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Potty training woes
My husband and I rescued a couple of medium-sized mutt puppies a couple months before our wedding. We originally were planning on getting a puppy after we got married, but these dogs were in desperate need of a home and that's another story.
They were 3 months old when we got them, and within six-eight weeks they were both potty trained: only pottying outside and standing by the door when needing to go out. My husband and I both grew up with multiple dogs and are comfortable with potty training puppies. We had relatively few accidents in the beginning and we were very pleased with how well they potty trained.
We had a friend stay at our apartment while we were on our honeymoon because we knew that would be less stressful on them. However, when we got back from our honeymoon one of the puppies (Joey) began having multiple accidents a day. We made sure our friend knew their routine - and we stuck to the same routine when we came back from the honeymoon. But Joey pees on our carpet several times every day - sometimes even right after we have taken him outside and he pees outside. I don't think he has UTI because he is crate trained and will hold his bladder for up to 8 hours in the crate (we have never left him longer than that). The other weird thing is that he doesn't just pee in big puddles, but while we are snapping on his leash to take him out he will "tinkle" everywhere.
What we are doing: We swat his nose and tell him "no" every time he pees inside and immediately take him out and praise him; we are cleaning the carpet with pet stain/odor remover to remove the smell; he is neutered; and we make sure to take him out every time in between. This has been going on for 2 months and nothing has even remotely gotten better.
Any suggestions? I would love to stop cleaning up pee all the time.
Re: Potty training woes
I don't have very much training advice, and it seems that you've been pretty good about being consistent. I would recommend using some sort of vinegar concoction on your carpets and floors. The vinegar will deter them from going there, I've always put a little in our carpet cleaner when we clean the carpets and the few accidents the dogs had been having seemed to pretty much go away.
Good luck!
Have you seen my monkey?
Have you had a male dog before? Even when they are neutered, they pee everywhere/frequently. Mine went through a stage around 6-8months old where he started marking EVERYTHING outside, and, although he had been housebroken for months, he started marking inside when my sister brought her female dog over. As well, when I took him to the dog park, he would try to mark other dog's water bowls, even people (SO embarrassing). Peeing on everything outside is totally normal, it just means that potty breaks can't just be run down, pee once, and come back upstairs, you may have to walk around a bit and give him a chance to get it all out. I know I had a hard time with my pup because he would pee once or twice but only a little because he was saving it to mark everything around the apartment complex, when we got back upstairs, he would still have to go. Now that we have a house with a backyard, he pees all at once, because it is his space and there is no need to mark all the scents that come with living in a multi-family complex.
Is he peeing in/around a certain area? Maybe make sure that his stuff his separated from siblings, and that he has his own space. Also maybe try putting bells on the door (I got some cat bells from the dollar store) so that in case you don't notice him standing by the door, he can ring the bell to go out. It took us months to train our female german shepherd (my male dog trained in weeks). We put bells on the back door, 15 min of training, and she never peed in the house again. Good luck!
I would like to add that not all male dogs pee everywhere/frequently. I had a male dog that never peed anywhere but outside.
I do agree with bell training! I had a foster that did great with it.
I would recommend an enzymatic cleaner such as "Got Pee" or "Nature's Miracle" and swatting the dog isn't going to help.
They see us rollin'...they be hatin'.
Between the two of us, my husband and I have probably had about 8 dogs, but always in a home environment with a backyard so we have never had to deal with them marking everything in sight - but that is a very good possibility. I just can't figure out the "tinkling" thing everywhere that is constant. It's like he has no bladder control because it just leaks out as he is walking, but I know he can control his bladder because he can hold it for hours in the crate.
Also, everyone can stop saying swatting isn't going to help. I believe swatting is an issue similar to spanking your kids, and I was not meaning to start up a controversial issue. That is not what I am needing opinions on, so please just help me figure out why my dog is peeing everywhere, and I will decide whether or not a soft swat is ok or not. Thanks!
Both are equally ineffective. You're probably causing your dog's peeing issues by causing him to fear you.