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I do not know the best way to train her again. I am used to her being with me all the time and feel mean to keep her in the crate. I don't know if this makes sense, but I need help. I guess my question is, how to you retrain a five year old? And how long do I let her out to spend time with her? And when I do, she may pee on the carpet. It is too hot to take her outside and spend time with her. How do I make it so that she does not feel abandoned and hate her crate?
By Elizabeth N.
Have you discussed this problem with your vet? He/she should be able to give you some info. For instance, there could be a medical problem causing this break in toilet training. Your vet should be able to advise you about behavioral issues, too. Another excellent source of info is the ASPCA - they have a "virtual pet behaviorist" on their website, ASPCA.org. Also, try calling your local ASPCA and Humane Society for pet behaviorist advice. You could also go to the library and read up on the subject. There are many good sources of info. I suppose you've already tried googling the topic?
Good luck to you and your dog. Please don't give up!
Me again. The url for behaviorist is http://www.aspcabehavior.org
The first thing I would do is take her to the Vet to see if there is an underlying cause for her not being able to hold her pee. In the meantime, I'd invest in a 'puppy pen' you can set it up inside your house with potty pads on the floor so that she isn't being left to "live" (& I use the term lightly) her life away in a small box. Living in a crate is not 'living'.
The potty pads are a good idea. As well as newspapers, just like when you're first training a puppy. Or you could try a container (something similar to the tray made to put under a washing machine to collect any leaks, or even a boot tray, depending on her size) with some dirt in it. You don't need a lot of dirt, just enough for her to smell and associate it with the outdoors. Keep an old rug around it so her paws will clean off a bit when she comes out. One of those artificial grass rugs works well. It ends up being almost like a litter box, but the extra work is well worth it to save your floors. Introduce her to the box once it's set up so she'll hopefully realize that's the place to "go". I'd check with the Vet, too, if this continues. Lots of luck to you!
You did not state what her back-problems were and why she had been sick. In her best interest please consult your Veterinarian she may have a urinary tract infection or a number of other problems. There is only one person who can professionally diagnose this. She is a lovely girl who can't help herself in these situations and depends on you to help her. Good luck.
She obviously knows to hold her pee as you said she holds it for days at a time. I would crate train her which will mean a lot of work on your part. Take her outside regularly (at least every couple of hours) and stay outside for a while to give her a chance to go. Talk to your Vet first and get to the root of the problem! Good luck.
Awww! Such a precious furbaby. She is so cute and what a pretty face. I also love Dashies. I used to have one also but she got too heavy and it broke her back down and her spine broke down into her spinal column and she passed away. I still miss her so much, her beautiful big brown eyes and her long flowing ears and short feet.
You mentioned that your dog has back problems and has been sick. Have you spoken to your vet about the potty problems Abby has been having? If the dog was sick and treated with meds, is it possible that she may have some kidney problems, or a reaction to the meds? Do you have a doggy door in your house so Abby can get in and out as she needs to? The doggy door has been a real life saver for my two dogs. and no more accidents! Also, maybe Abby's back hurts so she won't go outside to go potty? Just some thoughts about the situation, maybe I have mentioned something that might help. Good luck! Give her lots of hugs and kisses!
I have an American Akita who is about 18 months old. He can't seem to go through the night without peeing or pooping in my kitchen. We have an enclosed outside area for him which he can get to in the night, but doesn't. We have tried all sorts of cleaning products to get rid of the scent, but he still does it in the exact same place. We don't know what to do. We give him a bowl full of water in the morning and then with his dinner, but take it away at night. During the day he goes outside to do his business. Does anyone have any advise? I'm open to all suggestions.
Our 2 year old Dachshund has suddenly forgotten that she was house trained. She will not do her business outside anymore. I take her out and she refuses to do anything and comes right back in and as soon as you turn your back she uses the throw rugs. We have taken them up so now she uses the hardwood floor. What do I do? We have a 7 year old spoiled Lab mix that never goes in the house.
I have a 16 month old male, neutered Schnauzer. He is house trained. He never goes upstairs in the house, but he sneaks out of my sight and goes down to the rec room and pees and poops down there always in the same spot. He goes to the far end of the room and goes just in front of the far wall.
