Do you have a male dog that you believe understands the concept of going potty in the appropriate place (either his Pooch Potty or outdoors)- and he is still urinating indoors?

Is your dog neutered?
I discovered this correlation first hand when Sam, one of my rescue dogs, suddenly took a liking to using my couch as his own personal fire hydrant! This was after living with me for several months and he was clearly housetrained. I took him to the vet thinking he had a bladder infection and they took one look at him and said nope . . . he needs to be neutered. (foolishly, I had never checked because when I rescued him I was told he had already had this done)

Long story short and one neutered dog later . . . guess what? No more pee parties on my couch! I couldn't believe it was such an easy solution.

After some research, I learned there are actually quite a few behavioral issues that are directly correlated to an un-neutered dog . Wow . . . who'd have thunk?

Later on, I learned about another solution for male dogs called the Belly Band .

TidBit is my sister's little male doxie mix. Although he understands the concept of going potty outside, on occasion and for what seems like emotional reasons, he will go potty indoors on the carpeting. He doesn't even seem to mind standing there right in front of you and unloading his bladder five minutes after coming in from a walk. He's had vet check ups, he's talked to pet psychics, everything . . . but still no solution.

A Los Angeles dog trainer by the name of Sue Ellen told me about the Belly Bands. My sister tried them out and says they absolutely work. TidBit doesn't wear them all the time, honestly, I think it is because he is so darn cute and he convinces her that he doesn't need to wear them. When they really come in handy is when TidBit goes to visit other people's homes - the Belly Band is always on, to ensure he will be invited back as a welcome guest.

A Belly Band is not meant to be worn at all times, but to assist with figuring out a house training problem. A Belly Band is also helpful for the senior male if they begin to experience incontinence.

There are other versions of the same concept, such as Mark Out and a female version is available at Molly's Dog House . Although I'm not sure I can say the product name on this blog! LOL!

What is your relationship with your dog like?
There is another tip I learned from dog trainer Lori Peikoff.  I noticed that when she enters someone else's home with her dog Ellie, that she stops at the front door and reminds Ellie who is in charge by a simple little tug-tug on the leash and making her sit.   She says this is all that is needed before going inside, so that Ellie knows she is not in charge and won't mark anywhere in the house.  (now that is a nice doggie guest to have!)

This is only possible if you already have your relationship in order with your dog.  Are you being the dog mommy or daddy that you are supposed to be?  Or is your dog the parent and you are the child?  (basically, who is leading whom)
For any behavioral problems - I hands down recommend Lori Peikoff.  She is the only dog trainer I have seen who has turned around the behavior of dogs who other trainers were not able to get a handle on.  Just call us  if you need her number, she doesn't have a website yet.  If you are not in the Los Angeles area, she may be able to do a phone consult depending on the issue.