text:
You're in that place between dreams and reality. You hear the sound of a babbling stream as you drift off. But wait! There are no rivers in your house! You shoot out of bed as you clue into what's happening. Sure enough, a golden puddle awaits you smack dab in the middle of your living room.
Anyone who's dealt with a midnight urinator knows how much of pain this bad habit can be. But why would a dog who is otherwise house trained insist on "going" inside after the sun goes down? Finding that out will help you better address the situation.
Peeing at night can happen for a whole heap of reasons. Sometimes it's just a matter of not being supervised before potty training is complete. Other times, your dog could be marking his territory in a spot that he previously peed on and can still smell.
Another reason that younger pups have night time accidents has to do with when they eat and drink. Their bladders are small, and empty faster than older pooches. If you're giving your youngster a giant bowl of water before bed, she might not be able to hold it until morning. Thankfully, most of these problems are fixable!
To help your fur buddy make it through the night with no accidents, you'll need to be prepared. Try to come to the table with the following:
Peeing inside at night can also be a sign that your dog isn't feeling so hot. It's a good idea to get a full check-up to make sure all is well before trying to train your dog out of this unpleasant habit.
Below are some methods that you can use to help both Rover and you sleep through the nights. Remember, if you catch your pooch in the act of peeing inside, don't freak out! Clap your hands loudly and give a firm "no!", then lead the dog outside.
How to prevent not to pee at night at night
Hello Kartikey, While sleeping most dogs' bladders become less active, making it easier for them to hold it until morning. While your dog is awake his bladder will be active though and he will not be able to hold it for as long. First of all, make sure that you are taking him outside to go potty right before it is time to go to sleep for the night, and not one or two hours beforehand. When you take time out, watch him and make sure that he actually eliminates. Some dogs will get distracted outside and will not eliminate, and then they will have to go in the middle of the night, which causes accidents because you are sleeping. Once he wakes up in the morning, his bladder will "wake up" too, so you will need to take him to the bathroom right away. Not thirty minutes or an hour later, but right away. Most dogs naturally will "hold it" when they are in a confined space, to keep from eliminating where they are eating or sleeping. For this reason, try putting him into a crate at night to encourage him to hold it. This will only work however if he eliminated right before bed and again as soon as he wakes up in the morning. Crating him will encourage him to try to hold it for longer though, and it will help him break the bad habit of going in your home. Make sure that any accidents that he has had before, have been cleaned up well with a pet safe spray that contains enzymes. It is the enzymes in the spray that break down the protein in the pee and poop so that your dog can no longer smell it. If your dog can still smell where he eliminated before, then the smell will encourage him to go there again and cause confusion. Just because people can no longer smell it does not mean that a dog cannot, since their since of smell is much better than ours. Also avoid cleaners containing ammonia because ammonia smells like urine to a dog. Make sure that you take away all food and water two hours before bedtime, and do not give it back to him until after he has eliminated in the morning. His last drink and meal for the day need to happen at least two hours before bed so that his body can shut down for sleep and not be digesting still. Otherwise, if his body is still digesting, he will need to eliminate. If you do all of these things and are still having problems, then visit your veterinarian. A dog at two years of age can normally hold his bladder for ten hours overnight so long as he eliminates right before bed and right when he wakes up, does not eat or drink during the two hours right before bed, is encouraged to hold his bladder by being confined at night, is not encouraged to pee inside by old pee or poop smells, and has been potty trained in your home before so that he understands that he is not supposed to eliminate inside. If he is still having accidents after all of these things, then he might have a medical issue such as a urinary tract infection or incontinence, that effect his ability to hold his bladder for long periods of time. If this is the case, the problem will not get better until it has been treated. Urinary tract infections can also lead to kidney infections, which are dangerous if left untreated. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
She still waking up every night to go to Pee.
She cries and doesn't start until we take her out.
We take her out before we go to bed.
What can we do to stop this behavior .
Thank you
By the way we do not know what her breed is . When we adopt her title is she's a border collie with the lab .
We are not sure about .
Hello Rachel, If you do not take her outside does she have an accident during the night when it has been less than nine hours since she last went potty? If so I suggest having her evaluated by your vet to make sure there is not something medical going on that impairs her ability to hold her bladder through the night. If there is nothing medical going on and it is simply a bad habit that has been occurring for a long time, I suggest correcting the barking. Start by teaching her the "Quiet" command from the article that I have linked below. Follow the "Quiet" method in that article: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark If she is not currently crate trained, crate train her. Check out the article that I have linked below. I suggest following the "Surprise" method or a combination of the "Surprise" method along with the other two methods also: https://wagwalking.com/training/like-a-crate Get her used to being crated during the day first. Gradually work up to three hours by following the "Surprise" method. Once she can handle three hours in the crate during the day and understands what "Quiet" means, it's time to crate her at night. Crate her at night in your room or another room. If you have the option, the training will probably be easier if she is in another room where she cannot see you. Even a walk-in closet or bathroom should work better than your bedroom. You can do this in your bedroom though, but expect it to take a little longer that way. Remove all food and water two hours before bed and when you take her potty before bed, go with her to make sure she actually pees (and poops if she needs to), and take her right before bed (not thirty-minutes or an hour before bed - right before you crate her). When she wakes up at night, if it has been less than nine hours, tell her "Quiet". If she doesn't get quiet, use a Pet Convincer, which is a small canister of pressurized air. Spray a puff of air at her side through the crate's holes (not her face), then leave (or go back to bed and ignore her if she is in your room). Repeat the correction every time that she barks. If she wakes up after nine hours, she might really have to pee. In that case, take her potty but keep it boring (no treats, no play, and take her on leash so she isn't distracted). You don't want her to look forward to these trips because she might learn to sleep in even more if the trips are not exciting and she is not fed at that time. If you are not ready to get up for the morning at that time consistently, put her back into the crate when you bring her back inside and do not feed her breakfast yet. If she barks when you put her back in the crate (and you know that her bladder is empty now), spray her side with the air as a correction. When you are ready to get up for the day, let her out of the crate while she is being quiet. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
Fiona is a sweet dog. She has been challenging to potty train, lately she has been peeing in the house over night. My husband goes to bed late and I am up early so it is a matter of about 5 hours. I know she can hold it longer than that, but she doesn't. I read some of the tips you have posted to another person and will try that.
Another issue which might not be training is she gets car sick. It is rare that we can take her anywhere without her getting sick. We have tried dramamine, thunder shirt, car seat facing out, car seat hammock so she has the back seat to roam and crating her, Nothing seems to work, maybe that will never change. Any thoughts?
Hello Ellen, In addition to following the other advise that you already read to make sure that she has the physical capacity to hold it, is eliminating outside before bed, and is not drinking too close to bedtime, I would suggest crating her at night until she forms a consistent habit of holding her bladder at night. When you crate her make sure that her crate is large enough for her to stand up, turn around, and lay down, but not large enough for her to eliminate in one end and stand away from it in the other end. If she cannot get away from her own urine and feces, then most dogs have a natural instinct to not soil their dens where they sleep or eat, and will try to hold it. Normally you should be able to capitalize on that instinct to break the habit of peeing at night and to teach her a new habit of holding her bladder. For the house breaking in general, a strict crate training protocol that includes tethering her to yourself with a leash while she is out of the crate will probably break her habit of eliminating inside more quickly than other methods. That method requires you being at home a lot during the day though. To get her comfortable with the crate, if you have not already done so, check out this Wag! article I have linked bellow: https://wagwalking.com/training/like-a-crate If you decide to use crate training during the day too, then here is another good article with steps for that and for tethering: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-german-shepherd-puppy-to-poop-outside Some dogs genetically do get car sick because of the motion, in which case you will need to ask your vet about options. The majority of dogs get sick because of over excitement and anxiety though. If you treat the anxiety and excitement, you can often eventually improve the car sickness. The first thing to do is to ensure that she is safely confined in the car when you get to the point off going places again, which I will talk about. The lying down position is the best for preventing motion sickness and not riding in the very back of the vehicle, but instead in the middle or up front when it is safe to do so. I recommend a padded back clip harness and one of those car seat belt tethers attached to something on the floor of your vehicle if your seats lay flat or she will comfortable fit on the floor board. Before you get to that point though work on making the car a very boring location. Practice having her get in and out of the car and laying down and receiving treats for it while the car is stationary and off. Do that until she seems completely relaxed about the car. If she is afraid to jump into the car, then practice near the near with the door open and lead up to inside the car as she improves. When she can be inside the car and be relaxed, then turn the car on and practice the same thing with the treats and the down position but do not move the car. Practice that until she is relaxed also. Next, have someone sit in the back with her to encourage her to lay down and reward her for being calm, and drive around the block and back and then get out of the car with her when you return home, so that the trip is very uneventful. Practice that until she is calm while doing that and not getting car sick. After she can do that, then gradually go further and further in the car. At first simply drive around, do not get out anywhere, and then go back home. When she does well with that, then take her to local fun or boring locations. You want her to associate the car with boring, uneventful trips, and moderate amounts of fun, instead of just the vet's office or long car trips. While you are doing all of this you can grab a garbage can liner and a towel to put underneath her just in case she throws up if you progress a bit too quickly or the issue turns out the be genetic. Most dogs can overcome car sickness if they always ride while laying down and associate the car with pleasant and somewhat boring experiences. Be patient with her though and do not rush through each step too quickly. She has gotten sick several times so she currently associates it with unpleasant things and will need time to relearn car riding. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
How long do you crate train the dog at night that is about a year and a half old Jack Russell to not P in the floor at night she is trained during the day to go out.?