We spend a lot of time at my boyfriend's house and he never does it while we are there, but as soon as I come home he does it again.
He is fed on a schedule and taken out and walked on a schedule and it's the same schedule here as at my boyfriend's house. He has been vet checked and is healthy. It's not necessarily when I go out that he does it. He just randomly sneaks downstairs and goes.
The only thought I have is that my adult son lives with me and his bedroom is in the basement. He is not home much between working and being at his girlfriend's and when he does come home he doesn't really pay much attention to the dog (even though the dog loves him to death) and I'm wondering if the peeing and pooping is an intentional thing to protest my son not being home or not giving him enough attention.
Does anyone have any suggestions? He has ruined my carpet downstairs and I'd really like to correct this before I get new carpet. I've done all the retaining stuff and it didn't make any difference. He knows to go outside and always does, but this behavior in the house has to stop.
Suggestions please!
Thanks for your time!
I have two Maltese dogs that poop and pee in the living room of the house every night. The male is 3 years old and the female is 2 years old. I want to keep them, but I am at the point to where if I don't get this taken care of soon I will take them to an animal shelter and just let them find them a new home. You wake up in the morning to this and have to pick it up every morning.
My Pit Bull is 3 years old. He has the back door open all night, but lately he's been going in the kitchen more than once a night. What do I do?
I have a dog. He is part Chi/Pom. I got him when he was 4 months old, he is now 1 and a half years. He was fully trained by me when I got him. We moved a year ago and had him retrained. My brother-in-law brought over his new dog and now he is pooing and peeing all over the house.
He has no health issues. He goes to the door every 1/2 hr, but only to mark his area then comes in and does his duty. He howls when outside and barks and growls all the time. He goes around in circles growling at himself and growls when anyone picks him up, including me. I have tried everything to stop him, from spraying cinnamon or vinegar along with Javex to disinfect.
Last week he peed on my couch for the first time, and has humped blankets, his bed, etc. He is very hyper, he chases the cat all over 3 floors until he is exhausted at least 3 - 4 times a day. He growls and snaps at people when you take a walk with him and refuses to poo outside. He doesn't eat like a normal dog, he picks out pieces of the dry food and puts the rest on the floor making a huge mess. He runs outside when he sees the opportunity to go down the main street, then he comes back when I shout to him. Thus he has to be chained outside each time he goes outside. I am afraid he is going to get hit by a car as it is very busy.
When I first got him the owners said he was a quiet dog, but he has been barking every since. I was told if he peed to rub nose in it, bad mistake wrong thing to do. I was told if he growled or showed any bad behavior to smack him on the nose, bad mistake too. I am desperately calling out for help in this. I am at my wits end with him. Please help me or I will have to get rid of him and I love him regardless.
I have a Maltese x Westie, who is 2 years old. He has a doggie door to use to go outside when he wants. He has, within the last 2 weeks, started to go to the laundry near our toilet to do his business during the night. I get up sometimes during the night to find this right next to the toilet door and as I have had a knee replacement sometimes have slipped in his wee as I haven't seen it before it's too late. Now he normally goes out before we retire to bed and up until recently always used to go out to do his business. How do I stop him from doing this please! What is the reason he is now doing this?
My dog is a Shepherd mix. She has been pooping and peeing on new or clean carpet. It's always in the same hallway and it's everytime we rug clean the carpet. I just bought a runner for that hallway and now she makes sure she pees and poops on it as soon as she can. She is fully housetrained and has 24/7 acess to the backyard to go. Her food hasn't changed and she is very active and healthy! We do have 2 other dogs and they know she is the dominant and we have never had any issues with the other dogs doing this.
Do you have her fixed? I had this issue with my male dog when I brought home a new baby female of the same breed. He decided to pee all over my home like he was making his territory. I finally got so angry with him because he is fully house broken I rubbed his nose it in and put him outside. Actually it was my BF who rubbed the dogs nose in this one and then put him outside. Maybe the smell of the products used to clean the rug are what triggers her to do this one. You might want to try and keep her out side or away from this area for a few days until the smell goes away.
You're taking her scent away and she's trying to put it back.
