Dealing with adopted dog

user1567 · March 2015

I'm looking for some assistance in dealing with a dog that has incontinence everyday. Our family adopted the dog after a grandfather passed away and we think she is about 10 years old but noone really knows. The problem is that she thinks the basement is a bathroom. She did this before we got her because she was never properly trained and now it's our problem. We have had her for about a year now and I am the only person in the house that takes any action to train her but it is not working. Currently, its about every other day that I find or step in something in the basement. She is in a kennel when we are not home so the peeing / pooping either happens during the night or when we are not watching her. It was never my choice to adopt the dog and I cannot deal with this any longer. She seems to be very sensitive to any noise and barks/growls at any vehicles parking near our house while inside, she cannot jump on our bed anymore and just paws at the bed to get up. I am not a fan of her behavior but can deal with it except the incontinence. When I am home she stares at me when she wants outside which is fine but she does not do this for others. I have told my wife to get a gate for the basement to block her from going down there or do something to train her but nothing has been done. I am done giving time for her or our kids to do anything about this problem and done cleaning up pee/poop from a basement that I am working on finishing. Am I really a jerk for wanting to euthanize this pet?

aggiebug · March 2015

I think you need to take her to the vet and make sure it is not a medical issue that is causing this and talk to them about ways to resolve the issue.

kolache3 · March 2015

I agree that you should get it checked out because of her age, but otherwise, since you are using a crate, you really need to put her in there at night too and whenever you aren't watching her if you are really serious about the potty training. I housebroke both of mine and the only thing that would work was positive reinforcement, not negative. Sometimes my dogs would potty inside for attention even if it was negative attention. Keep her in the crate and then take her outside and bring treats and dance and go way over the top about praise when she goes outside. Don't give her attention or look at her if she goes inside. I've never trained an older dog but this worked like a CHARM on both my puppies.

short+sassy · March 2015

kolache3 said:
I agree that you should get it checked out because of her age, but otherwise, since you are using a crate, you really need to put her in there at night too and whenever you aren't watching her if you are really serious about the potty training. I housebroke both of mine and the only thing that would work was positive reinforcement, not negative. Sometimes my dogs would potty inside for attention even if it was negative attention. Keep her in the crate and then take her outside and bring treats and dance and go way over the top about praise when she goes outside. Don't give her attention or look at her if she goes inside. I've never trained an older dog but this worked like a CHARM on both my puppies.

Although I thankfully have never had incontinence problems with my dog...we adopted her when she was 18 months old, so no longer a puppy...she did have separation anxiety when we first brought her home from the pound. If I was gone for more than an hour or two, she would rip stuff up.

I would say her name sternly and point to the mess. Then I would ignore her for 30 minutes. It KILLED me, because she would be so sad that I was ignoring her. I just wanted to scoop her up and reassure her that everything was okay. But I couldn't do that or she wouldn't learn. I would also give her a lot of love and attention every time I came home and there wasn't destruction. After about one month, the destruction stopped. Every once in a great while she will still get into something, but it's rare and no longer a bad habit.

Xstatic3333 · March 2015

OP I'd say a few things:

First, you need to have a family meeting and make sure everyone is consistent in rules for the dog and training approach, or else things won't get better. I definitely recommend positive reinforcement only. With out dog, we took a weekend to take him out every hour or so and make a huge fuss with a treat when he went. It worked very well.

Second, I would block her access to the basement.

Third, this dog has been through a lot of changes and needs to find its new normal. Decide on family rules and be consistent. It sounds like you're pretty frustrated. The dog could pick up on this and it might make things worse. Good luck.

lexus192 · April 2015

Hell yes you are a jerk for wanting to euthanize a dog who has an issue that human beings or a medical issue caused!

First, please get her to the vet to rule out any medical issues. Second, get serious about training. That means crating her during the night and when you are not home. Take her out every few hours during waking hours and reward her for doing her business outside. If you really don't want to be bothered, maybe there's another family member who would be willing to assist and/or take her. If not...patience, love and a lot of training (as long as it's not a medical issue) will eventually help...but YOU and those in your household have to be willing to put in the work! GL!

Dealing with adopted dog

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