Was this experience helpful?
O has a bad habit of night time accidents. She did really well for about the 1st year of her life, not having accidents after being potty trained. But lately she has been having accidents almost every night. It's always in the same room, and she always has that guilty look on her face the next morning when I find out what she's done. I even let her out every night before bedtime! I don't know what to do to fix this behavior because no one is my house appreciates constantly having to clean the carpets.
Hello Mollye, Octavia really needs to be crated overnight to break her habit of peeing and to teach her body to hold it overnight and settle down. She should have a natural desire to hold her bladder in the crate, which will motivate her to hold it overnight in general. She will likely protest being in the crate for a week or so at first, but be firm and consistent. Being crate trained will earn her more freedom in the long run. Only let her out if the crate or give her attention while she is in it when she is being quiet, even if it's only two seconds of quietness that you are rewarding her for, unless you know she is about to have an accident in her crate, in which case take her outside right away.. To make the process easier you can also introduce the crate during the day and gradually get her used to being in there for longer and longer periods of time before crating her at night. This process will take longer but it will make the transition easier for her. Once she can calmly and quietly stay in the crate for at least an hour during the day, then use the crate at night too. Expect some crying then as well, but it should be less. Stay consistent. To get her used to the crate during the day, check out the Wag! article that I have linked below and follow the steps in the "Surprise" method and the "Fun and Games" method. All of the methods are good, but those two methods done together will probably work best. Here is a link to the article: https://wagwalking.com/training/like-a-crate Make sure that you are not asking her to go longer than ten hours between potty trips at night and that she is actually going to bed right after the last potty trip in the evening. Her bladder will not shut down, allowing her to hold it through the night, until she is asleep, so her bathroom break needs to happen right before bed. If she has an accident in the crate during the day when she has been in there for less than six hours or during the night while she is sleeping, when it has been less than ten hours, then take her to your vet and get her evaluated for something causing urinary incontinence like a urinary tract infection, a partial blockage, anatomical issue, diabetes, irritation of her urethra like cystitis, or a medicine that she is taking, like steroids, that is causing frequent urination. Unless she has learned to pee in a crate because she was forced to go in there by not being given frequent enough potty trips, she should naturally be able to hold her bladder in the crate for six hours during the day and ten at night while asleep. If she can't, find out why not. Make sure that you clean up anywhere that she has or had accidents well with a pet safe cleaner that contains enzymes. Read the bottle. It will say somewhere that it contains enzymes. Only enzymes break down the pee and poop enough to fully remove the smell. Since her dog nose is much more sensitive, if she can smell any lingering pee or poop, she will be encouraged to go in that same spot. Not all cleaners advertised for pets contain enzymes so make sure you get one that does. If there is a particular rug or area that she always has accidents on, then make sure you clean that area really well with the enzyme cleaner. If you cannot clean it completely because it is carpeting or soaked in or for some other reason, then block off that spot or remove the rug while you are working to improve her potty training. Also avoid any cleaners that contain ammonia in that area, because ammonia smells like urine to a dog, and it will encourage her to pee there. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Caitlin. What if my dog screams all night when crated?? Wat do i do then?
Was this experience helpful?
Up until 2 nights ago Penny was doing really well with night time potties. We would take her out between 10-11pm and she would hold it for 4-5 hours (being taken out between 2-3:30am) then she would hold it until 5:30/6am. No problems. Which was amazing! Unfortunately for the last two nights she has started to get way too excited when we do the middle of the night pee and lets out excited pee in her crate as she is getting out which means she is peeing a little on her bedding. We do not talk to her when we come down and we always make sure she is calm before opening the door but once the door opens it's like she can't contain how happy she is to see us. (Her crate is in the living room and we sleep on the second floor. My husband and I alternate night wakes and she has done this for both of us now.) We never play during this time and keep lights to a minimum. Also she last eats between 6 and 6:30pm and her water is taken away at about 7pm.
What could be all of a sudden causing this excitement and how do we get her to stop peeing from it? We never have excited pee problems getting out of her crate during the day either. The bedding is being washed right away, in place of it we put her bed that stays out on the floor in the crate. I'm starting to feel frustrated because I felt we were making progress with her almost being ready to go from 11pm to 4 or 5am but now I worry. Last night she was let out at 11pm and then again at 2:45am (less than 4 hours) and it still happened. Any thoughts on how to handle this? Are my expectations too high for a 10.5 week old puppy? Thank you! Becky
Hello Rebecca, Penelope is probably becoming more aware with age and her need to sleep is less strong than it was. It is possible that she is going through a growth spurt that equals her eating and drinking more during the day, which is causing her to pee more and should pass in a week. If the nightly wake-ups keep happening before it has been three hours since she last went potty, then you might need to ignore her cries until she goes back to sleep, and then when she wakes up a second time take her out. Only do this if she continues to wake up early for more than a week and it has been less than three hours though. When you go to let her out at night, continue to keep the lights off and do not speak to her. If you are reaching into the crate to attach a leash, then try simply opening the door and walking away from her, toward the door. Stand perfectly still at the door to go outside until she calms down. When she calms down, then carefully clip on her leash, touching her and bending over her as little as possible. If you are clipping on the leash as soon as she gets out of the crate, then try reaching into the crate to clip her leash on before you let her out. You can also clip it on to her at the door to go outside after she has calmed down. Submissive and excited peeing is very normal for young puppies. You are on the right track by staying calm. Try clipping her leash on the ways I have suggested to minimize touching her while she is excited. The best way to avoid excited peeing is to not touch, speak to, or approach a dog until she calms down. Instead be completely boring, and when the dog has calmed down, then clip on the leash. Try not to be discouraged. 10.5 weeks is still very young. She should improve more by 12 weeks. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
Maisy has been sleeping in her crate overnight very well for the last few months and when I get up for work at 5am I let her outside for a toilet. Recently though she has started barking for a toilet at 2-3am (which is good to let us know as she doesn't bark for toilets during the day, she just sits by the back door)
When we put her back into her crate she barks again and we've possibly made the mistake of bringing a bed up into our room to stop the barking in the early hours.
We had days out recently and she hasn't had a wee in public so we know she can hold it.
We take her out for a final toilet before putting her in the crate at night.
Any tips on how to break this cycle please?
Hello Nichola, It sounds like Maisy is simply barking for attention. Start by addressing the barking that happens after you take her to go potty. I suspect that she does not really need to pee at 2-3am, but it is possible that she does. Addressing the post-potty barking might stop her from waking up early too if you keep her potty trip extremely boring and do not feed her until her usual time, no matter when she wakes up. When you take her to go potty, don't speak to her except to instruct her, play with her, or do anything exciting. Go to her silently, open the crate and if she tries to rush out close the door again immediately. Repeat this until you can open it and she will not rush out. When she is waiting more calmly, then clip a leash onto her and calmly walk her outside. You do not want to let her play on the way. This is business. Once outside, tell her to "Go Potty". When she goes, then calmly tell her "Good Girl" very quietly and boringly. Don't get excited or give any rewards at this time. You don't want her waking up to go outside in anticipation of a treat or fun; during the day is the time for that. After she goes potty, immediately take her back inside and put her back into the crate. If she does not go potty within ten minutes, then take her back inside and put her back into the crate and try again in ten minutes if you think she really needs to go. Don't stay outside for a long period of time though, so that it is fun for her. While outside keep her on task. Don't let her play. Once she is back in the crate, turn off the lights, do not feed her early, and ignore her barking. If it is not an option to ignore her barking for some reason, then purchase a "Pet Convincer", which is a very small canister of pressurized air. After five minutes of barking, if she does not stop on her own, then calmly go over to the crate while she is barking, tell her "Ah-Ah" in a firm but very calm tone of voice, and squirt a bit of air at her side, near her ribs. Do not blow it in her in the face or near her face. You want to simply interrupt her barking by surprising her with the air. After you correct her, if she starts barking again, then repeat the correction. You may loose some sleep the first two days, but she should figure it out pretty quickly if you are consistent and more stubborn than she is about it. If you have been feeding her early when this happens then she may protest more. Do not feed her or let her out, correct her if needed. In general, do not let her out of the crate unless she is being quiet unless you know that she really does need to go potty and you are alright with the genuine alert barking. During the day when she is quiet in the crate for an extended period of time, you can go to her and drop treats into the crate and then leave again, to encourage quiet behavior in the crate and keep things fun in the crate. At night, she should be tired enough to give up more easily when corrected or ignored, and go back to sleep. If you are putting her to bed earlier than 5 pm, then her bedtime probably needs to be moved later too at this age. She might need less sleep. Since it is unlikely that you put her to bed before 5 pm, I do not suspect that is the issue though. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
Chloe has been very challenging but my family and I adore her. She has extreme separation anxiety and has made crate training nearly impossible as she has escaped from or destroyed several STEEL crates, howling and barking and hurting herself to do so. She is nearly potty trained, but almost every night she pees in the house while we all are sleeping. I know she can hold it, as she almost NEVER has an accident during the day as long as she is regularly taken out. We've put up her water 2 hours before bed, and that does not work. I take her out in the middle of the night as much as I can. We cannot seem to shake this habit, please help! We are buying a very nice new home and my husband will not tolerate accidents in it once we move.
