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Topic Dog Boards / Behaviour / house wetting still!!!!
- By Romside [gb] Date 15.10.09 18:35 UTC
my yorkie bitch is two and a half and she is kept in the crete when im out and at night.still cant be trusted as she proved to me yesterday and today.what happened yesterday is exactly  what happened today and im getting mighty annoyed with her.
we got her when she was six months old.i crete trained her and everything eles is brilliant with her accept this.
she was outside with all the other dogs,now because i have lola who is just 6 months old i ask them all to go outside for wee wees and she follows.
so i let them all in,maggie runs straight upstairs and wees on my landing.right next to the cat bed,and then she done it again today.
its not always in the same place.she sleeps on top of my sofa and will come off the sofa and wee in my hall way.why?
she gets let out the same as the other dogs and i watch her go a toilet,i have praised her for toileting outside nothing works im so annoyed i cant even bring myself to give her affection today im so annoyed.they've got a lovely life and she gets the best but shes still doin it!
someone help its doing me in it seems like its one thing after another in my house.
- By mastifflover Date 15.10.09 23:18 UTC

> im getting mighty annoyed with her.
>


It's not fair to be annoyed with her, she obviously doesn't know that she shouldn't be weeing in the house. Dogs have no idea of rules and no pride in your fancy furnishings. Before you think 'it's OK for her to have that attitude she doesn't have to clean it up' - my dog is about the same age as yours, but he is heavier than me and he peed on my sofa twice this week (you have NO idea the size of a mastiff piddle :eek: ), he didn't cock his leg up the side of it, he's stood on the seat of it and peed for England!!
Yes I am frustrated, but with me, NOT him. Both times I have found he's done this he has been greeted with the usual good-morning cuddle & biccy, afterall he will not associate any negative behaviour from me with him making the big pool of urine that is now dripping out the bottom of my sofa!!!

I know the problem with my dog, I made the STUPID mistake of leaving puppy pads down for him to wee on during the night, thinking it will just make claning accidents easier, when in actual fact all it did was teach him to pee on soft things in the house (his bed, my sofa - it's all like a big puppy pad to him).
What I have done is to take away the ability of him to wee on the sofa by leaving dining chairs on it at night, I try to get him to go out in the garden just before I go to bed, but that is hit & miss wheather he will drag his sleepy backside out there (even for smoked ham). I also get up 30 mins earlier in the morning as he obviously has not learnt to hold his bladder (or occasionally his bowels :eek: ) all night long (thanks to puppy-pad 'training'). But this earlier trip to the garden seems to be working - YAY :)

You may have crate-trained your girl, but have you house-trained her? Trainig her to stay in a crate all night long, even if she learns to hold her wee, will not mean she has learnt she should not wee in other areas of the house when outside of the crate.
You can see I am not the best to advise on house-training!!!! but you can limit her ability to pee in the house, by not allowing her free access to the places she pees in and stay with her in the garden untill she has done a wee.

>nothing works im so annoyed i cant even bring myself to give her affection today im so annoyed.they've got a lovely life and she gets the best but shes still doin it!


