Is My Dachshund Peeing Out Of Spite?

Dachshunds are notorious for having potty accidents in the house, even if they are believed to be potty trained.

If an otherwise potty trained Dachshund pees on the floor, either in front of the owner or in another room, many owners will swear their Dachshund has done it out of spite because they are mad.

However, that’s simply not the case. 

You may be at a breaking point with your Dachshund’s indoor accidents, and this article will help you work through the stress and frustration.

This article will help you understand why your Dachshund may be “peeing out of spite,” and what that actually means. 

Is My Dog Peeing Out Of Spite?

Are Dachshunds spiteful? The short answer is no.

Dogs don’t act out of spite or jealousy like humans do.

Although we like to associate human emotion with our dogs, Dachshunds (and all other breeds) don’t pee indoors because they are spiteful or angry.

Dogs tend to act based on how they’re internally reacting to a cue or signal.

Dogs act and behave as a direct result of their internal reaction to a signal, cue or “cry for help.”

As difficult as it is to admit, it’s likely that you or a family member is doing something that is causing your dog’s behavior. 

There are several different scenarios where your Dachshund may have a potty accident on the floor.

Pinpointing those potential causes can help you determine the reason they are doing it and find a solution to stop it from happening again.

Why Does My Dog Pee When I Leave the Room? 

It can be extremely frustrating when you leave the room for a few minutes, or exit the house briefly, only to find a puddle of pee on the floor (or somewhere else) when you return – especially if it happens frequently. 

Pet owners often mistakenly think that when their Dachshund pees on the floor that they aren’t potty trained.

You can certainly start potty training again as a refresher. However, if the issue only occurs when you are gone, or right when you come back, it’s unlikely potty training is the issue.

Dachshunds who pee on the floor when you leave the room, especially if you have just taken them outside to potty, are most likely doing it out of fear and anxiety caused by being separated from you.

This is called separation anxiety.

Besides going potty on the floor, separation anxiety can also cause a dog to be destructive, or to bark excessively, in your absence.

Resolving your dog’s stress when you leave, through training, desensitization, and by changing your dog’s environment or routine, can minimize or eliminate this habit.

Why Did My Potty Trained Dachshund Suddenly Start Peeing on the Floor?

If your Dachshund never used to go potty inside the house but suddenly started, there could be several causes.

As with the above scenario, these causes typically boil down to some kind of stress or anxiety.

However, id the habit develops suddenly, it’s likely that the cause is not being separated from you.

If going potty in the house is a recent behavior change, the first step is to visit your veterinarian so he or she can rule out any medical issues that may be causing it.

If your vet can’t find anything wrong, it’s time to start looking at what else has changed in your dog’s world.

Ask yourself:

• Has there been a change in environment such as a move, a new baby, or a new pet?
• Could there’s a conflict between my dog and another animal in the home?
• Is my dog getting over-excited when they see another animal outside?

Sometimes, identifying a trigger is easy. Other times it could take months to figure out.

There is a reason your dog is peeing on the floor though and it isn’t spite.

Why Does My Dog Pee on the Floor When Guests or Other Dogs Are Over?

In this case, your Dachshund is likely peeing on the floor while you are in the room (although sometimes they will still sneak off to do it in private).

This cause is usually easy to identify because the animal or human guest is typically present when it happens.

However, sometimes a Dachshund will wait until the “intruder” has left to potty on the floor, which can make it more difficult to draw the connection between the behavior and the cause.

Still, this one is usually obvious after a brief review of the events that occur during, or immediately before, the action.

But why does your Dachshund feel the need to pee on the floor because a guest has visited your home?

Urine-marking is a territorial behavior, and if your Dachshund is peeing on the floor when other guests are over (human or canine), it could indicate boundary setting.

Your dog is probably feeling threatened, and marking their territory can help ease that anxiety.

Male dogs tend to be the ones that urine-mark their territory, although females can do it too.

This behavior is more common in male dogs, but females will sometimes do it as well.

Urine-marking in the house can be corrected as you work on your pup’s confidence and training.

How Can I Stop My Dachshund From Peeing on the Floor?

The good news is, you can stop your Dachshund from peeing on the floor. It will take patience, of course, but it can be done!

The first step in determining the cause of your Dachshund’s indoor peeing (since now we know it truly isn’t out of spite or jealousy) is narrowing down the scenarios in which its occurring.

