On this week’s ‘Ask the Expert’, Pete the Vet explains how to get your dog to stop peeing everywhere in your home. 

“My dog pees everywhere,” a listener told Pete on The Anton Savage Show. 

“I'm guessing it's a territorial thing, but I don't know how to stop it. 

“He has peed on me when I was sitting on the stool outside, he's peed on my cats and sometimes indoors when he knows that's not allowed.” 

Small animal vet and writer Pete said he suspects the animal is a “little male dog”. 

“The male hormones are very, very potent at telling dogs to mark their territory,” he said. 

“[They will pee on] anything within sight. 

“Dogs and cats live in a world of odours, odours that are so subtle that you and I can't get them, but to dogs and cats, they're shouting at them. 

“So, when a dog wants to feel comfortable, he wants to have everything within this domain identified as his and he doesn't feel really settled until everything has his particular fine stench.” 

Portrait of a dog wearing a scarf. Image: Stephen Flint / Alamy

Pete said the “simple answer” is to get the dog neutered. 

“That removes the male hormones, and it stops him wanting to do that,” he said. 

“It's not always quite as simple as that though, because some neutered male dogs continue to habit and so there is an element of training and also of cleaning up. 

“Once dogs peed somewhere they want to pee there again because now it smells of pee and it just needs topped up a little bit.” 

When cleaning, Pete advises not using bleach, as the smell of bleach is similar enough to pee that the dog will continue to pee in that spot. 

“What I suggest is cleaning an area in solution of biological soap powder and warm water,” he said. 

“And then what you do is you dry it, and you spray it with surgical spirit which mops up some of this sort of oily stuff, and then you dab it dry.” 

You can listen back here: