out of frustration from hearing a dog whistle and not being able to get away from it.
The best thing you can do in this situation is find out what is triggering your dog. Listen carefully and watch your dog for a few days. Mark times when your dog pees inside instead of going when you let him/her outside.
You can even experiment by using a dog whistle yourself, or rolling a newspaper to see what happens. You do not have intent to hurt, but your dog may be afraid of these things anyway.
Once you find the triggers, you can stop most of the things that trigger your dog. You can also train your dog to ignore the things that trigger him/her. New training to ignore new triggers is sometimes what your vet would recommend to stop the dog peeing in house issue.
It’s None of That, So Why Is My Dog Peeing in the House?
Well, here’s another possible cause; your dog has anxiety issues. It’s not a joke. Animals do develop separation anxiety from the humans they love the most, and they do feel anxiety when other not-so-familiar family members or friends come calling.
If your dog pees inside in your absence, pees when you go away on vacation even though you have someone to look after your dog, and/or pees when non-household members are visiting, it may be anxiety.
If you rule out the aforementioned physical issues in a young housebroken dog urinating in house, then discuss anxiety issues with your vet. There are medications for this, but there are also behavioral modification approaches that can help too.
When Anxiety Isn’t the Answer to “Why Is My Corgi Peeing in the House”?
Okay, so no anxiety, no UTIs and no triggers you can find explain why your dog is peeing in the house. If your dog is not fixed, or just recently neutered/spayed, it may take a couple of months for your pet to get that sex drive out of his/her system.
Since part of that drive is to mark territory to attract a mate, don’t be too surprised if your dog is peeing in corners or on specific items up to two months after a spay or neuter surgery.
If this doesn’t apply to your dog, there may be something else really wrong. Regardless of ruling out all of the above, your dog should still see a vet to find the root of the urination problem.
Causes for Peeing When It’s an Old Dog Peeing in House
Senior dogs have a lot of health risks and health problems, just like people. They will have several causes of indoor urination, all of which are more than likely related to your dog’s age. However, one or two of these possible causes can be life-threatening, so you may want to schedule an appointment with your vet anyway.
Blindness
For starters, really old dogs tend to go blind and become confused about where they are. As a result, they urinate indoors thinking they are outdoors. Putting down piddle pads where your nearly blind elderly pooch tends to pee will help reduce the mess, even if it doesn’t help your dog’s situation.
Lack of Bladder Control
Second, old dogs lose the ability to control their urination and defecation control. Like elderly humans, they suffer from incontinence, even if they have full sight. Doggy diapers can help the elderly dog maintain some dignity and keep your home clean.
Diabetes
Another cause is diabetes. Senior and elderly pets can develop diabetes. You will notice that your dog drinks a ton of water and urinates at the drop of a hat. The urine will also have the consistency of slightly watered down corn syrup when you clean it up. It has a much stronger odor, sometimes sweeter, sometimes more intense in ammonia. Your dog will need to get a blood glucose test at the vet to confirm diabetes and receive treatment.
Learn more about diabetes in dogs here.
Cancer
Finally, and quite sadly, a urinary system disease or cancerous growths can occur in older dogs. It is possible to remove tumors, but there is no guarantee your dog will survive. It can also cost thousands and thousands of dollars to provide your dog with cancer therapies, something a lot of people can’t afford.
If you’re lucky, the tumors are localized and your dog bounces back. If your dog isn’t so lucky, he/she may have tumors in other areas of the body or have free-floating systemic cancer cells, a sign that the cancer has spread. Blood tests done at the vet’s office will confirm the gravity of the situation.
Some breeds are more prone to bladder cancer. Corgis are not on the list, but I tend to worry about them since they are low to the ground and their urinary tract can come in contact with more chemicals that way.
Kidney Disease
Kidney disease is another problem for older dogs. It means that the kidneys simply don’t work as well anymore. Your older dog might pee everywhere frequently. Ask your vet about treatments that might delay worsening of kidney disease.
Learn more about kidney disease in dogs here.
Be sure to discuss all options with your vet, and get a second opinion with another vet if needed so that you can feel good about making the right choice for your dog. There are specialist vets for this too, although they may be more costly.
For more on helping your dog live to a ripe old age, check out our post on Corgi Lifespan.