Hello Alexandra, I would highly recommend that you look up Jeff Gelhman from SolidK9Training. He has a YouTube Channel, a Periscope, Podcasts, and other free resources on his website. I have linked his website below. You can also purchase a Skype training session with him, which could be helpful if you still feel stuck after checking out his free resources. https://www.solidk9training.com/ Follow his Separation Anxiety protocol so that you can crate her at night. It will take work, but it is very effective and way faster than other methods typically. It will involve the use of an e-collar to teach her self-control and provide opportunities for her to calm back down, be rewarded, and learn. It can sound harsh but he explains why it works in some of his videos. Check them out. Learn how to properly use an electric collar from following his other e-collar introduction videos or hire a trainer experienced in their use to help you implement Jeff Gelhman's Separation Anxiety protocol. If you are unable or unwilling to follow that protocol for any reason, then you will need to try training her to stay in a durable Exercise Pen in the same room with you at night and teach her to use a homemade larger litter box or grass toilet that is in the Exercise Pen with her. She needs to be confined. Being in the same room with you should help with the extreme anxiety, but she might still escape from that. To create a litter box her size purchase a shallow large plastic bin and fill it two thirds of the way full with cat litter. Spray it with a pee encouraging spray to encourage her to go potty there and then follow the Exercise Pen method from the article that I have linked below. To create a grass toilet purchase the same type of shallow plastic bin but fill it with a piece of grass sod instead of litter. If you want to give her a bed in the Exercise Pen then purchase a PrimoPad. PrimoPads are firm foam matresses covered with vinyl, so they do not encourage accidents like absorbent beds do. Here is the link to the Litter Box training article: https://wagwalking.com/training/litter-box-train-a-chihuahua-puppy Here is the link to PrimoPads: https://www.primopads.com/ A final option would be to stay up one night but go into your bedroom and act like you are going to sleep. Hide throughout the house hide cameras with night vision and an audio feature so that you can speak to her. Watch her all night and when she starts to have an accident make a sudden noise to interrupt her, then take her outside to pee and give her a treat when she pees outside. This method is not guaranteed to work because it does not address the underlying anxiety, but since she does not have accidents during the day it might help her to transition her daytime training to night as well. Using Jeff Gelman's training protocol would be the best option if you are willing to commit to the training. I wish you the best. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
Bailey was pretty much potty trained when we got her 2.5 months ago. She is kenneled during the day and sleeps in our bed at night. She has no accidents in her kennel. She eats between 5 and 6 and water is taken away 630pm. I let her out right before we go to sleep and she is waking up 2 hours later to pee. She sometimes gets up around 3-330 to go out as well. I have tried not taking her out but then she has accidents. I purchased urine testing strips and she has no indications of an infection. She does not like being in the kennel so I feel bad putting her in there at night but am afraid that is our next step. What are your thoughts?
Hello Heather, First, urinary infection strips can be inaccurate. They only measure certain indications and only show a positive when you get over a certain threshold for bacterial amount. Essentially you can get a false negative. How long can she hold her pee for during the day? If she can go all day in the crate without an accident, then she might be fine, but if she needs to go potty frequently during the day, then a trip to your vet's is probably still in order because she should not be having an accident to soon after being taken outside at her age. Another possibility is that she is not going potty when you let her outside. Go with her if you are not already and make sure that she is actually peeing and not getting distracted. If she can hold her bladder during the day and is for sure peeing when you take her to go potty, then the crate is the next step. Check out the article that I have linked below and work on a couple of the methods from that article to help her relax more in the crate. If she has an accident after a couple of hours in the crate, then a trip to your vet's is in order either way. If she does not have any accidents while in the crate at night, then she needs to sleep in there for a few months before trying bedtime without it again. If that works, then at your next routine vet visit I suggest still mentioning her preference to pee more often. If she can hold it in the crate, then it is not incontinence but there might still be some discomfort that makes her not want to hold it for very long. https://wagwalking.com/training/like-a-crate Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
Rescued at 8 months, extremely fearful of the world. Gets along well with his "brother" Carlo (mutt 1.5 yrs) and loves his "sister" Sophia (golden black lab, 13 years) 2-3 days out of the week I come downstairs in the morning to let them out and find a gift from him. He wraps his poop in a towel, or rug that is buy the door. Not the best gift wrapping job, but pretty good for a dog with no thumbs! Doesn't take it and hide it, just leaves it in front or by door, generally his spot. Dinner is always about the same time 7:30 pm, I get up 8 am most days, Thursdays 6 am, he goes out one last time around 2 am (husband is a night owl.) There is no rhyme or reason when this occurs. He does not give any clues in the morning that he needs to go out. In fact he doesn't give any clues at all, just goes with one or both of the others when they go out. He has no accidents during the day, and he can be left alone for 10 hours at a time during the day with no accidents. Any ideas??? Any suggestions???
Hello Carol, It could be several things. The first thing to pay attention to is whether he is pooping during the day. If he is too distracted by the other dogs to slow down enough to poop while outside (common with young dogs) or too frightened to relax enough to poop (pooping can feel vulnerable), then he is probably holding it all day, until he cannot hold it anymore at some point and has an accident at night. If this is the case, you need to go back to accompanying him outside when you let him outside. Take him out by himself at first (without the other dogs - on a leash if he tries to play), tell him to "Go Potty" and encourage him to sniff around to find a spot. If he is struggling to go, slowly walk him around the yard on the leash because moving can get things going. If he poops, praise him and give him three treats, one treat at a time to make them more exciting. If he pees but does not poop, give him one treat, then walk him around again and tell him to "Go Potty" again. If he poops then, give three treats. Do this every time you take him outside to go potty until he starts to poop at least once per day for you. If he starts pooping for you, then you should be able to see if the accidents at night stop. If they do, great! You can gradually move further away from him while telling him to "Go Potty" until he is less dependent on you being there physically to watch him. If the accidents do not stop even though he is pooping during the day 1-2 times it might be worth switching his food - his food might be causing some Gi issues or frequent stools, or asking your vet about a probiotic for regularity. Make the food switch gradually though if you do it to avoid diarrhea. The pooping could also be caused by anxiety but it would have to be something specific to night time, like a new noise or being alone - if being alone is never something that happens during the day. It could also be a medical condition, like something that affects serotonin and melatonine and increases anxiety at night due to hormone cycles (your vet would need to evaluate those types of things since I am not a vet). If ensuring he is pooping during the day and treating potential GI or anxiety issues do not fix it, you could try crating him at night to find out if he is doing it by choice or physically cannot hold it (most dogs will naturally try to avoid eliminating in the crate if they can help it - if he can hold it, then it is probably behavioral instead of a physical problem). The most common cause for this is that he is too distracted when outside during the day to poop, and is simply quickly peeing and then moving onto other fun things and holding his poop - in that case he needs help focusing on pooping after peeing too. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
We rescued Scout from our local pound last December so we have had him almost 1 year. He was easily potty trained but had some behavior issues (mostly territorial/protective issues) we are still working on. We vacationed about a month ago & boarded him & our other dog at a local sitter's home. Oddly enough, the behavioral issues we had seen before seemed to be improved significantly but he began pottying at night. The sitter did not have this problem. She did use a belly band the first couple days to get over the initial marking phase & then he was fine. He is crate trained & stays in a crate when we aren't home. However, when we are home, he is allowed free range of the house. He will usually go about 6 hrs before needing to go out. When crated & we are all gone, it may be even longer (8-9 hrs). However, at night, he can't hold it. My son takes him out before he goes to bed before 11ish & there is always a puddle & usually poop to accompany it every morning when my husband gets up at 6. I have sometimes heard him & woke up to catch him typically 3-4 hrs after going out. He is fed early evening/late afternoon & water is removed within a couple hours of him going to bed. He typically poops within minutes of eating but then again in the middle of the night. Why can he hold it really well during the day whether crated or not but uses the bathroom in the house every single night? I haven't taken him to the vet yet because he can hold it all day so it didn't seem to be medical. Thank you for any advice you can offer.
