9 Reasons Your Dachshund is Peeing in the House

There are several reasons why your Dachshund may be peeing in the house.

Some are under their control and some aren’t.

Some are under your control and some aren’t.

Below, based on my personal and shared experience, are the most common reasons Dachshunds pee in the house.

UPDATED: December 31, 2022

Photo Credit: Depositphotos/Damedeeso

Possible Reasons Your Dachshund is Peeing in the House

Based on my 15 years of listening to, and learning from, literally thousands of Dachshund owners through this blog and the big Dachshund club we run, accidents in the house almost always come down to one of these 9 causes.

It is possible there could be another reason but it’s very unlikely.

1) Your Dachshund is not fully potty trained

Your Dachshund may be peeing on the floor because they aren’t fully potty trained yet.

This is, of course, is the most common in puppies who still have a lot to learn about expectations and appropriate places to relieve themselves.

But it’s also possible that atult Dachshunds are peeing on the floor merely because they were never 100% potty trained.

This can be especially true if they are adopted so you don’t know their history and didn’t have any influence over their early training.

Dachshunds can take longer than some other breeds to potty train so perhaps the previous owner gave up before 100% potty training was achieved.

Perhaps the Dachshund you adopted was found as a stray and they developed poor potty training habits while they were living in the wild and could go wherever they wanted.

Or perhaps your adopted Dachshund was previously taught to go on potty pads on the house but you don’t know this or don’t have them in your house.

Dogs that learn to go on potty pads indoors sometimes generalize that it’s ok to go potty in a warm, cozy home environment whether a potty pad is present or not.

2) You are asking your Dachshund to hold it too long, resulting in accidental peeing

This one is pretty easy to figure out because, in this case, your Dachshund won’t potty on the floor if you are only gone for a few hours but will if you are gone for longer.

It’s also one of the most common reasons a puppy will go potty on the floor in your house.

A puppy has a tiny bladder and, depending on the age, may only be able to hold it for 2-3 hours at a time.

If you asking your dog to wait too long to relieve themselves, you may come home to find that your Dachshund has gone potty on your floor or in their dog crate.

3) Your Dachshund has a medical condition

Meidcal causes are also common reasons that a Dachshund may go potty in the house.

Sometimes a medical condition has been diagnosed that is known to cause increased urination so you know to expect there will be accidents from time to time.

But your dog may have a medical condition you are not aware of.

A red flag that the cause of accidents in the house may be a medical condition is if it’s a sudden, new behavior – your Dachshund used to never pee in the house and suddenly started having accidents.

Some common medical conditions that can cause a dog to pee on the floor are:

  • Urinary tract infection (UTI)
  • Diabetes
  • Kidney disease
  • Cushing’s disease (which is very common in Dachshunds)

There can be other medical causes too.

My first Dachshund developed dementia in his old age.

This resulted in him being disoriented and forgetting where the appropriate place to go potty was or, in later years, him possibly not realizing where he was at.

If peeing in the house is a new habit for your Dachshund, please take your dog to the vet for a checkup to rule out an underlying medical cause.

4) Your Dachshund is avoiding bad weather

Dachshunds are very picky about what weather they will or won’t go out in.

I joke that Wet Belly Syndrome is one of the worst, and most common, Dachshund afflictions.

If it’s cold, wet, snowing, or a combination of these, a Dachshund may stop in their tracks at the door and run back inside no matter how bad they have to go potty.

But your Dachshund still has to go so they choose to go in the comfort of their own home… on your carpet, vinyl or tile!

If you think this is the case with your dog, I suggest using these tips for convincing your Dachshund to go potty outside in cold and wet weather.

5) Your Dachshund is urine marking it’s territory

Male dogs are typically the ones that pee in the house for the purpose of marking their territory.

They are claiming what they pee on as theirs and as a signal to other dogs or pets on the house (or that may visit) that they are the boss of this space.

But, I have seen female dogs do it too.

While she doesn’t do it in the house, my female Dachshund Gretel will smell where by other female peed in the yard and pee in the same place whether she already went or not.

I’m not positive if that is actually “marking”, or some kind of assertion of dominance, but the point is that Gretel is doing it in response to smelling pee from another dog, not because she actually has to go potty.

If one of your dog’s mark inside, or you move into a house or apartment that used to have dogs that peed on the floor, your Dachshund may smell it and go in the same place.

6) Your Dachshund has separation anxiety

This is a big one and one that most people don’t realize.

Dogs often pee on the floor because of separation anxiety, which can result in nervous peeing.

My first Dachshund Chester used to annoy me and make me angry until I figured out what was really going on.

I would take him out to pee and then leave the house only to come home to pee on the floor.

This happened whether I was gone for 2 minutes or hours.

It’s especially frustrating when you just took your Dachshund outside to potty but you still found pee on the floor even though you were only gone for 5 minutes.

However, I eventually realized he was peeing on the floor not because he had to go but because he became anxious the minute he couldn’t see me or physically get near me.

This kind of anxiety is called “separation anxiety”.