Your problem is that your dog doesn't see you as head of the household. She has herself in that role. You are disrespecting your "pack leader" by removing her scent that marks her territory.
You really need to be seen in a leadership position in your own house. Here are some links to give you some ideas of how to accomplish this. The type of training you need to use is called pack leader training.
Shop around and find a training course you're most comfortable with.
https://www.ces … /five-techniques
http://www.cbrr … s/packleader.htm
Thank you for the links i will check them out!
I have a 2yr old male Shih Tzu that was previously house trained, but has reacently started going to the toilet indoors since we got a female puppy of the same breed. How can I take control of the situation and have him house trained again as everything I seem to try doesn't seem to work?
My 1 year old Staffie cross Shar Pei has recently started weeing and pooing on our rug. I think it may be because she has had less walks, but I took her on a really long walk today and we came back and she peed and pooed on the rug. What shall I do to stop this?
I have a 10 yr. old, neutered, male Malti-poo who has recently been urinating and pooping in the house, but only while we are home! We recently purchased new living room furniture and put up a gate to prevent him from sitting on the furniture like he used to. Is he being spiteful? How do I correct his behavior?
I have two small dogs, a Pomeranian/Poodle 5 years old and a Chihuahua/Yorkie 4 years old. Both are very well potty trained, but when it's raining outside they will not do their business outside. So I bought them both rain jackets and they won't do their business outside. Please somebody help me, what should I do?
I have the same problem, we have a yorkey mix, when rain is coming she has to go in her pen. I take her out of the pen right back outside. She does go but I am the one who needs a rain coat as she wont go off the porch without me. lol
My dog doesn't like getting her feet wet. Get your little ones doggie boots to keep their feet dry. It's a bit of a nuisance to put on/off, but get them used to wearing them in the house, so they'll get used to it long enough to go potty outdoors. Before investing in doggie boots, try those plastic lunch baggies and secure with a ribbon. If they lose any you're not out a great expense.
If you don't live in an HOA, can you put up an inexpensive canopy in your backyard? They might go under that.
Another solution might be to keep a box of sod on the porch or patio where it is dry and let them go there.
I left my 1 year old Cockapoo for the first time about a week ago with a wonderful woman in her home. There are a few other dogs also there. When I picked up "Oliver" (my Cockapoo) everything seemed fine. A day later I am finding presents (poop and pee) in the house. He never has done this before. I walk him at the normal times. Not sure what to do here. Any suggestions?
By Mary Ellen
Sounds like he's a wee bit mad at you for leaving him.
He isn't mad at you. Dogs don't "revenge" poop or pee. They do often poop and pee to mark their territory. It could be one of the other dogs somehow sparked the territorial behavior. You may try leaving your dog next time with someone who has no dogs, or only one submissive dog. Make sure that dog is spayed or neutered. And if your dog isn't neutered, he needs to be.
I need some suggestions of what I can do to help my Shih Tzu, Maggie. I have had her for 13 years and she has always been a good girl. She would never mess on the floor or chew on anything and she was never aggressive. All she ever seemed to want was an occasional game or more than likely a cuddle.
July of last year I got married and my daughter and I moved with my husband to Kansas. A few months later we found out I was pregnant. I know this probably has something to do with her behavior now. If I am in the room and able to watch her 24/7 then she won't mess on the floor, but will sleep all day and not even ask to go out if I don't have her go out. However, we have had to keep her in the basement at nights because we are renting a house and cannot have her upstairs. I don't like this, but I can't allow her upstairs if she is going to be messing on the floor at night while we sleep and even keeping her in the basement she will mess on the floor. Every morning we have to clean up pee and poo off the floor. I have let her out between 11pm and 12am at night and go down to let her out at 7am in the morning and she has messed.
It is very frustrating because I know it isn't medical and I do not like having her down there even though I do let her upstairs for awhile during the day when I can sit there and watch her, but I can't leave her upstairs because as soon as we go to bed she messes on the floor.
