Either retrain potty training or Kennel time!!! HELP!

[Gerard]

So my lovely dog Raider of about a year and a half has decided to pee on MY bed for the SECOND TIME! The first time I was not home and was about a month or so ago when I was gone about half the day. Tonight it was raining outside, I was only gone for about 3 hours, got him to go pee outside be like always he REFUSES to go poop outside. I figured there would be a little poop, not 4 nice sized logs, and he would go pee again when I would get home. Instead when I get home I notice a nice big wet spot on my mattress, comforter and my pillows. I figured he may have found a water bottle laying around until I noticed it was a yellow ring on the mattress! Also the other day I was tossing a ball in the house with him while I was watching TV and the next thing i know he is peeing near the back door, even though there was no previous warning and he was out a few hours earlier!

 

Here is some background, Raider sleeps on my bed with me every night, HATES thunderstorms but we are working on it, Refuses to go outside during rain/thunderstorms unless he is right next to me, has been pooping more in the house than outside lately, when I play video games in my room he come and lays next to me or on my floor, he is VERY clingy towards me, never been kenneled..

 

Now I am thinking kenneling might not be a bad idea to give him his own "place" but he already has a bed downstairs.

 

Any suggestions? I am thinking retrain "potty" even tho I say go potty and he goes pee outside with no problems and/or kennel train his butt cause Im so mad right now!

[PSmitty]

Wouldn't hurt to check him for a UTI, first. If everything checks out medically, go back to basics with him (treat him like a puppy), with house breaking and crate training.

[Sue R]

^^^What Paula said.

 

There are lots of topics here with good advice on house-breaking/potty-training (and retraining). Hope you find your answers!

[urge to herd]

For a lot of dogs, one pee isn't enough to empty their bladders. So, one pee outside before you leaving isn't going to leave him comfortable for very long.

 

You could take him outside to pee about half an hour before you go, and then again right before you go.

 

Sometimes constipation can cause problems with holding urine. Check his stool quality.

 

Don't let him roam. Tether him to you, so he can't get away and pee somewhere else in the house. Put him on a regular schedule, every 2 hours, every three hours, but make it your schedule. Don't wait for him to ask you to go outside.

 

Do the vet check AND start re-training. If he has a bladder infection/prostate infection, then he'll need to go outside more often and you'll need to be more vigilant. Clean the spots/mattress with an enzyme based cleaner made for dog urine.

 

Good luck!

 

Ruth and Agent Gibbs

[bcnewe2]

I'm voting on a vet check and maybe a UTI. That can throw off all potty issues. Or maybe a leaky bladder (more normal for a girl but could be a male too) could of had a bit of urine on the bed already so dog thought is was ok to go there.

 

 

All my dogs but 1 (current puppy) have peed on my bed as wee ones. I think it's a texture thing. But they only did it once and never again or not as grown ups.

 

Was it raining when he did it?

 

I've seen my dogs go over 24 hours not pottying due to a continued storm. Not good. I could see having an accident at that point. They didn't but that's probably casue they refused to come out of hiding unless I had them on a leash which i did but didn't help them to go potty. They held it all the same.

 

And my current pup in training (potty training) has to go a few times. She doesn't empty enough on the first go. I'll see her go maybe 3 times in the morning first thing.

[Gerard]

I just took raider to the vet on Saturday for a "check up" and his shots and they said everything was fine. I take him out pretty often. I woke up about 2 hours ago took him potty and stayed out there for a good 10 minutes. He went pee but then would go running around with the other dog, try finding toys, picking up random scents and going crazy. I get waken up by him just now and there is 2 piles of poop on the living room carpet!!! Guys as you can imagine i am so tired of cleaning up poop, it is ridiculous!! It's to the point I don't know what to do. I've read dont put their nose in it, but every dog my family has had that is what we have done and it works. I'm at a loss.

[Cyberdog]

Up the amount of reward for going potty outside, stick with a VERY STRICT schedule, and do not punish the dog unless you catch him mid pee/poo. Predictible times for potty breaks can work wonders. And wash the heck out of your bed. If it smells at all like urine or feces to the dog he is more likely to go there again. I cant emphasize my first sentence enough....reward for potty outside and maintain a potty schedule! Do not punish unless you catch him in the act. Tell him no and take him outside.

[mum24dog]

do not punish the dog unless you catch him mid pee/poo.

 

I would say don't punish your dog even if you catch him mid pee/poo.

 

Punishment carries the danger of making the dog afraid to eliminate in the owner's presence.

 

Distract to give time to get him outside yes, but punish no.

[rushdoggie]

If he got a check up and you didn't specifically mention that he was peeing inappropriately, they probably wouldn't check, and a very low grade infection likely wouldn't increase his temp. If you have noticed a strong or funny odor at all, or you think theres any kind of increase in frequency, a UTI might be a reason, and you could probably call your vet, explain you were just there but you are having house training issues and ask if you can bring in a urine sample. Its usually pretty cheap, especially if you don't have a visit attached. If he has a dribble or discomfort when peeing he can develop nasty associations and that can really make your job harder.

 

If he is clear (or isn't and gets cleared) you need to treat him like a tiny baby puppy and remove all ability to roam unsupervised, take him outside a lot, reward lavishly for going where you want to and don;t allow him to sneak off to use the house. Take him out 30 minutes and right before you leave him, kennel him when you are gone, and feed on a schedule.