Hello Christy, This will take a bit of trial and error and detective work to solve. First of all, is he also fed in the morning or only during the evening? If it is only during the evening, then it is likely a digestive issue that is keeping his digestive system active at night. It would need to be addressed medically by your vet, and I would suggest gradually transitioning him to a different food to see if his food is the problem or a food ingredient is an allergy. You might try feeding him in the morning to see if it causes this issue during the day. If he is fed in the morning too and is not pooping multiple times during the day, then that is likely not the issue by itself. If he poops multiple times during the day, even outside then digestive problems are probably to blame and he is just less aware during the day. He should be pooping a couple of times per day not four or more. The fact that he is pooping multiple times during a six hour period does indicated some type of irritation or inflammation, which is something your vet should look into. It could be as simple as a food allergy or brand of food that doesn't agree with his system and is passing through him too quickly. Another thing to consider is anxiety. Separation anxiety can lead to loss of bowel function. Since he is fine in the crate during the day it is likely not the crate that is the issue but could be something only associated with night time, like a particular light, sound, or different environment. Try changing his night time environment and crating him. If he has a bed or something that is only in the crate at night that could also be the issue, especially if he has used the bathroom on that item before and it was not cleaned with a spray that contains enzymes. Only enzymes remove the smell completely, better than bleach and other cleaners. Remove that item from the crate. Finally, it could be a sleep issue. If you don't feel like it's any of the other issues, then record him or watch him while he sleeps. Does he seem distressed while asleep when he poops? Is he waking up and intentionally going? If so get your vet to check him for incontinence or nerological issues. It's highly unusual but there is a small chance he is experiencing anxiety while asleep, possibly due to bad dreams, and having a separation anxiety type bladder and bowel response. He also could have a nerological issue that makes it hard for him to hold his pee and poop while asleep and those muscles relax. Look into the possible food allergies and food change first though because that is more likely. You might also want to try setting an alarm for an hour before he typically has an accident and waking him up to take him outside to go potty then, to try to reset any possible habitual accidents. Once he is no longer having accidents during the night because you are taking him out, then try skipping the nighttime outtings to see if his body will sleep through it without you taking him, and he won't have an accident. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
I have several issues with Otis overall he is a very good dogs and for the most part he listens well but I have not been able to get the potty training down. We have had a steady schedule for almost 2 years now. I get up and he goes potty at 6:30 then breakfast then he goes in his kennel when I leave for work I come him at noon and let him out. Now not every day but it happens quite frequently he pees in his cage before I get home for my lunch break. Usually after lunch when he goes back in his kennel he makes it until we get home at about 4-4:30. We also have an issue with him going pee in the house at night again not every night but it's happening still. I have tried to limit water and like i said we're on a pretty set schedule but he's still having these problems.
Hello Katelyn, If the accidents are recent after a period of being house broken, and you know that he is peeing when you take him outside during those trips outside, then I would suggest taking him to your vets. He might have a urinary tract infection or some form of urinary incontinence, that makes it physically impossible for him to hold it for that long. Certain medications, such as steroids, can also cause frequent peeing. When you take him outside to go potty during the morning and during the day, if you are not already so, then follow him outside and make sure that he is actually going completely. If he is getting distracted and playing and then coming back inside without having peed, or is only peeing a little bit to mark something but not emptying his bladder completely, then that might be your issue, and making the trips outside more boring by adding a leash and supervising him, and then rewarding him when he goes fully before bringing him back in, should help. Also make sure that when you clean up the accidents that you are using a pet safe cleaner that contains enzymes. The enzymes will break down the pee enough to remove the smell to the point where he cannot still smell it. If he can still smell it, even if you cannot, then the smell will encourage him to eliminate in that same area again and again. Another option is to set up an exercise pen and experiment with leaving him in there if he has lost the desire to hold his bladder inside his crate due to the accidents. This option might work if he is normally accident free while loose in your home when you are there.This should remove the association with peeing in the crate if that has become a habit now. For some dogs this will make things better and for some it will make it worse, so you will have to try it to see. If you try this then make sure that you are still following him outside to make sure that he pees though, or if that caused the original problem, the problem will still occur in the new area despite removing the association with the crate. A final option, if the issue is simply that he lacks the physical bladder capacity needed to hold it for that long, especially if your vet discovers a form of urinary incontinence, is to teach him to use a litter box in an exercise pen area while you are gone. Here is a Wag! article for teaching your dog to how to use a litter box: https://wagwalking.com/training/litter-box-train-a-chihuahua-puppy Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
How can i get my dog to stop barking in the car on the way to uur walk. I know its excitement but its dangerous as i can concentrate. Its deafening.
Hello Natalie, There are a couple of ways to accomplish this. First, teach Winter the "Quiet" command and the "Down" command at home. Practice the "Down" command in the car while it is turned off and stationary. To teach the "Quiet" command check out the article that I have linked below and follow the "Quiet" method. https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark Next, if you have someone who can assist you, then have that person ride along or drive, while the other person enforces the "Quiet" and "Down" commands. To enforce the "Quiet" command, drive somewhere without a lot of other cars, and whenever Winter starts to bark, have the person training Winter tell him "Quiet", and if he does not stop barking, then tell him "Ah-Ah" and spray his side with a puff of air from a "Pet Convincer". A Pet Convincer is a small canister of unscented pressurized air. Do not spray his face, just his side. You are spraying him with this to snap him out of the barking, to give him an opportunity to learn to be quiet. Repeat the correction if he starts barking again. If he remains quiet for one minute, then have your assistant place a treat between his front paws or somewhere low to the ground to encourage him to continue lying down. Practice this until he will ride quietly and calmly and you no longer need a riding assistant. As he improves, have trainer gradually increase how long he must be quiet for before he is given a treat, until he can remain quiet for the entire ride and receive one treat at the end. Continue to restrain with a harness and tether or crate after your assistant leaves though, to keep him safe in the car and to help him stay calm. There are several harness and seat belt tethers on the market that work well for this. An electric collar can also be used in place of the Pet Convincer, but I only recommend using that if you are willing to invest in a high quality one, such as Garmin, E-collar technologies, Dogtra, or Sportdog. Do not use a cheap, poor quality collar that has less than forty levels. You want to be able to use the lowest level possible. Also, I only recommend using an e-collar if you are willing to hire a trainer to teach you how to properly use it and who can help you find your dog's working level, which is the lowest level stimulation that he will respond to. If you do use an e-collar, then you would first teach the meaning of "Quiet" and "Down", find your dog's low level-working level on the collar, and then correct him with the collar manually instead of the Pet Corrector. This would be a safer way to correct, since it does not require the trainer to move hardly at all. Give him treats for being quiet just like you would when using the Pet Convincer also. The treats will ultimately build the behavior that you want. The correction is to provide the opportunity for your dog to respond correctly to have the opportunity to learn. If you cannot find an assist to help you, then you will need to use a bark collar. I recommend practicing your "Quiet" command and "Down" commands beforehand though, then you can tell him "Quiet" when you begin the car ride and when he is corrected for barking, it is for disobedience rather than appearing to be random to him. Also, practice your "Down" in the car while it is stationary, even if you personally will not be able to enforce that while driving, simply to help him learn that being calm in the car is the expectation. When you purchase your car tether and harness for him, choose one where he will be most comfortable while laying down, so that the harness enforces the "Down" command for you. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
I've have been having problems with my dog going poo and pee in the middle of the night in my bed(which is his bed too). I've been taking him on evening walks and he refuses to go potty and I take him to our backyard and try not sure we're to go from here. He is a rescue he trusts me but doesn't trust everything else not sure what the right steps are to help him next.
Hello Megan, Doc needs to be crated at night. He can be crated next to your bed if you wish, but until he is older and fully potty trained, that is the best way to stop the accidents. The only other option, besides confining him, is for you to stay awake all night to supervise and train him, and that is of course not a great option. Check out the article below for how to get him used to a crate if he is not already familiar and comfortable with one. Also, wash your bedding with a cleaner containing enzymes, that is designed to get pet smells out. It must contain enzymes though because only they will break down the actual molecules that your dog can still smell with other cleaners. Any remaining smell will encourage him to go potty there again. https://wagwalking.com/training/like-a-crate To get him to use the bathroom at night before bed, first crate him so that he learns that once you go in for the night he cannot pee on your bed. Second, adjust his schedule if you can, so that he is being taken outside to go potty ideally four hours since he last went potty, and at least two hours after he ate, unless he is likely to have an accident before then for another reason that you know of. Doing that should ensure that his bladder is full enough for him to go potty when you take him and give him enough time to poop after eating, before bed. When you take him potty at any time, tell him to "Go Potty", and when he goes, praise him and give him three treats. After doing that for about a week every time you take him to go potty, he should start to anticipate getting a treat when he is told to "Go Potty" and will be more motivated to go. When you take him to go potty at night and tell him to "Go Potty", if you follow the suggestions above, then his bladder will be pretty full and he will be more motivated to go because he wants to get his treats. He also will know that going on your bed is not an option. Expect him to wake you up to take him potty for the first couple of nights, while he is still learning to go potty before bed and in transition. Make sure that you are taking him somewhere boring enough for him to focus on going potty and not get too distracted to go. Try taking him to your yard or somewhere close by first, and then if he goes, take him for a walk as an additional reward, afterwards, if he needs a walk. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
HI, We adopted 2 beagles(Seperately) who were both used as lab testing research dogs.
We have the girl 1 and half years but only adopted the boy a month ago.