Also, my 4 yr old daughter loves her and enjoys trying to cover her up with a blanket or holding her. She hasn't done anything to hurt Maggie, but Maggie refuses to have anything to do with her. She is always trying to hide and get away from my daughter and at one point snapped at her (she did not leave any marks though). And last of all Maggie has now stopped listening to any commands like come or quiet anymore. I have tried to go back over those commands like if she was just being trained, but she seems highly uninterested. It was thought maybe she is going deaf and having physical problems, but recently she spent the night with some neighbours and did just fine with them. She didn't even mess on their floor. When we tell her to come you can see her ears pointed back to us, but she just continues on with what she is doing. I have always liked to teach my dogs at least basic obedience and enjoy training dogs, but have never experienced this. I know what I shouldn't be doing, but am running short on ideas to stop this behavior. I want my dog back. Any ideas?
By Dessy M.
You write that you know it's not a medical problem so I feel safe in assuming that you have had her checked out by a competent vet. (If not, you'll want to do that ASAP as she may be breaking her house-training due to a medical condition common to elderly dogs like her. If she's ever had a litter of pups, too, she may be suffering some health issues common to elderly dogs who've whelped)
She is elderly-the accidents in the house are very likely a combination of age and anger. Anger because in the past couple of years you've put the family through some huge changes and she isn't happy at the commotion and additions to the pack.
Shame, too, because any dog that has been a well behaved inside dog for 13 years is mortified (and scared) when their body refuses to cooperate by holding it in until getting to an appropriate spot to eliminate. All that adds up, and too, she is likely practicing selective hearing because she's mad, embarrassed, and scared.
Try spending some dedicated 'Maggie and Me' time with her-walks, massage, cuddles. At a regular time at least once a day although better would be twice or even three times a day so she knows she is still extremely important to you. Even though in the past she hasn't been very 'needy' of these sorts of things, as she's aged and gone through these household changes with you her needs have very likely changed. With all the new people in her life, and the move to a new home, plus the basement bedroom, she's probably grieving and acting out in that grief. Dedicated time that she knows is yours and hers will go a long way to reassuring her.
She's more than likely experiencing some arthritis with her age as well, and that's why she's snapping at your daughter. You might try to explain to your daughter that Maggie is an old, old lady and needs to be handled very carefully now-soft words and stroking without touching anywhere lower than the neck to avoid accidentally jostling aching shoulders and body. I know that isn't an easy thing to explain to a young child so you will likely have to restrict your daughter and Maggie's interaction to only times that you can supervise.
A nice new bed in a safe and peaceful spot will go a long ways towards making Maggie feel safer and more secure-maybe you can organise a spot close to where you spend a lot of your down time so that Maggie enjoys the closeness. Is it in the lease that she has to be in the basement? That banishment is probably breaking her heart. After 13 years as your beloved and faithful companion all she gets is the cold dark basement is probably the way she is looking at all of this.
I've had to watch beloved canine companions cope with the aging process, it's so painful to watch if the aging process is causing incontinence and other issues. One thing you can do if the basement thing isn't in the lease is spread cheap plastic drop cloths under the dog bed so that when she has a late night/wee hours of the morning accident it hits the easily picked up protective plastic instead of the carpet in a rental. At her age expecting her to 'hold it' for more than a couple of hours is an unreasonable expectation, frankly.
How is your husband taking all of this? Shih Tzus are extremely sensitive and intelligent dogs, she is probably picking up the stress there too.
Good luck, I hope everything works out!
"Frugalsunnie's" sentiments seem right on the mark. You and your family may be dealing with all recent changes just fine, but your faithful companion might not be able to process them as easily, especially since she "knows" she's disappointing you and feels your frustration.
Please give her some slack as well as a whole lotta loving to get things back on track - she needs to know she's still an important part of your life, and that she means the world to you. Good luck!
My dog is peeing and pooping all over my clothes. He only does this when I leave him alone. He urinates and defecates all over my clothes and my couch, even to the point where he hides it under some clothes that are laid out on the couch!
When I'm home he has to be up under my feet constantly. If I move he moves. He's a great dog, potty trained and over all a very upbeat pooch. He is just as you want in a (man's best friend). Please help.
By Kyle R
Sounds like maybe your doggie is trying to tell you that it is anxious and/or upset that you are gone. I've never tried them, but I've seen recommendations for pheromone? (don't think I spelled it correctly) scented things that are supposed to be calming. I haven't seen one, but I imagine it is something like a "plug-in", only made especially for canines or felines. Also, maybe bored? Not finding enough stimulation while you are away? I'd recommend "googling" your question and read some reputable "vet-type" advice .