I'm sure all willl agree with me that it really is not her fault, she is not doing this to get at you and you should not be getting mad or frustrated with her, if you can't see that at least have it in your mind that your frustrated attitude toward her will only serve to make her unsettled and lesson the progress with house-training (or even make her worse). Being mad with her will not help the situation atall.
- By bear [gb] Date 16.10.09 09:01 UTC
i know it can be a right pain but the only thing to do is go back to basics. start taking her out every half and hour for a wee and reward when she goes, ignore the accidents but watch her carefully and if she looks like she's going to wee in the house quickly take her outside but try and do it in a calm way.
i would confine her for a while only in rooms you are in, so you can watch her easily.
she should be able to hold wee for a long time now but going back to basics will in force what you want from her and hopefully break the habit.
make sure you clean her accidents up really well, even if you think you've cleaned it all she maybe able to smell it and will go back to the same place again.
i would also pop to the vets if this isn't her normal behaviour as she may have a problem holding her wee for some reason.
i see you said you have a younger dog so she could be trying to mark round the house because of this, so going back to basics should help. she maybe trying to make a point to the pup that she is in charge and bringing another dog into the house can upset your older dog for a while as routines do change and she would of got all your attention before.
try to be patient, i know it's hard but the less you make of this the quicker she will sort this out.     
- By RReeve [gb] Date 16.10.09 09:11 UTC
It would be a good idea to check she hasn't got a urine infection if this has just come on.
If it is a long-standing problem, she probably hasn't understood where is the right/wrong place to pee.
Put her on a light houselead and tie her to you in the house, as soon as she shows any sign of needing the loo, run for the door to the garden, she will follow you (she has to, she's tied to you), and then she gets to go outside and you can praise her for doing so.
She won't be weeing inside as she will be right next to you all the time, so you won't let it happen, thus breaking the habit of peeing indoors, and replacing it with the habit of running for the garden door when you need the loo.
It is important to be vigilant, and to keep her by you, every time she perform inside she is reinforcing her bad habits so it is one step forwards and 2 back, so you must make sure it can't happen.
It seems she is reliable in her crate so clearly she can hold on, she just doesn't know yet that she should.
- By chip Date 16.10.09 10:52 UTC
My Schnauzer does this in my bedroom...... Fully house trained!  Nowhere in the house does she wee, but leave my bedroom door open, Voila puddle.  I think its something to do with mine and my OH smell?  We have no problem anywhere else.  Nope, i dont shout i just mop it up amd ensure bedroom door closed at all times.

Ima was easy to train out side, i never used puppypads was warned about them from the outset.  We took her out every 30 mins, after she had eaten and also after a sleep, we took her out and asked her to "be quick" no words of praise as i believe if you then say "good Girl" they can become confused and every time you say good girl they may squat down lol :-O

I have an old chihuahua which i have had forever and she would never house train no matter what.  Then at the age of about 8 she decided to be clean!!! Strange creatures are dogs and there urinating habits!

Good luck x
- By STARRYEYES Date 16.10.09 19:38 UTC
I would get a urine sample and take her to the vets for a check up and test her urine for infection as already mentioned.

Is she due in season as this can also make behaviour changes. If she has been spayed then that can sometimes cause bitches to become incontinent and not be able to hold on as good as before.

If she has always had a problem toilet training or water infections there is something called http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_ectopic_ureters.html I dont think is it is this  but worth a read.

Please dont loose your temper with her it wont solve the problem..
- By rachie [gb] Date 16.10.09 22:12 UTC
I have the same problem im trying everything to try and get my dog clean and it feels like a never ending road  have taken everybodys information on board but not getting very far, but i try not to get angry with her as i know this will not make things any better but i know how hard it is, my doberman is just over a year and still weeing in the kitchen mainly but sometimes decides to do it in the front room i dont get it either lol! but hopefully with all the efforts we will get there in the end. Good Luck.
- By denese [gb] Date 17.10.09 11:14 UTC
I had a yorkie years ago, I had him of a person I knew, who had had a stroke. They could not cope with him any longer! We tried every thing to train him. He had to be locked in the kitchen most of the time and the mates would always be drenched in urine. He just would NOT train. When my daughter mentioned having a yorkie for may grandaughter when she was 6years old we searched for breeders. We came across one in Wolverhampton, nice lady! when we went to see the pups, some yorkies were in the house and one behind a stair gate in the verander. She told the dog, she could not come in because she wee's everywhere. The yorkie was one of her breeding bitches. We never thought anythink about it at the time, When they got the pup it was very hard to train. As Samoyeds had always been the familys breed of dog, this was becoming a awfull experience. I happend to be looking a the pups pedigree and compared it to the pedigree we had. The mother were the same but! diffrent fathers. (same breeder) We both had them castrated, it didn't help. Ours lived till about 10yrs. still weeing every where, my daughters is still alive at 12years and still can't be trusted in the house. In my opinion some dogs "my words" are just dirty dogs and can't be trained. Even the Vet said the same. God knows why! That is why now, I would always check the parents of the dogs and do my home work. It did just put me off smaller dogs. So now I stick to the breed I know.

