Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
l have a toy Poodle l can't go to the restroom or anywhere. If she sees me leave there's pee and poop when l return. When she gets upset at me, she will poop on the pad and pee, but leave one on the floor; sometimes a lot. Honestly she holds some poop. She is evil, but sweet. I don't get why is she doing this. What can l do?
By cahas
Reward her well when she does it where she should. But when she doesn't, scold her with a firm no and immediately pick her up and put her in her kennel or crate. If she still does it, kennel her before you leave.
We have a 4 year old female Pit Bull we adopted when she was a year old. We also have another smaller dog that is also 4 years old. They are both house trained and know not to pee in the house, but the Pit Bull will potty in our house in random areas (hallway, kitchen, etc.) when we sleep if we don't let her sleep in the room with us. They always slept with us, but I am now 6 months pregnant and it is just too uncomfortable for them to be in the bed with us so we let them stay in the living room. I'm not sure if she is just rebelling because she is upset she can't stay in the bed with us anymore.
By Angellle
I would guess she is just ticked. Maybe take her to see your vet to rule out bladder issues or infection. You could also try putting dog beds in your room, and teaching them to go to their beds, and not sleep in yours.
How about crates for the dogs in your bedroom at night?
I have a 5 year old male Pit Bull, and I have to put him in a cage every time I leave. When I go to bed he has to be in his cage or in the room I'm in with the door shut. If he is away from me too long he will go to the bathroom in the house. I feel like he is nervous if he can't see me or knows I'm gone. How can I stop this? I don't like leaving him in a cage. I want him to be free to walk the house.
By Giovanna
At his age there probably isn't much you can do to cure his separation anxiety and the best place for him when you are out is the crate.
I used to leave the TV on low in another room for my young Boxers but in all the years I raised AKC Boxers in the US (40+) there were times no matter what I did for an anxious puppy; he/she grew up to be an anxious adult. So I learned to live with it-dogs have individual personalities and some are just anxious by nature so we worked around it:)
By the way, with an anxious older dog, draping a duvet or blanket over the back half of the crate seemed to be an extra soothing thing to do for the dog. Although dogs evolved from lupine to canine a very long time ago, certain things like den behaviours have remained-dogs, like wolves, are thrilled (and soothed) by a den like place to call their own.
Good luck with your lad, he sounds like a lovely fellow who absolutely adores you:)
You might also try having his crate in the room you are in (when you are home) and leaving the door open. Drape the back of the crate with a blanket. Make the crate as comfortable as possible and throw some treats in there to encourage him to go in. Let him know that this crate is his "den" - a safe place to retreat to.
My dog pees in the house if not in her crate when I am not home.
If you are not leaving the dog too long, check with the vet to make sure there is no urinary tract infection. You may have to crate him when you are away if it isnt any of the above reasons.
Our two year old dog that hasn't had an accident in the house since he was 6 months old has suddenly decided to start peeing in the house (on our couches) when we are gone. He has a doggy door and access to the backyard at all times. We've tried cleaning it with the pet odor removing cleaners, etc., but he keeps peeing. We are hesitant to punish him too much as we can't catch him in the act since we aren't home when he does it and he never does it while we're home.
Any help on how to correct this would be great. We work away from home and we live in a freezing area, so crating him all day won't work and putting him outside all day won't work.It seems your dog doesn't want to go out in the cold to do his business. He doesn't misbehave when you're there because he knows you'd catch him doing it.
Did you train him on pee pads or newspaper? Can you switch him back to those until the weather warms up a bit?
My male Yorkie, Romo, is very stubborn. I'm gone from 7:30AM-5 PM every weekday. I take him outside twice every morning and feed him in the evenings. He poops every morning, but still everyday when I get home there is a poop pile and a pee spot. Also every weekend when I'm home he's fine.
He never goes in the house when I'm home. I tried crating him in a crate small enough for him to just turn around in and he still went in his crate. I really don't want to drive home everyday from work on my lunch to let him outside. Are there any other options? Help please.Your dog is not stubborn. You are asking your dog to hold his pee and poop for 9 and a half hours. Could you do this? Try leaving for work and not going to the bathroom until you get home.
