Female dog keeps peeing in the hall
 

Hello, I'm brand new here and looking for a little advice about my dog.

Pheobe, our 10 year old Shorthaired Irish Wheaton Terrier bitch, was rescued by a lady from a puppy farm and she's terrified of men. We then adopted Pheobe from this lady while she was still a pup.

The last 2 years or so Pheobe has been peeing in the hall just by our front door. She doesnt do it all the time i would guess 2-3 times a month. It's very frustrating as we have tried the bottle shaker method, the praise and discourage method and even taken her to the vet who has said there is nothing physically wrong with her although she is a very nervous and shy dog. We even have our backdoor open during the hotter days if she would like to go on her own but she never takes it upon herself to just go outside and even when calling her down to come outside she is very hesitant sometimes even crouching and peeing in front of us in the hall.

We dont take her on as many walks as we would like due to the whole family working long hours (and i realise it is a bit selfish having animals if we cant give then the full attention they require) but our animals never really want for anything they have toys to play with a large backyard to run around and plenty of food and water. In case it is her diet they have a large bowl of cool water in the hall for them to drink from and they have a large bowl of dog kibble (we dont feed them meat as Pheobe always has the runs and terrible farts when she eats meat).

My mum has reached breaking point and has now taken to lashin out at Pheobe when she pees and it is usually me who has to intervene (as i hate animals being hurt) this then leads to rows between the family.

I really dont want us to give Pheobe away because shes such a character and i love her to bits shes such a gentle, quiet dog. I just wish we could sort out why she is peeing like this.

I usually comment on cat behaviour, but have owned dogs in the past, and I know that yelling or punishing a shy, nervous dog will not, repeat NOT, do any good but just reinforce or make worse her nervous state, nor will it stop her peeing inside. I suggest that since she was rescued from a puppy mill, that she [I]never received [/I]any kind of toilet training at all, she just went when and where she could, so she's never learned that it's inappropriate to elminate in the house. I'm sure you'll get some expert advice from people on how to correct her peeing inside (if it's even possible at this late stage in her life).

However, "due to the whole family working long hours" it seems impossible to take her outside at regular intervals (say after meals, or every couple of hours) to pee outside. Hopefully someone will have other suggestions. :2cents: :shrug: Good luck! I think you're going to need it. :fingerscr

[QUOTE=meme666;921231]She doesnt do it all the time i would guess 2-3 times a month.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=catlover2;921239] I know that yelling or punishing a shy, nervous dog will not, repeat NOT, do any good but just reinforce or make worse her nervous state[/QUOTE]

I totally agree with catlover2 , your mom is making it worse by "lashing out" at the poor dog. You said 2-3 times a month ? Well , it's not that bad ! I've seen much worse and dealt with it. :shrug:

Is the dog spayed ? A dog that has accidents in front of a door usually means that ... the dog wanted to go do it outside but nobody noticed. :shrug:

Thanks for the reply catlover.

I know that shouting isnt the answer with her, but you tryin tellin my mum that :(

Like i say she is pretty good usually (we have 'potty' trained her ourselves when we got her so we are confused as to why in the last 2 years, and her being 10, shes just started peeing in the hall. Again like i said its not regularly 2-3 times a month she can even skip months and be fine :S

Thank you again for the advice though i really do appreciate it :)

[QUOTE=Frenchy;921256] Is the dog spayed ? A dog that has accidents in front of a door usually means that ... the dog wanted to go do it outside but nobody noticed. :shrug:[/QUOTE]

Yes shes been spayed she was spayed when she was about 2 or 3 years i think.

It sounds odd but when she wishes to go outside she jumps around and barks and we always let her out. Like i have said the backdoor is always open during the hotter days.

Puppy pads
 

If it's just a couple of times a month, maybe you could just place a puppy pad (either the disposable kind or the reusable/washable type) where she pees (since it seems to be always in the same spot)?

Since you love her and she's otherwise a good dog and you (and your vet) can't figure out what's causing it, and it's only two times a month, why not just put a puppy pad (and maybe a rubber mat under the puppy pad) there to protect the floor and forget about it?

It almost sounds like it's some kind of submissive peeing, which I guess would have a psychological root.

Since she otherwise sounds like a lovely dog who had a tough early life, why not cut her a break? She's only got a few more years on this planet - it would be horrible to have to re-home her again.