Denese  
- By Romside [gb] Date 18.10.09 18:48 UTC
there have been some really good points made here thanks.
i dont show that i am annoyed with her cos i dont know shes done it until i walk in it!
she is so tiny she literally fits in my hand.(even if i worked this way)i couldnt shout at her she's have a heart attack.lol i usually wag a finger and shake my head side to side.....they know im not happy!! lol
its not an infection ive had her at the vets and its clear getting a smaple was oh great fun shes not due in season for another 3 months yet.she has always done this.ive said before she is clean for months and then all of a sudden she will wee in the house or poo.she dont care.im always home and my lot (even my lola will pace at the back door to go out and shes a baby).
i say she is crete trained but her crete is small with her but she will wee in that and poo and bury it under her blanket so come the day i wash all dog bedding ive once found a good 4 poo's all from the week.its so blooming depressing.
i shall try some new training with her i think start all over again.
- By mastifflover Date 19.10.09 08:07 UTC Edited 19.10.09 08:13 UTC

> i usually wag a finger and shake my head side to side.....they know im not happy!! lol
>


If you do that when you have found an 'accident' she wont know what you are cross about and if you do it when you catch her in the middle of having an accident there is a chance she will associate relieveing herself infront of you as a problem in which case it will be harder to get her to 'go' in the garden with you there and will just make sure that if shes doing it in the house you can't see her doing it.

Try keeping a diary, you may find a pattern and you'll have more to work with. I've realised my dog pees in the house when I don't get up as soon as my alarm goes off in the morning, it's obviously waking the dog and he can't wait for somebody to get up to let him out (I slept through the alarm for 20 mins this morning and came down to a puddle in his bed, that's 4 loads of washing to get that clean, I'm sooooooo glad I have a washing machine & don't have to do all of that by hand!!).

ETA check her bed every time you walk past it, (if this isn't very often in the day is there a chance she is suffering from seperation anxiety/boredom/lonliness), as the more it smells like a place to toilet to her, the more she will keep going there.
- By mastifflover Date 19.10.09 08:18 UTC

> i say she is crete trained but her crete is small with her but she will wee in that and poo and bury it under her blanket so come the day i wash all dog bedding ive once found a good 4 poo's all from the week


How long does she spend in her crate and is she shut in or does she have access to get in & out of it as she pleases? I'm wondering if she has learnt that her crate is a toilet (having accidents in it so often it has become a habbit & the place to go) or if she is not happy being shut in her crate.
- By karenclynes [gb] Date 19.10.09 08:55 UTC
Hiya,

I completely understand that this is frustrating (I'm currently toilet training a two year old) however I would start a fresh and approach it completely differently.  It doesn't matter how you tell her off whether it be shouting, wagging your head, finger etc she will know you are upset, dogs can read tiny facial expression such as squinting of the eyes or flaring of the nostrils - she won't know why you are upset but she will realise that when poo/wee is visible and you are there that you get annoyed - I would think this may be why she is burying it - coz if it's not visible then you don't notice it and don't get cross.  I would make sure you check her crate everyday for mess so that you can clean it up properly and pop fresh bedding in as other wise it is just a toilet to her and she will continue to go in it.

If you find a mess, then doing as Mastifflover suggests is the best course of action - carry on as normal and clean it up - and be thankful you are cleaning up Yorkie wees not ones the size of the atlantic ocean :-D.  Go back to basics in terms of letting her out every half an hour - be out there with her and have something very yummy to reward her with when she's finished - if that doesn't work then do 20 mins.  Get up in the night if needed, what you need to do is set her up for success so that she can get things right and be rewarded for it and get her out of the habit of going inside. 

It doesn't really matter how your other dogs are toilet trained or how they tell you - they are all different and communicate in different way and have different capacities to learn and things affect them differently. I have one that is toilet trained in terms of she hasn't had an accident for a year and a half and was not toilet trained when I got her at 6 months old but she never makes it obvious by trying to bat the door or making any noise - I have to watch her body language and you will have to keep your eyes on your little one while you are doing this and learn to read when she needs to go.