He keeps peeing in the house, we clean it up and eliminate the urine to prevent repeats. We let him out very often for toilet breaks but sometimes he come back in and goes nearly straight away in the house!!
We never catch him pee either.
I had thought maybe moving him into the utility room, but am weary as the girl has always slept in the kitchen and I dont know if its good to move her to a smaller room with him? Im not sure crate training is the best giving his background.
I know its only been a month but any tips would be much appreciated.
Thanks :)
Hello Siobhan, If a crate was a safe place for him, between testings, then the crate might not be an unpleasant place for him. Try putting him in a crate with a hollow Kong toy, stuffed with his food which has been soaked in water beforehand until it turns into mush, then mixed with a bit of peanut butter or liver paste. Loosely stuff the Kong with the mush mixture. Choose a large Kong for this, to make the food easier to get to. Also, between crate times, leave the crate door open and sprinkle his dog food or treats in there. Replace the treats throughout the day as he finds them and eats them. Whenever he is in the crate and calm, go to him periodically and sprinkle treats into the crate through the top of the crate if you are using a wire crate. After you do so, leave again. If he is able to relax in the crate and does not pee inside it, then the crate is a good tool for him. It might be the one place he viewed as safe while in the research environment. If he seems overly anxious in the crate or has lost his desire to hold his bladder in the crate because he was forced to pee in one while younger, then you will need to go with another option. Clip a six-to eight-foot leash to him whenever you are home and clip the handle to yourself using a caribeener, so that he cannot sneak off to pee. Take him outside every two to three hours, and whenever he begins to sniff around, circle, try to sneak off, and after he exercises or eats. He will need to go potty fifteen to thirty-minutes after eating most of the time. When you take him outside, slowly walk him around and encourage him to sniff around. The movement and sniffing will help him pee and poop. When he does go potty outside at some point, then praise him and give him ten treats, one treat at a time. You want to show him just how wonderful peeing and pooping outside is. When he will go potty outside more frequently, then give him three or four small treats, one at a time, when he pees outside. If you tether him, then when you are gone, put him in the utility room if that is a room that can later be blocked off so that he cannot go in there in the future He is going to learn to pee in the utility room, which is not ideal, but if you can limit accidents to that one room and remove all access to that room later, when he has been trained to go potty outside, you can theoretically avoid him developing a habit of peeing in the house in general. Purchase real grass pads, or purchase a large, shallow plastic bin, and put a piece of grass sod in it. You want there to be real grass in the utility room with him so that he will get used to peeing on GRASS. Do not use pee pads for this or he will likely have accidents in your home on area rugs and carpet too, because the fabric is similar. Below is a link to a real grass pad. You can use this or something similar. You want it to be real grass though. https://www.amazon.com/Fresh-Patch-Disposable-Potty-Grass/dp/B005G7S6UI Put him in that room by himself because he will be peeing in there and you do not want the smell of his urine to encourage your other dog to start peeing in there also. When you put him in there, make the area fun though. Purchase hollow chew toys like Kongs and stuff them with food. Purchase a wobble treat dispensers, which drops treats when your dog bumps it. Kong makes one of these as well. You can also purchase a computerized treat dispenser that will periodically release a treat when it detects him being calm and quiet. This device can be more pricey, but it can work really well to automatically teach him to be quiet if he tends to bark while alone. AutoTrainer and Pet Tutor are two of these devices. Whenever you will home, he needs to be attached to you with the leash. The utility room will not potty train him. It will only prevent him from learning a bad habit of peeing in the rest of your house. To be potty trained he must be attached to you or confined in a crate, then taken outside frequently and rewarding. Because he will be attached to you and taken out frequently or confined in a crate, he should be far more likely to pee when you do take him outside, giving him an opportunity to learn. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
When I got my puppy (about 3 weeks ago), the previous owner said he was completely crate trained... so when I leave for school he goes in his crate which he has been doing pretty well but bed time is a nightmare... for the first few nights I let him sleep in bed with me... he peed all over so we washed all the bedding and he started holding it better and waking me up in the night rather than just going in the bed. Soon after we got him stairs so he could easily get on the bed... he then started going on the floor in the night rather than waking me up. I tried his kennel for one night and he cried for a good 30 minutes around 10 then went to bed.... back up at 2 tho so I took him potty and gave him a treat back in his cage and he cried until around 5 (by this time I was in a different room). I think if he sees me he cries more. I didn't respond to the crying at all tho. The night after that his cute little face convinced me to let him back on the bed but this time I removed the stairs so I would hear him jump off. He did really well and woke me up twice to go potty and had no accidents. The next night however... he did not wake me up. He jumped off the bed 3 times, 2 of which I woke up and brought him outside. The third I didn't hear until he was crying for me to let him back on the bed... sure enough there was a puddle of pee waiting for me... I'm at a loss of what to do... he is not completely potty trained but for the most part he lets us know when he has to go.
Hello Nikki, By giving into the crying and letting him sleep in the bed, you are actually un-doing his crate training that the breeder had trained. You need to put him in the crate, let him cry when you know that he does not have to pee (anything sooner than three hours since he last peed), and not let him sleep in the bed until he is 100% potty trained and old enough to hold his bladder during the night. You will actually decrease the amount of freedom that he can have for the next dozen years as an adult if you give him too much now as a puppy. When he does need to go potty, calmly take him outside on a leash, tell him to "Go Potty", and then take him straight back inside without any excitement and put him back into the crate. These trips need to be boring so that he will start sleeping through those wake-ups as he gets older and can hold his pee for longer. If the trips are too fun or exciting, then he is going to protest more when you put him back into the crate and will wake-up more to play at night. Right now he is waking up and crying and protesting being put in the crate because he has learned that you will let him into the bed if he does. Stay strong. That will make potty training him extremely difficult in the long run, possibly put him endanger if he eats something he shouldn't when his jaws get a bit stronger in another month, and create a very hard habit to break later on --when you realize it has to be broken in order to stop the accidents from happening. Being firm not will same you and him a lot of heart-ache later. If it's easier, crate him in another room, put a baby monitor in there in case he wakes up to go potty during the night, and let him cry. Within a week he should adjust and sleep fine in the crate again. Crating him in another room is not cruel. It actually teaches him how to handle being by himself --which prevents separation anxiety later. It helps him learn to self-sooth and self-entertain, which gives him confidence as an adult when he needs to be alone at times. Do you not have to crate him in another room though, but do that if that will keep you consistent. When he is fully potty trained and past the puppy chewing phase -- which will probably get worse before it gets better age-wise, so he's not past it yet, then you can transition him to sleeping in your bed if you would like. It needs to wait until he is older. I suggest no sooner than six-months of age. Some dogs will get into things and chew up stuff during the night until one or two years old though, so that will depend on how consistent you are about training him now and his own personality. Congratulations on the new puppy! I know it can be hard to stay strong when they are so cute and pitiful! I remember when my youngest dog cried at first. She loves he crate now and is a huge 75 lb snuggle bug at four-years old, so you can have both if you just stay strong right now. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
Since I got pregnant the first time she has started peeing all over the house. She is crate trained for when we leave the house, but at night she will scream and has chewed through a cloth kennel and somehow gotten her metal kennel open. If I let her out, she is only allowed in one room, but she has peed all over it. We have since moved to North Dakota and it is worse since she's deathly afraid of cold. This also means we can't walk her in it for months at a time. We are pregnant with our fourth and I am now on my hands and knees scrubbing carpet and picking up poop every single day. I have found nothing that eliminates stains and the whole house reeks.
I have watched her walk through snow to the very edge of the yard to pee so I know she can. She's just doing it out of spite it seems.
Hello Mandi, It sounds like you need to hire a private trainer who uses both positive reinforcement and fair corrections, who will come to your home. Lo likely has some anxiety associated with the family changes, that originally started the problems. Lo probably needs an entire regiment on teaching respect and providing structure and boundaries for her to help her cope with anxiety, learn to self-entertain and self-sooth, and give her consistency in her life. This is likely about more than just potty training. Jeff Gellman from SolidK9Training has videos on dealing with Separation Anxiety and implementing structure and boundaries into a dog's daily life. I highly suggest checking out his stuff. As part of all this, you probably need someone to come to your home and correct the attempts to escape from the crate, while rewarding calmness and relaxation in the crate. You can also give her a food stuffed Kong in the crate, but she may not chew on it until her anxiety is addressed through interrupting it and then rewarding it, while also providing a lot of structure for her by teaching her things like "Place" and "Stay". To clean the accidents look for a cleaner that contains enzymes. It is important to remove the urine and poop scent or she will continue to eliminate wherever she is at. For hard to remove stains and smells check out "Whip It" sold on Amazon. Here is Jeff Gellman from SolidK9Training: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ka2x-yMSzM&t=31s Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
Curry is wonderful dog. The only trouble is potty training. We got him when he was 5 months. I work from home so I take Curry out for toilet many times during day to prevent any accidents. The biggest problem is night toilet. He wakes up every night around 2-3am and he needs toilet. Sometimes he is very quiet so if we are not quick enough he just wee or poop in bedroom. He gets food twice a day. 6am and 6pm. Maybe we should give him food just once a day on morning? He is wonderful dog but because he wasn't potty trained before we got him, it is bit difficult to stop him from doing this bad habit. Also when he needs toilet during day he doesn't even bark I usually find out because he starts to sniff on carpet a lot. We got him those dog door bells, so he can ring when he needs to go outside but he didn't learn how to use it even tho we always ring before we open the door. But it has been over two weeks and he didn't use the door bell even once. Do you please have any idea what to do?