Pay close attention to when your dog is peeing –

• Do they see something out the window?
• Has there been a major change in your house that could be causing stress?
• Are they visibly stressed or agitated when they can’t be close to you?
• Does the peeing happen when you’re out of the house for a certain period of time?
• Does it occur when you’ve been ignoring your Dachshund for a while?
• Is your dog completely isolated when they pee inside?
• Is your Dachshund also being destructive, like chewing up furniture or shoes?
• Are there any strange behaviors that happen before your dog goes potty on the floor?

Awareness is the key to beginning to correct the behavior.

Answering this handful of questions should help you get at least slightly closer to determining why your Dachshund is peeing where and when they shouldn’t be.

Once you have a couple theories of when and why it might be happening, you can start to change your behavior, your dog’s environment, or both, to see if your Dachshund stops peeing on the floor.

Things you can do to help manage potty accidents on the floor immediately

The process of figuring out what is causing your Dachshund to pee or poop on the floor, and finding a solution, isn’t always a quick process. In fact, it usually isn’t.

But constantly having to clean up indoor potty accidents, and the smell that can linger because of them, can be very frustrating.

The chances are, you would like to find a solution to make it stop right now.

While these are not a fix for the issue – you must find and address the underlying cause – here are some things that can help minimize accidents starting right away.

Use a dog crate

If your dog is not already comfortable in a dog crate, you’ll need to start crate training your Dachshund before you use this method. Not doing so can make the issue worse.

Using a dog crate can assist with potty training and an overall feeling of security for your dog in your home.

Crate training is a massive factor in helping with separation anxiety. It’s a great first step in assisting with your Dachshund’s overall anxiety, boredom and stress levels. 

If your Dachshund sees their crate, or “den”, as a place of safety, it can help reduce any anxiety that might cause them to go potty on the floor.

A dog crate will also make it physically impossible for your Dachshund to go potty on the floor as they will be confined to this space.

Most dogs will not soil where they sleep but if it does happen it’s much easier to wash their crate bedding than to remove odor and stains from carpet.

Tell your dog what they should do instead of going potty on the floor

When a dog is feeling anxious, they often don’t know what to do.

Relieving themselves on the floor is one way your dog knows to release some tension.

But if you give your dog something else to focus on, besides the stressor, they may be distracted enough to not need a stress release.

An example would be training your Dachshund to rest or settle down on a special mat or bed.

Your Dachshund’s mental focus will be on minding your direction, and controlling their impulse to get up, rather than on what is worrying them.

This concept is especially helpful if you find that your dog is peeing when you leave the room, partly because your dog expects you will return to let them know they can get up and move around and that comforts them.

You can also redirect your dog’s attention away from something that they find upsetting by giving them a puzzle feeder or a stuffed treat/toy.

There are several things you can try to help fix inappropriate urination in potty trained dogs.

A few other things you can do reduce the chance of accidents happening are:

• Thoroughly clean up any soiled areas on your floors to eliminate odors.
• Interrupt the cycle if you see your Dachshund peeing inside. Do not scold. Simply take them outdoors to a proper spot.
• Restrict access to viewing animals outdoors if this may be a contributing factor.
• Resolve conflict with any other family members in the house, furry or human.

Never punish your Dachshund for having an accident.

If you come home and see a soiled space, clean it up and move on. 

Final Thoughts

Dachshunds don’t pee out of “spite”.

They don’t feel human emotions and they don’t feel an emotion then scheme to act on it later when you least expect it.

If your Dachshund is peeing on the floor, whether you are home or gone, they are trying to tell you something. Since they can’t talk, they sometimes need to use actions.

If you dismiss these actions as occurring just because they are “mad”, you could be missing a very important message.

Your dog is telling you something is wrong, which could range from mild to servere.

The first thing you should do if your dog starts peeing on the floor is take your dog to the vet to rule out any medical issues that could be causing the behavior change.

There are several health problems that could lead to improper urination.

If there is no medical cause, then it’s your job to pay keen attention to when and where it’s happening to try and determine what your Dachshund is reacting to.

Once you have some ideas, you can change your dog’s environment, circumstances, what and the way you are doing things prior to the occurrence, or all of the above, to try and find a solution.

As a reminder never to rub your nose in your Dachshund’s urine if they do have an accident. They will not understand the “punishment” and it could lead to further fear and distrust.

Identifying your Dachshund’s triggers will allow you to eliminate potential causes of the peeing indoors. Then you can hone in on training under your particular circumstances.

You can always contact a canine behaviorist if positive reinforcement training isn’t working and medical concerns have been ruled out by a vet.

About the Author: Through her 17 years of owning and caring for Dachshunds, and almost 10 years researching and writing about them, JW has become a respected expert in the Dachshund community. Read more about her here.