If she goes for periods of time being completely clean then maybe something is unsettling her and she's feeling a little anxious and has accidents due to this - is she anxious in any situations.  Is she bothered by bangs or bad weather, noises outside, other dogs, anything at all that you can think of?  If she does get unsettled then it maight be worth trying a DAP collar which can really help in situations where dogs are toileting in part due to anxiety.
- By Romside [gb] Date 19.10.09 09:02 UTC
no no no.lol sorry should have made this clearer.i wag my finger when ive seen her do it,my grooming tutor taught me thios she had a deaf dog and she was taught this.
i wouldnt do it way after the incident.

with the bed she dont go in there in the day.she sleeps on the back of the sofa.she goes in there of a night and if i go out.
she wouldnt be in there any longer than the other dogs are behind the gate.and if lola wakes me in the night to go out i let them all out.

she will wee and poo in the night,every now and then.
she has just started being a dirty dog in the day again after a good 6 months of being totally clean.
its like she goes back to being 10 weeks old again.
ive said to OH im going to sleep downstairs (like if i had pups)for 8 weeks and get up every 2 hours with her in the night and let all the dogs out at certain times of the day like i used to when my rotts were learning to go outside.
ive got to do something i am most certainly not happy about having a dog for 18 years who wees and poos all the time.
you expect oldies and puppies to have mistakes but not at her age, and how much effot we have all put in to help her.
thanks  mastifflover.you are helping.x
- By Romside [gb] Date 19.10.09 09:06 UTC
ok she was outside and had been for a good half hour we was all playing outside,i went in to get a towel to dry theyre feet b4 coming in.maggie ran through the dogs and upstairs and wee'd on my carpet!

a am going back to basics with her i have no choice.
- By mastifflover Date 19.10.09 09:26 UTC

> .i wag my finger when ive seen her do it,my grooming tutor taught me thios she had a deaf dog and she was taught this.


My last dog was deaf for the final few years, the wag of the finger is a great way to commincate 'no', for example if the dog is barking at a knock on the door or trying to chase a cat, but it's best not to use it for toileting accidents. If you catch her in the act, calmly take her outside and praise her if she carries on weeing out there.

> ive said to OH im going to sleep downstairs (like if i had pups)for 8 weeks and get up every 2 hours with her in the night


That's a greta plan :)

> ok she was outside and had been for a good half hour we was all playing outside,i went in to get a towel to dry theyre feet b4 coming in.maggie ran through the dogs and upstairs and wee'd on my carpet!


That's just what Buster would do as a pup if given the chance.
Sounds like back-to-basics with time in the garden too. You'll  need to keep her outside untill she has weed, if she is too distracted by playing, you could keep her on a lead untill she has been - if she is happy 'going' while she is on a lead, if not, it'll be a case of staying out there untill she has been.
I've lost count of the times I have been standing outside in my PJ's at midnight, trying to encourage Buster to walk on the garden (he doesn't like cold/wet grass!!) so he can do a wee before I go to bed - not funny this time of the year when the nights are damp & cold and I must look like an idiot, crouched at the bottom of the garden, making silly noises to get the dog on the grass!!
LOL, the things we do for our 'babies' :-D
- By chip Date 19.10.09 09:30 UTC
My small breed girl took................. 8 years to train, i have a Chihuahua and i believe that Toy breeds can be one of the most difficult dogs to train.  I have some Chihuahua/Toy breed info on toilet training that you may find good reading! Small breed are one of the hardest to train, but it is not impossible....

Another factor, that I have learned by my own error, is that many people, because Toy breeds are so small, pick them up (every hour or two), and carry them to the door, and carry them outside to the designated spot. You should make them walk on their own, as a big dog does.  Constantly carrying them, doesn't make them go to the area on their own. They need to walk to the door, walk out the door, and walk to the designated area, on their own as puppies, exactly as expected as an adult. Remember to always use the same door, always walk to the same spot, and give the command "Go Pee" or "Hurry up". If you set the timer on the oven for every 1.5 hours, then pick your pup up, and carry him outside, what does that teach him? But if you hook a leash to his collar, and take him to the door, and lead him to the spot he has done it himself. You have to let THEM do it themselves.