 

I would bet that the thunderstorms may have played a part and now he is all messed up.

[juliepoudrier]

First I wouldn't let him outside with the other dog if it's distracting him. If you're going back to retraining then you would want to eliminate distractions anyway. Also, get a crate/kennel and use it. I suspect you haven't cleaned the areas he's pooped or peed thoroughly (enzyme cleaner) and so he's smelling where he's gone before.

 

Also, I think anxiety can play a role. My older dog (12) has become more anxious when I leave as she's aged. If I leave her loose in the house for an hour or two while I go somewhere, she almost certainly will poop on the floor. I suspect it's a separation anxiety thing, because I had another oldster that also got more anxious as she aged and would throw up when left for a few hours. I realize your dog is young, but if he's an anxious, clingy type, this could be part of the issue.

 

A kennel can help in that regard too, because unlike a bed, it's an enclosed, den-like space that he will see has his safe spot. Some dogs will pee or poop in a crate, but most won't. If you take him outside to go potty and he doesn't do what he needs to do, then in the crate he goes. In fact, I'd crate him whenever you can't watch him like a hawk. Block off your bedroom if you can.

 

Just remember that if he's already and anxious, clingy dog and you're getting angry or exasperated every time you clean up after him, he's picking up on that and it's probably making him even more anxious/stressed.

 

When I come home to a mess from Kat, I just put her outside and clean up with no comment. I don't think yelling at her or otherwise showing my displeasure would make a difference. I know she can't help herself.

 

Did the vet actually check a urine sample or palpate his prostate gland?

 

J.

[olivehill]

Wait, was it storming/rainy and he was alone both times he peed on your bed? And he normally sleeps there? I just wonder if he was already anxious because you were gone, had gone to his safe spot -- the bed -- and then with the rain/storm just got so worked up he lost control of his bladder? For the pooping at night/mornings, crate him. It'll help tremendously. I have a three year old Schnauzer who will go in the house every single time if she's not crated at night. And not just at night, but she'll go in the house off and on all day after a night of not being crated. Crate her and the problem disappears.

[Ooky]

If he got a check up and you didn't specifically mention that he was peeing inappropriately, they probably wouldn't check, and a very low grade infection likely wouldn't increase his temp. If you have noticed a strong or funny odor at all, or you think theres any kind of increase in frequency, a UTI might be a reason, and you could probably call your vet, explain you were just there but you are having house training issues and ask if you can bring in a urine sample. Its usually pretty cheap, especially if you don't have a visit attached. If he has a dribble or discomfort when peeing he can develop nasty associations and that can really make your job harder.

 

If he is clear (or isn't and gets cleared) you need to treat him like a tiny baby puppy and remove all ability to roam unsupervised, take him outside a lot, reward lavishly for going where you want to and don;t allow him to sneak off to use the house. Take him out 30 minutes and right before you leave him, kennel him when you are gone, and feed on a schedule.

 

^^^Agree.

 

Also, train a "go potty" command. And clean the old spots really really well. In fact I agree with pretty much all advice in this thread, such as to get a crate and crate train, and go back to square 1 with training as it's pretty clear he's not house trained at the moment. If he has a UT problem some of it may clear up with treatment but its possible he's gotten in the habit of going inside. Try not to get too frusterated with him he sounds like a nervous boy in general and if he gets freaked out about the whole thing it could make your training job a LOT harder.

[beachdogz]

Agree with most everything on this thread: vet check (though I'm betting he doesn't have a UTI), GO BACK TO HOUSEBREAKING WITH A CRATE, clean spots well...and I'll add one more thing: deny access to all previous spots. They will continue to go back to the same area as a habit or because even though you clean well, those odors are still detectable to them. That means no more on the bed; move furniture to cover spots, or cover with some kind of heavy area rug. This is not an insurmountable problem, unless you are too lax with starting a new housebreaking program.

 

You know he is unreliable now, but you said that you laid down and when you got up you found poop. So you are trusting him and not monitoring when you know the problem exists. If you can't watch him, crate him. Maybe move crate to bedroom next to bed if he is used to sleeping in bed with you.

 

Also...is he neutered? Has anything changed in his/your life lately? Did you say you had another dog that lives with you? (You said he goes out and runs around with the "other dog"). What are the circumstances with the other dog: who was there first? When did the second dog come? Other dog male or female? Any housebreaking problems with other dog -- if there is another dog?

[PSmitty]

I haven't read everyone's responses, but real quickly, regarding today's incident. Do not take him out with the other dog. Take him out to pee and poop, it's not playtime. AFTER he does both "jobs", THEN he can play and sniff. Only then.(And yes, this may require patience on your part! I only mention that because my husband swears I can get the dogs to potty and he can't, but the difference is I have patience.)

 

Also remember to reward when he eliminates outside. Tell him immediately that he's a good boy, and even carry treats to give him. Just like you would a puppy. If you were using a crate, I'd say if you take him out and he doesn't pee and poop, then into the crate he goes. Give him some time in there, and try again. Only after he does both, will he get to stay out.

 

And I'd still have a urine check done, the vet most likely didn't do that during your routine checkup.