It's not unusual for dogs to misbehave when they are left alone. Many people find it helpful to put their dog in a dog crate or pen when they go away (these can be bought at stores like Walmart, and at all pet stores). The crate should be big enough for the dog to stand up, turn around and lay down in, but not so big that the dog can pee in it. This is not cruel or abusive. Most dogs actually feel safer in their pen, especially if it has an enclosed roof. You can put his favorite blanket or toy in the crate also.
The crate is a very good idea. Your dog is telling you he is angry with you for leaving him, and crating him when you are out will give him a safe place to be.
It's not cruel at all as long as you get the right size crate, and the dog will be relieved that he doesn't have to hide his 'accidents' and worry that you'll be upset when you come home to his mess.
I have a 3 year old Pit mix. I've had him for over 2 years. He is fully house trained. I recently started dating a guy and my dog goes with me to his house. My dog is now peeing and pooping in his basement. He has never done this before. I don't get it; he doesn't let me know he needs to go out or anything. He just does it. He used to have a cat, but not anymore and also lives in a townhouse with dogs next door.
My husband and I and our 3 dogs moved to another state, 2,000 miles away 3 weeks ago. After arriving, my 2 toy poodles - age 15 years each, got diarrhea and a vet gave them meds for it. Tests were done on their stools and no reason was found. Sadly, one of our little Poodles had a stroke and had to be put to sleep. My husband and I have been very, very sad since this happened.
The meds stopped the other Poodle's diarrhea, but now she is uncontrollably pooping little turds all over the house. She even has pooped in our bed at night and in her own bed during the day. I have read that she may have gas. But with all the changes that have happened, is it possible that all the changes and losing her companion dog have caused this? If so, what can I do to help her to stop? She has also been peeing on the carpet since we arrived here 3 weeks ago. Please help us figure this out. She has always slept with us at night and we hesitate to change that too, added to all the changes that she has experienced in the past 3 weeks.
I have a 10 month old Yorkie/Maltese. His natural routine was to go into the bathroom and pee/poo on paper that is always available. But for the last 2 days his suddenly behaving strangely. Yesterday he peed on my bed whilst playing on it and then this morning he stepped out of my room and just peed on the tile right outside my room door. This is so not him, what's gone wrong all of a sudden? I'm not sure if his scared after the fireworks, or because I yelled at him, or he is just behaving badly because he doesn't get to go outside. I am confused please help :-(
My 10 year old Min Pin has started to pee and poop on my floors. She has been housebroken to paper her whole life and never did this until few months ago. The only thing that is different is I got a cat about a year and a half ago. Up until a few months ago she played with him, but now she does not want him to bother her. She is a diabetic and has seizures.
My small 8 year old Chorkie, who went blind 8 months ago, is going pee a lot in the house. She had been house trained before, but recently she's been peeing multiple times in the house. I know I cannot get mad at her since her bladder is so small, but this morning I woke up to two pee spots and a big poop. I've been making sure to take her out right before bed, but it still seems to happen. Our bedroom carpet is ruined and I haven't found something that works for that either. Please help. What should I do?
Our 3 year old Yorkie/Bichon mix was completely housetrained since we got him a 8 months old. He's never gone in the house. We moved 3 months ago to a new house, and he remained house trained. 6 weeks ago, our son got a guinea pig.
We do not allow the dog near the guinea pig because he has acted aggressively toward it when introduced. We keep them seperate now for the guinea pig's safety. Our 9 year old Shepherd mix isn't having this issue whatsoever. What can I do to stop the potty behavior in the house? We take him outside a lot and he does nothing and minutes after coming back into the house is pooping and peeing. Very frustrating.
My Shih Tzu is 3 years old and house trained. I use to take her out for a walk once in the morning and once in the afternoon until I had a fall, now a friend takes her. But now she has wet and pooped in the kitchen at night, every night. This is where she sleeps. I let her out before I go to bed, but she won't do anything then. Please help.
Why does your dog sleep in the kitchen?