If this is the cause, peeing on the floor is almost always accompanied by excessive barking and being destructive like scratching, digging at, or chewing flooring, walls, or things your dog otherwise shouldn’t.

7) Your Dachshund is submissively urinating

I was a dog sitter of Dachshunds for 5 years.

I learned about submissive urination during that time because I couldn’t figure out why a Dachshund was peeing on the floor (or me!) the moment I approached them to put on a harness, to pet them, or tried to pick them up.

I wasn’t approaching them in a mean or abrupt way.

In fact, I tried extra hard to be gentle, soothing, and to move slow. But it still kept happening.

According to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS),

“Submissive urination is common and normal in puppies, who will usually outgrow the behavior.

But some puppies remain timid into adulthood, and submissive urination can become a problem in the home.”

Submissive urination is most likely to happen when a Dachshund is being scolded, a person approaches them, and when they are being greeted.

Dogs who exhibit submissive peeing are usually shy, timid, anxious, or otherwise lack good Dachshund confidence.

It may also happen if a dog is unsure of the rules and how to behave or has history of being treated harshly (especially when they didn’t know they did anything wrong).

BUT – and this is the most important – the key is that a dog takes on a submissive posture when the above things are happening and before peeing.

That’s why it’s called submissive urination.

Your dog’s body language will usually indicate they are shy, timid, unsure, or scared right before they submissively urinate on the floor.

If a dog is not taking on a submissive posture, such as crouching, tail tucking, or rolling over and exposing their belly, in conjunction then peeing on the floor, the cause is unlikely submissive urination.

Instead, it might be….

8) Your Dachshund is overly excited

Have you ever got so excited that you feel like you can hardly contain yourself? Well, dogs get this too.

And it’s more common because you are their whole world

A dog may become over-excited when you come home and lost control of their bladder, resulting in them involuntarily peeing on the floor.

9) Your Dachshund is incontinent

Incontinence is when a dog, for whatever reason, is unable to control their bodily functions and where they go potty.

Incontinence can be urinary incontinence or fecal incontinence and can happen for several reasons.

The most typical reason for incontinence is old age.

Senior dogs can start to lose muscle control, which can result in them pooping or peeing ion the floor unexpectedly (even for them – they may not realize they’re even doing it).

There is also a condition called spay incontinence.

When a female dog is spayed, their body stops providing the hormones that keep their muscles and tendons strong.

This can affect the muscles that are used to control urination.

Spay incontinence can develop immediately after a spay or can cause a dog to develop it later in life but at an early age than they might if they were still intact.

How to Stop a Dachshund From Peeing in the House

It’s super frustrating when your Dachshund starts peeing on the floor in your house.

Constantly cleaning up after your dog gets tiring and can make an owner irritable.

You want to know how you can prevent accidents on the floor and right away.

Here are the most common solutions.

1) Work on potty training

If you’re not sure your Dachshund is completely potty trained, keep at it or renew your efforts.

Any Dachshund can benefit from a potty training refresher.

A dog that had a sudden change in its life – especially if it’s a new home environment – may be confused and forget where the door to go out is or that’s it’s not appropriate to go potty inside this new home environment.

Dahcshunds get a bad rap for being diffcult to potty train.

While it’s true that many Dachshunds can take longer to potty train than some dogs, it’s completely possible with consistency and by implementing these expert potty training techniques.

If your Dachshund was previously reliable with not going potty in the house and there was sudden change, skip this step and move onto #2.

At the very least, get your dog examined at the vet while you are also working on potty training.

2) Rule out medical causes

If your Dachshund suddenly starts peeing on the floor, especially if it’s accompanied by behaviors such as sleeping more, refusing to eat, and moping about, it could be caused by a medical issue.

Take your dog to the vet to rule out any underlying medical conditions that may be causing your Dachshund to potty in the house.

3) Use a dog crate

A dog that is confined to a dog crate when you leave can feel safer and less anxious.

When your dog is not stressed in your absence, they are less likely to have a potty accident when you’re gone.

Also, dogs see a small space with bedding as a den and dogs usually avoid soiling where they sleep at all costs.

There is a slight chance your Dachshund may go potty in the crate, especially if it’s too big for them and provides too much “free space”, but at least then it’s contained to a specific, small space in the home.

A dog confined to a crate is not physically able to pee on your floor.

If you want to go this route, and your dog is not already used to being confined to a crate, you’ll want to check out these articles:

4) Work on separation anxiety

Like I said, separation anxiety is a very common cause of peeing on the floor in Dachshunds.

Dachshund have a strong tendency to attach to a person, or their people, and can be greatly stressed by their absence even if it’s only for a few minutes (remember, dogs can’t tell time).

If you think your Dachshund may have separation anxiety, check out these Tips from a dog trainer to help relieve separation anxiety.

You can also find training videos on YouTube about separation anxiety like this one from Pupford Dog Training: Separation Anxiety Overview with Amber Aquart CPDT-KA

5) Desensitize your dog

If your dog is peeing out of submission, fear, or excitement, you can work to reduce these emotional responses to your actions.

The solution will probably be a combination of slightly altering the way you do things and also doing them over and over until your dog doesn’t think they are a big deal.