Hello Lucy, I recommend crate training Curry. He REALLY needs to be crated at night especially. Crate Training will teach him to hold his bladder better, will break the cycle of potty accidents inside - which has to be broken for potty training to succeed, and will encourage his natural desire to hold his bladder in a confined space - which will help him associate the house with cleanliness a bit more. Check out the article that I have linked below and follow the "Crate Training" method. Because he is older you can take him to go potty every 2-3 hours when you are home, instead of every 1-1.5 hours like a younger puppy would need. When you are not home, he should be able to hold his bladder for 6 hours while in the crate once he gets into the habit of holding it in the crate, but only make him hold it for that long when truly necessary because six hours is his absolute maximum amount of time he should be able to hold it during the day. After he goes potty outside, you can give him 1.5-2 hours of supervised freedom outside the crate, after the 1.5-2 hours are up, he should go back into the crate until it is time for his next potty trip. Using the crate this way prevents him from being loose when his bladder could be full. Make sure that the crate is just large enough for him to stand up, turn around and lay down, and not big enough for him to pee on one end and stand in the other end away from it - otherwise the crate may not be effective. You can buy a larger wire crate and block off the back end of the crate with the metal divider that comes with most wire crate - to make the crate the correct smaller size for him. Follow the "Crate Training" method from the article linked below: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-german-shepherd-puppy-to-poop-outside For the door bell, use the "Crate Training" method from the article that I linked above and don't skip giving him treats when he goes potty outside. Have him ring the bell himself before you let him outside. If you are ringing it for him right now, start to smear a small dot of soft cheese or peanut butter (avoid Xylitol ingredient - it's Toxic) on the bell to get him to touch it, and praise him and open the door right after he touches the bell, then take him outside, tell him to "Go Potty", and give him a treat when he goes potty outside. When he can bump the bell when you just point to it, without the peanut butter or cheese, then give him a treat for doing so as soon as you open the door, and another one after he pees. Eventually you will point to the bell, he will ring it, and he will just get a treat after he goes potty. Expect it to take time for him to learn to ring the bell on his own. He doesn't understand that he is supposed to only go potty outside - because of the accidents and he's only had one month of practice; therefore, he is not even motivated to ring the bell yet. It typically takes around three months of being very consistent with potty training and preventing accidents from happening regularly for a puppy to become potty trained, and you have to supervise for a little longer than that even. Potty training takes work at first (as you probably know right now), but putting in the hard work to crate train, reward, and stick to a schedule pays off with quicker potty training and more solid potty training for the rest of a dog's life - opposed to accidents that continue occasionally. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
It's very rare for Gia to have an accident during the day. I do let her out right before bed and she does go pee but she still pees on the carpet at night. My husband does not allow her to sleep with us at night, however if he is out of town for work and I allow her to sleep with me no pee accidents at night. A lot of the times she will not go with my husband or son at night to be let out to go to the bathroom. I have to physically get up and coax her to go with them. How can we get her to go out for all family members and with no coaxing from me and to stop the peeing on the carpet at night. I have crated her at night and she does not pee in the crate. So after a couple nights of crating I decide okay lets try no crate and maybe we get 2 nights and then the accidents start again.
Hello Wendy, The peeing at night has probably been happening for a long time. She now has a habit of it. She needs to be crated at night for at least six-month before trying without the crate again. Confinement now will earn her years of freedom later so stay strong. She will learn to settle down and relax in the crate and should not mind being crated during sleep time when she gets used to it. Crating is step one, step two is to clean carpets and floors where accidents have been with a cleaner that contains enzymes to remove the urine and poop smell that will remain enough for her to be able to smell still (dogs have sensitive noses). It needs to contain enzymes because only enzymes break down poop and pee molecularly to fully remove smell. For the middle of the night trips, is she afraid of the other family members or simply doesn't like going out and respects you more than other family members? If the issue is fear, then they need to practice taking her out or just walking her around the house on a leash during the day or evening, and feed her lots of treats for following. They should act fun and happy - like they are working with a little puppy and it's a party, but not so exciting that she pees out of excitement. The key is to make walking with other family members fun during the day, so that she feels happy about the idea during the night and is more willing to cooperate when she is tired. Make a game out of following them with treats and patience. If she is not frightened but is simply refusing because she doesn't like going outside during the night, then I suggest keeping a leash without a handle on her (if she won't chew it and you are around). When it's time to go out, simply tell pick up the end of the leash, tell her "let's go!" in a confident tone of voice, and start moving that direction without taking no for an answer. When she starts to follow (even begrudgingly), then give her a couple of treats. The goal here is to teach her that going with him is not optional, but if she will do it willingly, then she gets a reward. Only do this if she has never shown any form of aggression and is not frightened of other family members. They need to be calm while doing this and not intimidating. The attitude should be business-like but calm, not angry or feeling sorry for her. Start with your husband doing this before working on it with kids so that she learns the routine with him first and will be more likely to comply with older kids. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
Brownie is very sweet. She does not pee inside the house during the day anymore. At night she can have water until 8 pm and goes finger crate at 10:30 pm. Around 3 or 4 am she wakes up and cry so we take her out to pee and than she sleeps until 7 am. But there is some nights where she wake up 2 times and cry to pee. We are trying to teach her to hold the entire night. So this night for example she woke at 2 am. Then against 4 am. I did not let her out at the second time and she put herself to sleep again. Is there something we need to do different?
Hello Fabiana, You are doing a good job. At four months of age she should be able to hold her bladder for 4-5 hours during the day in a crate and even longer when she is asleep. If she wakes up to pee before it has been four hours, then you can let her cry herself back to sleep, knowing that she is probably crying to play or eat and not because she has to pee. By doing this you should get her out of the habit of waking up for reasons other than needing to pee, then she should start sleeping in longer as her bladder capacity increases with age. Once she stops waking up out of habit to play or eat, then she should also stay asleep for longer which will let her body go longer without a potty break while asleep - dogs can hold it longer if they stay asleep but need to go out 4-5 hours since they last peed if they wake up too soon around four months of age. When she turns five months she should be able to hold her bladder for 5-6 hours when awake in a crate; although, during the day I recommend taking puppies out more often to help them learn to be potty trained. Keep up the good work and if you don't see improvement over the next month or have more questions, you can check back here. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
Ziggy is doing really well peeing in the park 4 times a day, 7am, 11am, 3pm, 7pm but every time i wake up i found he peed somewhere in the house, he used peeing pads but its like he forgot to use them, everytime i go out in the morning the pad its dry and he peed somewhere else, and sometimes he destroys de the pad. he usually sleeps around 9:30pm and i always try to take his bowl of water around 7:30pm
Hello Garry, Because pee pads are made out of fabric, Ziggy is probably learning to avoid them as his natural instincts to hold his bladder in a confined space (your home indoors) is increasing. When Ziggy needs to pee he probably prefers a hard surface (more similar to outside) or the carpet (more absorbent than a pee pad). This is even more likely to be the case if the accidents are only happening on hard surfaces or by the door to go outside. Ziggy is still too young to be left unsupervised and free in the house at night. I suggest setting up an exercise pen and following the "Exercise Pen" method from the article that I have linked below. He needs to have several months without accidents, either being supervised and taken outside during the day, or put in the exercise pen at night and when you cannot take him outside. I suggest confining a dog in a crate or exercise pen until they are at least a year and have gone several months without an accident and without chewing anything they shouldn't or getting into other mischief. I have linked the indoor potty training article below. Use the "Exercise Pen" method. That method talks about litter box training but you can use a grass pad in place of the litter box if you wish, and simply follow the rest of the instructions. You may need to spend time training Ziggy to use the pad while in the exercise pen during the day, so that you can reward him when he does go potty on the pad. After he learns to go potty on the pad while in the pen, then you can go back to taking him outside to go potty during the day, and simply using the exercise pen at night for him to sleep in. When he is closer to a year and has also been accident free for several months, then you can transition to letting him sleep out of the exercise pen if you want to, and simply leave the door open to the exercise pen for him to be able to go to it as needed, like a bathroom with a toilet. https://wagwalking.com/training/litter-box-train-a-chihuahua-puppy Also, I suggest switching to a different type of indoor toilet, different than pee pads. You might be fighting his natural instincts and the training will continue to be difficult if you continue using pee pads. I suggest using disposable real grass pads instead of pee pads. You can also use a litter box, but the grass pads will probably be the easiest to train because he will naturally prefer that surface. The grass pads are more expensive than pee pads, but each one is advertised to last a couple of weeks, making it more cost effective than it seems. Disposable Real Grass pad: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00761ZXQW/ref=sspa_dk_detail_2?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B00761ZXQW&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=21517efd-b385-405b-a405-9a37af61b5b4&pd_rd_wg=HxP41&pf_rd_r=2SKJRKBEDTV1HHFFWXK1&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&pd_rd_w=oomjD&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pd_rd_r=d48b221d-f7fb-11e8-9922-83e7d7389d20 Set up the Exercise pen the way the "Exercise Pen" method describes. Do not put anything absorbent besides the grass pad in the exercise pen. If you need a bed for him to sleep on, I suggest using PrimoPads.com, until he has gone several months without an accident. Be sure to put the bed on the opposite side of the exercise pen as the grass pad, because he will not want to pee next to where he rests probably. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
Shadow often pees inside at night. She has a dog door which she uses during the day and night. She will poo outside during the night but often does 1 wee inside. Not every night, generally a few times a week. At first I thought she may be getting frightened by a possum but the problem has continued and now feel its bad behaviour. She knows she was naughty, this is obvious by her gilty look and the fact that she tries to hide when the pee is found in the morning. She can hold on, she will not go to the toilet if she is allowed to sleep in our bed, but we prefer her to sleep in the living room.
