Visting from TB - Need help with dog peeing overnight (long)

kathrynlo

Hi all! I am a regular over on 3TC on the bump, but could really use some help and advice in regards to my puppy.

We have a 13 month old Siberian Husky named Sabre. He is a wonderful pup, very active and very playful. He has been potty trained since around 6-7 months old, however, within the past month he has started peeing in the house overnight and we can not figure out why.

During the day while we are at work, he is in his crate, but at night he is gated into our dining room with his blanket. If we are home, and he is in the crate (esp at night) he will cry the entire night, he does not like being in the crate while he knows we are home. Gating him into the dining worked great, until he started peeing on the floor overnight.

We have ruled out anything medically wrong by taking him to the vet and doing a urinalysis. The vet suggested crating him overnight for a while, and then try gating him in the dining room again. Even being crated overnight, he peed in his crate. After crating him for a while, we put him back in the dining room overnight and he was great for a few days and then started peeing again.

He is able to be in his crate all day while we are at work without peeing, but he can't hold it for a shorter period of time overnight? That's what makes me think its behavioral. We used Nature's Miracle to clean where he pees, and he still does it. We keep him active, he gets 2 walks every single day, once in the morning and a longer one at night. We play for a while when I get home from work, and we are with him all night until bed time.

I am almost thinking he is having anxiety and/or trying to get our attention with the peeing. I was thinking of trying to let him sleep in our bedroom on the floor on his bed and see if that helps, maybe he just wants to be near us.

Any help/advice on this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

SparrowGreen

That's a tough one since you have ruled out almost everything that I usually think of causing these issues.  I think trying out letting him sleep in your bedroom would be ok to try, but I wouldn't make a production of comforting him and showing him attention while he's in there, that might make the problem worse.  Of course, if you're not wanting him to sleep in there long-term this won't be much of a solution.  I wonder if a thundershirt or Rescue Remedy would help take the edge off, too - just an idea??  

kathrynlo

SparrowGreen:

That's a tough one since you have ruled out almost everything that I usually think of causing these issues.  I think trying out letting him sleep in your bedroom would be ok to try, but I wouldn't make a production of comforting him and showing him attention while he's in there, that might make the problem worse.  Of course, if you're not wanting him to sleep in there long-term this won't be much of a solution.  I wonder if a thundershirt or Rescue Remedy would help take the edge off, too - just an idea??  

Thank you for your reply. If we do decide to try him in the bedroom, it would be for the long term and he would only be allowed in our bedroom at night for bed, that's it.

We have not tried the thundershirt of the Rescue Remedy and those are both options I'd be willing to try. Thank you again.

straymo

It sounds like anxiety.  He's not going to pee to get attention.  It just doesn't work that way. He's likely upset that you are in the bedroom and he knows your there and he's in the kitchen.

If it is possible to have him in the bedroom, I'd try that. Otherwise, I'd try to make the area he is in smaller if he won't tolerate the crate.  You can also try to train him to be okay in the crate overnight.  It will not happen overnight and he will cry.  When he was doing that before, how did you react?  Did you tell talk to him and tell him he'll be fine or ignore him?  You have to ignore.  Any attention is good attention to him and he wins.  If you decide to crate him or even keep him in a separate room, you have to be willing to ignore him if he protests. 

Look at NILIF in our FAQ.  It is helpful as well and a great tool.

The TS and RR can also help.  With the RR, I just squirt some in my dog's mouth.  The TS has a 45-day money back guarantee so it's worth a try.