For example, if your dog is peeing out of excitement, try completely ignoring them when you first enter the house.

You can also try dialing down the level of excitement in your greeting.

Remaining calm, and acting like it’s no big deal, when you leave or return to the house can help your dog stay calm and have less accidents on the floor.

Many owners, myself included, talk to my dogs in an excited voice when I come in the door, get on the floor with them for kisses, and waive the nearest dog toy in their face to engage.

However, this generally escalates your dog’s excitement.

If your dog starts to see you coming home as just another benign action, they may not get excited to the level that they lose control of their bladder.

In regard to submissive urination, I found it helped if I got down on the floor with the Dachshund before I started petting them or putting their harness on, rather than reaching down from above.

Approaching a dog from above can feel scary and cause submissive, appeasing behavior.

6) Use belly bands or diapers

Im a big propoent of setting a dog up for success.

If you have tried training solutions, or need the issue corrected immediately, sometimes you have to physically prevent a dog from peeing on the floor.

Crating your Dachshund when you’re out of the house, like mentioned above, is a good physical management tool.

But you can’t leave your dog in the crate when you’re home and probably don’t want to.

When my senior dog started peeing on the floor all the time, I had to change my mindset and get creative with solutions.

If you can’t control why your dog has accidents on the floor, a diaper or belly band may be your solution.

One of the best solutions for us, since I knew it was his dementia causing the accidents and I couldn’t change that, was to find a belly band, or male dog diaper, that fit him and that he couldn’t wiggle out of.

It took a few tries but I finally found one (click the article link 2 paragraphs above to find out which ones I use) and, suddenly, accidents on the floor stopped.

He still peed in the house but it just went into the diaper instead of on the floor or carpet.

Conclusion

It can be maddening when your Dachshund regularly pees on the floor.

Especially if its something that started happening suddenly when it was never a problem before.

There can be several causes – some that have simple, quick-acting solutions and some that are behavioral and will take some time to correct with training.

But don’t give up. There is a solution that will get your Dachshund to stop peeing in the house eventually. You just have to figure out what it is.

In the meantime, try not to scold your Dachshund or get frustrated.

Your Dachshund can sense your emotions and doign either can make the issue worse, not better.

For now, the best response is to not make a big deal of it, clean up the mess, and go to work trying to get the dog pee smell out of your carpet (dogs are more likely to go where they smell pee from before).

It's frustrating when your Dachshund goes potty inside the house on your floor. Here are 9 reasons it may be happening... and how to stop it.

About the Author

Hi, I’m Jessica. I’ve been studying the Dachshund breed since 2007, owned 3 of my own, and shared in the lives of thousands of others through their owner’s stories. When I’m not sharing what I know on this blog, you can find me hiking, camping, and traveling with my adventurous wiener dogs.

6 Comments

  1. Hello
    I have a dachshund called Russell. He has always been a pain when it comes to going potty, some days he’s good and some days he’s not so good.
    He frequently pees on beds, more commonly my partners side of the bed. This usually occurs when we leave the house. We have begun to shut all doors when we are out. He pees on everything we got our jack Russell desexed not long ago thinking it would help but it’s become even worse, with big wet patches all over the house. We also have a doggy door so they can go when they need to. What would you suggest doing for these few issues as it’s becoming so tiring and frustrating waking up with poop or pee every single morning.

  2. I have a 10 year old dapple dachshund and the last year he has no pee control, he shows no symptoms of being sick or anything he’s always since 8 weeks old has been a water drinker, we use the wraps accidentally ordered the diapers this time which for a male unnutered dog is a pain in the butt, he is a very healthy dog, a few years back he woke up one morning and couldn’t walk and we took him to the vet and he was completely healthy and the vet said he would never walk again and surgery wasn’t even a option , after a year in a doggy wheelchair and home therapy everyday he Dan walk, run not as fast but some, and he can’t jump no more but otherwise he’s very healthy, he don’t have no bowl problems and goes outside for that fine, we always had him on a every few hour schedule since he was 8 weeks old but like I said the urine part just started a few months ago

    1. Hi Kim. I’m going to answer both of your comments in this one reply.

      It’s normal for older Dachshunds to develop incontinence. It can be medical (loose bladder muscles, underlying condition like cushing’s) or dementia (forgetting they need to go outside). Ten is still pretty young for a Dachshund but one of my girl’s has IVDD and her incontinence started at that age. If you haven’t read it, you might want to read this article about how I dealt with my first Dachshund peeing in the house when he got old: https://youdidwhatwithyourweiner.com/old-dog-peeing-house-help/

      As far as restricting the amount of water he drinks, I do not recommend it. It’s important for dogs to stay hydrated. Especially older dogs. With that being said, I would discuss this with your vet. I’m not completely clear if you visited your vet about excessively drinking water and the incontinence to rule out potential causes like Cushing’s and diabetes. The vet will also be able to better tell you if limiting to 1.5 cups a day is ok.

  3. Is it okay to cut his drinking to.like a cup and a half a day, how much water should they drink and his name is Oscar

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