Hello Cassandra, Since Shadow can hold her bladder through the night, then she really needs to be crated in the den at night to break her cycle of peeing inside. Check out the article that I have linked below and use one of the methods to get her used to the crate during the day at first. When she can relax in the crate for 2-3 hours during the day, then crate her at night. You can also go straight to crating her at night but there will likely be a lot of crying initially, doing it without getting her used to the crate during the day first. You might be right that she stopped going outside during the night because of an animal. Be aware that there may still be a Raccoon or Possum outside in the yard at night if it lives nearby. Once she breaks the habit of peeing during the night by sleeping in the crate for a while, you might want to create a grass area out of a piece of sod, for her to pee on outside at night - that is closer to the house; if there is not already one. Also, make sure that you clean up any old or new urine smells with a pet safe cleaner that contains enzymes. Only enzymes will fully remove the smell from the area. Any remaining pee smell with just encourage her to pee in the same location again. The cleaner should say enzymes or enzymatic on the bottle or in the ingredients if it contains them. Article on how to introduce a crate. https://wagwalking.com/training/like-a-crate Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
Trying to allow her out of her crate at night but since doing this she keeps weeing/pooping in the house. She will always go outside during the day and let you know when she needs to go, but during the night i come down to several big puddles of wee.
Hello Tom, Quiet honestly the issue is age. Pup isn't ready to be left out of the crate overnight, and attempting it too soon will result in lots of accidents - which will encourage that habit, and actually make it take much longer for her to get to the point where she is ready to be left out overnight. I generally recommend waiting until after a dog is 1 year of age, fully potty trained, and hasn't chewed anything they shouldn't in at least 3 months. Until then, giving too much freedom will only encourage bad habits - which will result in needing lots more training and it taking a lot more work to trust pup alone. When pup does get to the point where they are ready, ease into it gradually. Leave for 10 minutes during the day and see how pup does. If she does well, leave for 20, then 40, then 1 hour, then 2 hours, then 3 hours. When pup can do well during the day for 5 hours, then she is probably ready to be left all day or night - just not longer than what she can physically hold it for at that point - which should be 10 hours at overnight and 8 hours at a year of age. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Ok we will try to keep her in the crate at night until she is older, in the day though she is fine we have trialled leaving her out and had no accidents or chewing of anything she shouldn't. I will try again over night when she is older, thanks.
Was this experience helpful?
I cant afford to send him to over night training sadly,but the problem I'm encountering is at bed time. He'll come to bed with us perfectly fine but now he knows how to jump off the bed so he is constantly jumping off and no longer holding it over night. We had a good month where he wouldn't wake us up at all and held it the entire night but now that he can jump off he never hold it .Another thing is we do take the water away a few hours before or just won't fill it when it's empty but now he scratches at the bowl for water in the middle of the night and won't come back to bed until he gets some. We don't know what to do anymore he's been getting really bad over night wakes us up so often we've just started to leave him when he jumps off (he can't get back on the bed by himself). Any advice would help we aren't getting any sleep. He's a mix of Cavalier and a poodle
Hello Amber, He needs to be crated at night. Check out the crate training article linked below. He will likely protest the first few night. Remain firm and ignore the crying unless it has been at least eight hours since he last went potty - even when awake he should be able to hold his bladder for eight hours in the crate. You can crate him in your room or you can also crate him in a different room - I suggest an audio bay monitor to listen out for him after it has been eight hours if you sleep longer than 8 hours, if he is in another room. https://wagwalking.com/training/like-a-crate If he is drinking huge amounts of water during the day and peeing excessively then as well, he needs to be seen by your vet to rule out things that can cause increased urination (I am not a vet). Many young dogs simply find it fun to drink though and it's a game to them. If he does not drink large amounts of water during the day - indicating a possible need to see your vet, then the drinking at night is probably from boredom and I suggest crating him at night for that too. When he is older and his potty training is better, you can let him sleep with you if you prefer that. I typically do not suggest that until a dog is over a year though because of dangerous destructive chewing tendencies while young and potty training issues. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
hello we have recently moved into a new house in February and ever since then our younger dog beaudroux has been urinating in the house at night even though we go out for our last potty break at 10pm and I usually get up around 7:30 on days I do not have to work. its not every night but I find most mornings that my living room smells like urine. when he was a puppy he had a crate but would cry all night long and still urinate on his blankets so I'm hesitant to put him in a crate again. where we lived before he never had any accidents but he was only confined to my room at night since I had roommates. any suggestions would really help. thank you
Hello Alissa, Since he did well with a small space at night (your bedroom) before, I suggest confining him to one room or an exercise pen at night. Also, make sure that you clean up any accidents with a cleaner that contains enzymes. Only enzymes break down pee and poop molecularly to remove the smell fully - any remaining smell will encourage a dog to go potty in the same spot again. If the accidents are still happening after cleaning and confining to a smaller space at night (such as an exercise pen), then I also suggest a trip to your vet to check for a urinary tract infection or something else that would make it hard for him to hold it overnight. Spend time training, giving food stuffed chew toys or puzzle toys, and other things to stimulate him mentally. If the issue is related to anxiety, stimulating him mentally and building confidence through training can help him adjust to the new environment. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
Ralph has been toilet trained very well for the past few years except for around 8 months ago, my husband was off work and Ralph got used to regular toilet breaks, but when he went back to work, ralph had accidents during the day in the kitchen. After around 3 months this had stopped again and he would hold until we were back from work. However the past 2 nights, he has gotten up in the night to pee in the kitchen. we let him out for last toilet break at around 11pm, and last night him coming back into the room woke me up at 4am and i went and cleaned the floor quickly.
He usually holds all day and this is for 9 hours, he is walked in the morning very briefly until he poops and has marked around, and walked again after work for around an hour. he is also let outside into the garden at various points in the evening and as i say the last toilet break is at 11pm.
in terms of food he eats his dinner at around 8pm but does enjoy a late night scoff of kibble before he goes to bed.
we have always had a water bowl upstairs for him as he never drinks alot, and he always, without fail has a big drink before bed, although this has never caused an issue until now, so the first night after it happened i took the water in the bedroom away but the second night he peed again so im not sure if thats the issue.
Hello Sian, I suggest a trip to the vet's. There are several medical conditions that can cause increased urination, thirst, or poop accidents. Some of them, like adrenal issues, can be intermittent, but many older dog's also simply cannot hold their bladders for as long. Of there is not a medical issue and he simply cannot hold his bladder for as well, I suggest more frequent potty breaks, taking up food and water two hours before bed, and putting a belly band with a pad in it on him in case of middle of the night accidents (or taking him out in the middle of the night. If the vet feels it is behavioral and not age or medical related, then I suggest crating him at night and taking away food and water 2 hours before bed. https://wagwalking.com/training/like-a-crate Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
We got Rocko at about 5 months and the breeder didn't do any training except getting him to pee on a pee pad. We have an area in the yard that our 4 year old bullmastiff goes to the bathroom and we've gotten Rocko to pee and poop in this area when we take him out. He even goes to this area, which is about 40 feet from the back door, without a leash. I have even gotten him to poop on demand when he doesn't poop on his own. when we are home we take him out regularly but the problem is he never gives us any indicators that he needs to go out to the bathroom. Wether he is loose in the house with us or locked in his crate he just goes to the bathroom where he is. He has peed and pooped in his crate even when we have made the area for him small. We even took out any blankets that we had in the crate and he still does it there. We started using bells at the back door but it's going to take a while to train him on this. I just wish he would bark or do something to tell us he has to go out.