Shih Tzus are dogs that were bred not to do anything at all except to be a companion to humans. They aren't ratters, hunters, water dogs, sled-pulling dogs or whatever. They were bred to sit in your lap.
Your dog needs to be in your room. If you're worried that she will "go" on the floor, put her in her crate right next to your bed so she can see you out of the front. It would be better if she could sleep with you, though.
Basically, your dog got scared when you had your fall and now she's stressed because she can't keep an eye on you.
I have an 11 year male, a 5 year female that's been fixed, and a 2 year old male. I put them out before I go to bed and wake up to pee and poop. I've been putting paper down, taping pee pads to the wall where the males pee, and I pick up the food and water. They still do it. They have been doing this for a month and a half. The 2 year old is from the 11 year old and the 5 year old. The female was supposed to have been fixed when we got her. Does anybody have any ideas?
Sounds like your dogs are owning your house.
Ask yourself these questions:
Do your dogs charge the door, barking, whenever someone knocks on the door? Do they lunge at the fence or windows whenever a person or dog walks by?
Can you safely take a bone, toy, or food away from your dogs, or would you get bit?
Is anything valuable in your house destroyed, such as your sofa or comforter?
Do your dogs pull on the leash, go from side to side or try to get at other dogs while being walked?
If the answer is honestly "yes," your dogs need pack leader training. The goal is to help them actually listen to what you have to say.
There are DVD's. books and internet videos and articles available to help.
Here are a couple of links to help get you started: https://www.ces … /five-techniques
My 2 year old bitch has been toilet trained from a very young age. We moved in December and she started sleeping in the kitchen. After a few months she started to go to the toilet in the night despite being put out before bed to do her business. She knows and uses the command, "go wee wee", and has done since 4 months, but now she seems to just sit in the corner and not bother going toilet before bed. I am at my wits end with it!
I wonder if there have been any other big changes for your dog? A similar thing happened to us when we moved apartments years ago. Our five year old pooch who was house trained started to pee and poop in the house. We realized he was stressed because the neighborhood was louder and there was a new roommate living with us. Our vet helped us realize there were lots of changes going on and our dog had regressed due to stress. We had to go back to basics and work with him like a puppy for a while (lots of positive reinforcement and treats when he did go outside and supervision when inside). But eventually he was ok and got house trained again. I hope you can figure out what's going on with your dog and get some relief! Good luck!
My dog has been an inside dog his entire life, he has been in a unit for 3 years and has a doggy toilet he has used for about a year without issue.
Four months ago he started peeping and pooping in my loungeroom on my rug and surrounding carpet.
I've scrubbed the carpet and even put up a doggy gate to restrict him from the area, he has broken the gate several times and is determined to use this as his spot to relieve himself.
If he can't manage to get through the gate, he'll use his doggy toilet (one of those grass patch covered things that drains into a tray beneath).
He won't pee or poop anywhere else, he just kills himself to get into the loungeroom whilst I'm out. Even when I'm home if I doze on the couch I sometimes wake up and catch him doing it.
Help!
By Alexia
He is getting older and should be checked out by a Vet. He may have a bladder problem. It is pretty common. Sometimes older dogs get some funny habits and ideas. It can be hard to know what they are thinking (or not thinking). But it does require patience and kindness. Good luck to you.
My Dog is a staffie and he is 10 yrs old. He as started to poo and wee everywhere. He goes out in the garden comes back in and just does it in front of anyone. It was only occasionally but now its more often.
I have a 6 year old dog and now an 8 year old rescue. Both are potty trained, but I keep finding pee and poo in one room (and other rooms when it rains). I don't know which dog it is (sensing my first) so I scold both. Then I feel guilty. I have a dog door to a dog run and wonder if my first dog doesn't like the new dog's smell? Or is it anger? It's not medical. I thought it was the area rug being marked, but I got rid of it and now it's happening on the hardwood floors. I'm losing my mind as I care for a special needs daughter and a toddler and have a highly stressful life. Please help me; I'm in tears. The rescue seems to like outdoors and his kennel - should I put him in one or the other when I'm not home? Then at least I'll know who's doing it? Help :(
By Jamie F from San Diego, CA