Also remember, it is best to avoid mistakes, keep young pups 100% supervised. Avoiding mistakes works much better than disciplining mistakes. Quite often a young puppy may mistake your discipline, as  "Uh Oh, I better not let my owner see me pooping on the floor, I better do it when he isn't looking, then you get a dog that poops in the house, but always behind your back, or the couch. So remember, rewarding correct behavior works tenfold over reprimanding incorrect behavior, as the puppy doesn't always know what he did wrong.

Even if the breeder did everything right to give the pup a good start on where to pee and where not to...(by using a box with a potty station to teach the puppy that there is a designated area to eliminate), the new owners could undo all the pup has learned by constantly carrying the pup outside in their arms, rather than taking the dog on a leash, letting Him walk there on his own.

If the owners always pick up the pup in various areas of the house, how is the pup to learn how to signal when it has to do its business? A pup who is constantly picked up and carried outside to pee will not know how to tell the owners when it needs to go outside.

It will wait around (to be picked up) not knowing what to do and eventually will find a spot inside the home to pee, as he hasn't learned anymore than to wait to be picked up every hour, and taken to the bathroom.

It is just So easy to pick up a 3 pound toy puppy and carry him, that we totally overlook what we are not teaching our puppy.

To teach the pup, it has to be made to walk to the door and out the door themselves, teaching the pup HOW to signal the owners.

Eventually your dog will walk to that door and signal you in some way, some quietly wait looking at the door, some scratch, some have bells, some bark. There are many different successful methods, but they ALL begin with making your dog walk to the door.

For a new puppy, set your oven timer accordingly for age and then hook up you lead, and guide him outside.i]

Hope this helps a bit ....Good luck
- By Heidi2006 Date 19.10.09 21:26 UTC
You've been given loads of sound advice - some of which included really funny anecdotes [mastif pee/floods].  i used puppy pads and wonder if what's been suggested is true - I've had several dogs over many years and hadn't had any problems with toilet training [even when working and with previously untrained, mature rescue dogs] until I used puppy pads -  there were anxiety/jealousy problems too though.
One point I don't think's been mentioned is making sure you clean and de-odourise - to the dog's nose that is.  Dogs' sense of semll is highly tuned   so that the slightest whiff may encourage them to 'toilet' in that place again.  I've successfully used [cheap] biological washing powder to remove the slightest dog detectable pong. 
Good luck and don't give up hope.   At least you've checked out any health issues so that must be a relief.
- By rachie [gb] Date 19.10.09 21:44 UTC
i too have had problems toilet training my 1 year old doberman and still am having difficulty even starting from scratch, which we are doing at the moment so we are letting her out every half an hour and will increase the time but as of yet shes not doing great today i let her out before going to get something for dinner i was out for literally 20 minutes max and came back she had done two wees and a poo i really cant think why she would have done this, i give her no reaction what so ever and make sure i lock her out whilst i am cleaning it up. Does anyone have any idea why she would be doing this? as this has not just happened once could it be that she does not like being left alone? however there are times where she is left for two hours and there will be not a thing. Any advice please?!
- By karenclynes [gb] Date 20.10.09 08:06 UTC
Hi Rachie,

Does she only do it when you leave her?  Dobes can be prone to seperation problems if not gradually got used to time alone (and it being a good thing) from early on as they are very sensitive dogs and can become very attached to their people.  If she is only toilteing when you leave her alone then yes that would suggest distress rather than a lack of being toilet trained.  If she's doing it at other times as well, has she ever been clean and have you had her checked out physically? 

Karen
- By rachie [gb] Date 22.10.09 21:51 UTC
Hi yeh it is just when she is left? she has never been totally clean as in she still toilets when we're out i have given a urine sample to the vets previously but she has never been fully checked for any urinal problems. Thank you for the information any info i get is a bonus and im very greatful for any help i can get, what would you suggest?
Topic Dog Boards / Behaviour / house wetting still!!!!

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