Second of all, your dog is home all day. Dogs can not read or surf the internet or use the phone. Your dog is home alone, bored with no stimulation for the entire day.
I have a 6 month old Beagle mix, Walker Blue Tick/Beagle. Anyways, Fred will go all night with out going potty in the house, but if we leave the house for a half hour we come home to him having peed and pooped in the livingroom or kitchen.
We don"t cage him up because he will freak out and chew on the metal cage to get out. Any help would be greatly appreciated since I also have a 18 month old son. I'm scared I will have to get rid of Fred.I'd like some more information here.
First, how often do you walk Fred? The walk is a bonding experience that also increases your dog's confidence and helps drain his puppy energy. A Blue Tick Beagle mix needs to walk a LOT. With a toddler, this may be difficult. An hour a day broken up into two thirty minute walks would not be too much. If you are only doing twice a week or so it is way too little.
Freaking out and chewing the cage shows a neurotic and nervous behavior. Beagles especially can be high-strung bundles of energy and need a calm and structured environment.
Is your home calm or chaotic? Is it structured or more "anything goes?"
Finally, this dog will need training. He will need to learn several things: To walk on a leash properly, not to eat everything that smells good (especially with Beagles), not to jump up on your son, try to take food/toys from his hand, etc.
You're going to need time and focus for the dog's training. Be honest if you really have that right now. You're going to have to focus on your son learning to use the potty or eat with regular utensils and all the other stuff he needs to know. Children are a lot of work. If you honestly feel you don't have the time and energy to also train and socialize a dog, luckily he is young enough to find a home with someone who has the time and training experience. Experience with Beagles and hounds is a plus.
As for the peeing, it should go away with peace and quiet, more intense walking, more discipline and structure for the dog.
The cage should be used as a den or bed for naps and rest time, but don't close the door at these times. Eventually you should be able to close the door and leave if your dog is tired enough from daily exercise to need to catch up with a quick nap while you're gone.
Our French Bulldog is 6 years old and every time we leave him alone he pees in the house. It could be 10 minutes or 4 hours. We have tried kennel training and he broke two of the wires trying to get out and hurt himself. We've tried putting him in our room and he destroyed the door frame. We tried the bathroom and he ripped up all the tile. When we leave, we leave the TV on and some lights. We have a baby coming in 3 months so would really like to not have to worry about her laying or crawling in dog pee!
By Ariel D.
This is extreme separation anxiety. Here are some links:
www.aspca.org/
pets.webmd.com/
I recently moved with my dog. He used to have access to outdoors and indoors all day though a doggy door. The new house does not have this. However, he is only ever home 4.5 hours without a potty break. Either I go home at lunch or a dog walker comes and takes him to the dog park. He was doing fine. However, recently I started a fitness class after work which brings me home an hour later. We adjusted his potty break so the dog walker comes at noon (I leave at 8:00 a.m.) and leaves him at 1:15 p.m.
and I arrive home at 5:30. He has been peeing on these days I have this class only. He is home alone the same amount of time the other days, but does not pee when I am home at the usual time, even though the times he is alone are the same. I wonder if he is doing this just because I am not home when "I am supposed to be"? How can I break this habit?By Jenna
Your poor dog! He had alot of freedom in his old home and is now very restricted in his new home. It is clear he is not a happy camper. Is it possible to make a new doggie door to give him full access in and out? If not, your vet may be able to help you help your dog adjust to his new requirements. There are also pet training services that may be able to help.
I have a mutt that is 5 years old. We rescued him from the pound when he was one. When we leave, he poops and sometimes pees in the house. Even if we take him out right before we leave, then forgot something and 1 minute later go back inside he is in the act of pooping, like he is doing it on purpose. He is a great dog! Only when we are gone does he act up. We tired the crate and he not only chewed through one cage but three cages. One was metal and the other two were a thick plastic. What do I need to do?
By Krystal
He empties because he's stressed. You lock him in a very large cage, the house, and he can't escape the imagined enemies. He needs a companion to help him feel safe.
We adopted Joey about 5 months ago after our other Boston Terrier passed away. (We had disposed of all of the previous dog's belongings, and there were zero accidents in the house from the previous dog).
