Peeing Issues

[scottylang81]

My puppy is a boxer/eng bulldog and is 4months old. I have had him for a month and half now and having major problems with him peeing in the house. I put him out often for pees, I have a nice dead patch in my lawn to prove it. I reward him when he pees outside with lots of praise. Im having problems when taking him from his crate to outside, he will pee at the door in the brief moment it takes me to open the door to let him out. He also randomly pees in the house, right in front of me. I can usually tell when hes peed somewhere because he will go hide somewhere and won't come when I cal him. I don't know what else to do with him. I advised my vet of this and he said it's because he's a puppy. I know he can hold it because I don't crate him at night and he doesn't mess at all through the night. Looking for some pointers here please!!!

[millitntanimist]

Hi,
Your pup's house training just needs a bit of work.
Until he is solid, he shouldn't be anywhere out of your sight. Period. Either limit his access to the house with doors or gates or keep him on a long line with you. Start taking him out every 2 hours or so when you are home. If he is not making it out the door, can you prop the door open before you open the crate and run him out really fast? Go with him and give him something really yummy, like cooked meat, when he is successful. Make sure he gets a good run and several chances to go before he is put in the crate for the day.
Don't punish him for accidents. As you can see, all he is learning is that it is unsafe to pee in front of you – not that it is “bad” to pee. His “guilty looks” afterwards are his way of trying to calm you down. Dog logic: he knows he has been scolded before when you found pee, so maybe if he offers you all of his appeasement gestures before you see the pee, you won't get angry.
If/when he does have an accident in front of you, try to interrupt him by clapping your hands or saying “oops” and take him outside (this is where dragging a leash is handy). If you can get him mid-stream so that he can finish out there, awesome. Again, praise is good but food is better.
Also, make sure clean all the spots he has gone before with an enzymatic cleaner to de-nature the scent proteins left by the urine.

[067734m]

Hi there - Can I introduce another 'peeing issue' on this thread?:

I'm thinking of adopting a 3-4 yr old, male, mix (collie x whippet/greyhound x beagle x terrier?). He's tall, about 70lbs, neutered late (guessing around 2 yrs old?). He's described as quiet, and generally calm (we adopted his 'dominant kennel mate' -a spayed, dominant female- who is also quiet, generally calm, perfectly house-broken).

The only hitch is that they say he requires a 'belly band' when introduced to a new house as he has a tendency to mark. Yuck! Apparently, after a day or two once his natural smell (not urine) has settled, you can take the belly band off and he's perfectly house-broken.

Well - using a belly band for a couple days everytime we go to a new place is NOT house-broken to me! I do not want to deal with a belly band (especially if we're visiting another house of a friend/relative).

QUESTION: Can I train this out of him? Or is this 'initial making' behavior permanently ingrained?
I can deal with the odd 'accident' -especially when training. But is this something I can train out? Anyone have similar experience?

[tenderfoot]

With enough work I think he is trainable. But the key is how much work does that require and are you up for it? If you aren't able to do the work are you willing to make the extra effort to use the belly band? Is it worth having him in your life even if you have to use the band if it is necessary?

[067734m]

All great questions. I'm willing to put in the effort. (We already adopted and trained his kennel mate - different dog, different issues, but now beatifully house broken - we love her, that's why we're considering him!). Your last question, about having to live with the belly band is the one I'm really thinking over before going forward...

I was hoping that someone may have had a similar experience of training "out" the belly band, in a late neutered, older mixed dog.

[tenderfoot]

Sometimes the belly band is a deterrent in it's self. The dog is less likely to pee in the band and he begins to break the habit. Sometimes not.

Otherwise it's the same as taking a young puppy to other peoples homes. You would monitor and watch the pup to ensure no mistakes are made and you would be ready to correct mistakes if needed. You would also take the puppy out frequently while at your friends home so he could empty himself outside.

It is a training issue that takes time since he has had this habit for awhile, but it sounds like you have done a great job with your other dog so I don't doubt that you can do it again.

[Birdi]

I can't figure out how to post so I'm tagging on here. I have a 4 month old puppy who can't seem to figure out the house isn't her bathroom. She will go outside but she can also be outside for hours playing or laying around then come inside and go, sometimes right in front of us. I'm at my wits end..what do I do?

[067734m]

Tenderfoot - love (all) your responses. I think I agree with the attitude you have about dog training.

Good to hear that you think this training CAN be done. I'm still thinking long and hard about this second 'adoption' and am taking to mind your input.

Thanks!

[tenderfoot]

A four month old pup shouldn't be expected to be great at houstraining yet. Some very young pups learn early on and others can take a while. Just know your work isn't done until you have consistent results for months in a row. Puppies tend to get so excited about being outside they sometimes forget they had to pee. So when they get back in the house and things aren't so distracting, they remember and let loose.

So there are a few things to do.

Give the pup plenty of chances to out and plenty of time to get the job done. Give it a word like 'go potty' or 'do your business', and praise when they do the job. Know that dogs need to pee/soil more than once. So learn who your dog is - does he always soil twice? Does he pee more than once? So if you bring them in after the first attempt they aren't done yet!!

Next, if you can't watch your pup like a hawk then you are going to miss opportunities to teach. If your pup starts to look like he is going to make a mistake then get him outside and stay with him so you can praise him. If he is the act of a mistake then startle him with a quick clap of the hands and say 'no, potty!'. Then get nice and get him out. Don't hold a grudge or keep berating him. Make your point and be done.

If he is walking away from a mistake it's too late. This one is your fault for not watching. Can't get mad at him, you can only learn from your mistake.

If you can't watch him then he needs to be managed somewhere. Crates are great to aid in potty training. Or you could set up a baby gate in a room that wouldn't be as upsetting if a mistake happens.

Feeding/water schedules are also helpful to help in potty training. 2-3 meals a day (depending on the age of the dog) equals 2-6 needs to soil. This also contributes to the pee schedule. Every time he eats he usually drinks especially if you are feeding dry kibble. But if you leave food out all day then the pup is putting lots of little meals in and taking lots of little drinks throughout the day, so the soiling schedule will be random and unpredictable.

I just consulted with a client whose little Havanese was doing great during the week but weekends were filled with mistakes. With a little thought we figured out that on the weekends her girls were home from school and giving way too many treats to the puppy so it set his system off and he was going everywhere.

This comes down to you - how good are you at keeping a good potty schedule? What is his feeding schedule? How good are you at watching the pup and catching him in the act? When you improve in these departments he will improve too.