Joey is a 6-7 year old adult, and we adopted him from a Boston Terrier Rescue in another state. They had picked him up as a stray, which they believe he was for a while as he was covered in fleas and very dirty. We believe he spent most I his life (before they rescued him) in a breeder/puppy mill situation. It's impossible to know for sure.
He is a very sweet, affectionate, and appreciative dog, as he was when we first visited him at the rescue shelter. They neutered him just before we picked him up. We are retired so the only time he is alone, may be for 3-4 hours when if we have something to do and cannot bring him with. We take him everywhere we can, as he loves car rides, and is even comfortable staying in the car while we run errands (weather permitting, of course.) We live in Minnesota for most if the year, but winter in Mesa, Arizona.
He made the trip with us to Arizona (flew first class without any issues at all) and adjusted to our home here with no other issues. (This issue has been consistent in MN and AZ). He gets taken outside frequently, and we keep him on a very regular feeding and bathroom schedule.
When we go to bed at night, be goes in his crate, and is perfectly fine. But when we have to leave him during the day for any amount of time (he goes in his crate as well) he pees either in his crate, or lifts his leg and pees out of the crate all over the floor, every single time. It doesn't matter if we are gone for 10 minutes or 2 hours.
We took him to the vet when we first got him and he was having this issue, as we thought it was an adjusting period, or he just had separation anxiety because he may have been left alone for long periods of time in his previous years. The vet prescribed Valium. It worked for about 2-3 occasions, but now, he just takes it, gets a little drowsy, but that's it. He is still peeing.
We don't make a big deal about leaving, or fuss when we return, as the vet recommended we try this to keep Joey calm. His crate has his blankets, chew bones, a toy or two, and we've recently started trying using a Kong with some dog food and even a little peanut butter on top to keep him busy/distracted. Still not working.
We love him dearly and are so happy we can make the remaining years if his life wonderful, but we just don't know how to fix this issue to help him? And to help us from having to clean up the messes every time.
What can we do or try? Anything is helpful!
By Kate
Bless you for taking this dog in. It sounds to me like you have tried just about everything. You might try incontinence pads from WM. I use them for my cat who has neurological issues. Saves a lot of cleaning up. Have you tried not crating the dog when you are gone? I wonder if crating him brings back bad memories and bad behavior. If he was in a puppy mill he probably had no choice but to go in his small cage. It may seem like perfectly proper behavior to him. Good luck.
Five months ago we rescued a Brittney Spaniel. He is about 3 years old. We have taught him a few commands, and potty trained him, but when we leave, even for an hour he poops in his crate. Once he even peed in the crate and it ruined the floors so the crate was moved into the garage until we can trust him.
I'm not sure how to fix the problem. It's not every time we go out, but it's often enough that I can't allow him in the house without anyone home. He even peed on the basement door once when I went into the basement for 5 minutes without him. I know it's a separation thing or a spite thing, but I can't have that in our house. Help!
By Chrissy G.
Sounds like separation anxiety to me. You can find info and suggestions for treating it from your vet or online.
My Maltese dogs are 4 years old, (Max and Chloe, brother and sis). The past year they started peeing in the house when I'm gone. It started when I had my niece stay at the house to take care of them which she has done since they were pups.
Now when we are away on vacation and sometimes when we are just out for a few hours they leave their mark. I make sure that they urinate before we leave, they both seem well drained, but still seem to squeeze some out while we are gone? I don't know what to do.
By Mary
I have a 4 year old Rottie Shep mix. I do work a lot but, even when I leave for 10 minutes after a walk she pees. Any advice on getting a schedule?
By Keith
I have a 1 year old Pit Bull and everytime I leave for even an hour he pees and poops and sometimes destroys the house, but when I am home he is housetrained and well behaved. Anyone know what to do?
By Graham
I have two dogs and recently moved in with my boyfriend. If I go out for two, three, or even 4 hours she tends to pee in the kitchen. She also sleeps in there and pees in there some nights as well. Is there anything I can do as it seems like an attention or jealousy problem to me?
By Stephanie
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
We have a small older dog (mutt) that is pretty much potty trained, except when no one is home and our door is open. He pees on our bed, right through to the mattress.