Hello Paul, Unfortunately he may have been confined in a small space with a pee pad at some point and lost his natural desire to hold his bladder in a confined space - which makes things harder. Honestly you are on the right track and it's sounds like you are doing everything right. Normally in this situation I would suggest very frequent potty breaks, crate training, rewarding with treats when he goes potty outside, and teaching him to use a bell when you take him out, then it is simply practicing all of that until he develops new long term habits to take the place of old habits. Which often takes 3-5 months and requires close enough supervision and frequent potty breaks to prevent most accidents inside - you can attach him to yourself with a 6-8ft leash when you are home to supervise. Try not to get discouraged, knowing that you have made progress and are on the right track, and if you run into issues with teaching him to use the bell feel free to ask questions here again. When you teach the bell, make sure you are using a method that actually requires him to touch the bell before being rewarded or taken outside (opposed to you touching it for him or making him touch it by moving his body - he needs to bump it himself to earn a reward in order to learn). If you are struggling to get him to touch it before being able to reward him, then put a dot of peanut butter on the bell while he is watching, then when he licks it and makes the bell jingle, give him an additional treat. Also, make sure you clean all accidents up with a cleaner that contains enzymes - only enzymes neutralize the odor completely for a dog, and remaining odors will encourage going potty on that area again later. Avoid ammonia on your floor because they smell like urine to a dog, and bleach does not work well enough for odors. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
Muggins is a rescue - we also have 2 portuguese water dogs, ages 6 & 7. All sleep with us at nite - over the past 6 weeks muggins jumps off the bed at nite & pees in bathroom (nice treat in the morning!) . I had him to the vet in january - 'all was well' . I started using a belly band but he is able to wiggle out of that . I guess using the crate at nite is my only option for now, correct?
Hello Jane, You are correct that he needs to be crated at night. If he has accidents in the crate when you try that, then the issue is probably incontinence. There may not be a medical issue that needs to be addressed but many dogs simply cannot hold it for as long as they age and certain muscles weaken and things loosen. If the crate solves the issue, then it is likely behavioral. If he pees in the crate too, then he probably cannot help having accidents and teaching him to use a disposable real grass pad in the bathroom at night would be your next option. You could also look for a better belly band, such as the one linked below. https://www.amazon.com/PeeKeeper-Escape-Proof-Diaper-Medium-18-Flannel/dp/B07B9QZJW6/ref=pd_aw_sbs_199_3/143-3439014-1267541?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07B9QZJW6&pd_rd_r=c80364e9-50bc-11e9-bff9-63d567e6e77a&pd_rd_w=3bcEW&pd_rd_wg=Ef5XC&pf_rd_p=aae79475-6dc9-4a12-80e8-27b63108fa72&pf_rd_r=536N52HBB74B5K6WNPXQ&psc=1&refRID=536N52HBB74B5K6WNPXQ https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/reviews/B079TZRR62/ref=cm_cr_dp_mb_show_all_btm?ie=UTF8 To train him to use a grass pad in the bathroom I suggest using the Exercise Pen method from the article linked below. Start by having him sleep in the exercise pen near the grass pad that's inside it. Do not put anything absorbent in the pen with him until he is trained to only use the grass pad though. If your bathroom is large enough, put the exercise pen in there or block off a small area of the bathroom for him, as if it were an exercise pen. The article mentions litter box training but I suggest using a real grass pad instead. You can use the same steps to teach that from the method though. https://wagwalking.com/training/litter-box-train-a-chihuahua-puppy Real grass pad: https://www.freshpatch.com Or from Amazon.com Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
He doesn't like the crate and gets frantic about it when he wants to get out of it. He lives mainly in the kitchen and is happy when someone is around in the kitchen . He dies his business everywhere in the kitchen .
Hello Silvia, How long have you been crate training for? If less than a month, then I suggest continuing with crate training. Most puppies protest the crate for two weeks even when done consistently. If you let them out when they protest, they learn to protest more because doing so got them out, then crate training takes longer. You can help him transition by following the "Surprise" method from the article linked below. When he protests you can also correct the franticness to help him learn to calm down. First try simply using the "Surprise" method from the article link right below and ignoring any barking and rewarding quietness like the article mentions. https://wagwalking.com/training/like-a-crate If you do not see progress you can use a stricter method to help him learn to calm himself so that you can then reward calmness as he improves, and give him the opportunity to learn that calmness earns him rewards and freedom, and the crate is a place where he can settle down. To do this, teach the Quiet command by following the Quiet method from the article linked below: Quiet method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark Once he understands what Quiet means, purchase a Pet Convincer which is a small canister of unscented pressurized air. Put him in the crate and tell him "Quiet" then leave. If he stays quiet for five minutes, return and sprinkle treats into the crate calmly, then leave again. When he barks, go to him, tell him "Ah Ah", then spray his side (not face) with a squirt of air from the Pet Convincer to interrupt his barking, then leave again. If he stays quiet for five minutes after being corrected, return and sprinkle treats, then leave again. Repeat the air sprays when he barks, and treats sprinkles when he stays quiet. Practice this for up to an hour, then let him out while he is being quiet. Gradually increase how long you crate him for and practice this for until he can stay quiet for three hours. When he can handle three hours quietly, then give him a food stuffed chew toy whenever you put him into the crate to give him something to do while crated normally. You can even feed him his meals in stuffed toys. If you simply are not willing to crate him, then use the Exercise Pen method and a real grass pad from the article linked below, to teach him to go potty on a real grass pad. https://wagwalking.com/training/litter-box-train-a-chihuahua-puppy Real grass pad: (do not use pee pads if you also want to train him to go potty outside because that can lead to accidents on rugs and carpet when you remove the pee pads). https://www.freshpatch.com/products/fresh-patch-standard?variant=3477439297&gclid=Cj0KCQjw4qvlBRDiARIsAHme6oseerZSOfJw_WI1mkXkR3_hSUTTHQ5NYteOfT-yy6Jvk45fnywckAgaArNkEALw_wcB Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
Rémy has been doing really well with potty training-ringing the bells to go out and sleeping in the crate at night without peeing in it until the last month or so. He would start whining around 4 or 5 and when I'd go to let him out, he'd have peed in the crate. It was recommended that I set an alarm and take him out before he whines, which I did. I started at 5 and worked up to 6. His crate was dry for 15 days. Then he started peeing in his crate again at night for the past week. I've set my alarm again for 5:30 and it was wet even though there was no whining. I take away his water at 7 and his last meal is at 6. I take him out to pee around 9:45-10 and into the crate shortly thereafter. I don't understand why this is such a dramatic reversal after 15 days of being able to hold it. Your feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Hello Valerie, If he is also peeing frequently during the day, I suggest a trip to the vets. Certain medical issues can cause incontinence, like a urinary tract infection, fecal impaction, or something similar (I am not a vet). If he can hold his bladder fine during the day, he might be sleeping too deeply to alert you in time, or may have simply gotten used to peeing in his crate after it happened accidently a few times. Make sure there is nothing absorbent in his crate, including a towel or soft bed. If you need to give him a bed in there use something like www.primopads.com Also, make sure the crate is not too big. It should be big enough for him to lay down, stand up and turn around, and not large enough that he can pee in one end and stand in the opposite end to avoid it - if it's too large it will not utilize a dog's natural desire to keep a confined space clean. If doing the above doesn't help and there is not a medical issue, I also suggest setting you alarm to take him potty at 5am, but keep the trip boring, on leash without rewards, and put him straight back in the crate afterwards without feeding breakfast until the normal time. You will probably need to do this for a month until his bladder capacity increases and he is better potty trained during the day to want to alert you when he needs to go potty. If there is not a medical issue and nothing else changed circumstance wise (like a bigger crate or a new bed or a sickness where he had to go potty more often), then he may have simply slept heavier and drank less overall water while younger. Puppies tend to "wake up" around 4-5 months, and if he is too alert in the early morning hours and wakes up too soon, once awake he will have to go potty right away because his bladder will essentially wake up too, instead of letting him hold it for longer. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
Hello, my dog has been well potty trained since she was 4 months old (I got really lucky). We also have a very set sleep schedule- bed at 8:30pm and up at 4:30 am. However, per my vet, I started changing her food from puppy to adult food about a month ago (same brand) and ever since then, she keeps waking me up between 12pam-2am to go pee). She has been completely changed over to the adult food now for about 2 weeks and everything else in her schedule is the same but I can't get her to stop waking me up to pee...HELP! It's only pee by the way.
Hello Linda, I suggest examining the ingredients between the old food and the new one and see if you notice differences in ingredients. If you feel confident that it began when the food was switched she could be allergic to something in the new food, creating urinary tract infection type symptoms, or it could be causing kidney issues that could lead to frequent urination (both of which would effect daytime bladder control also). Once you figure out what the new food contains that the old one did not (if anything), then look for an appropriate adult food that doesn't contain the most likely allergic ingredients and gradually switch her over to that food to see if the bladder issues resolve. (Consult your vet. I am not a veterinarian). If the peeing is not linked to thr new food but is coincidental, then make sure you are removing all food and water two hours before bed and ignore any crying to go outside before it has been eight hours. If here is not a medical issue she should be able to hold her bladder for at least that long even if awake. If she has an accident then, it is time to visit your vet to find out why she has less bladder control now. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
We got Zoey about a month ago and started crate training day 1. She did pretty good with her potty training for the first couple of weeks but for the last two or so weeks she just doesn't even try. She goes pee in her crate every single time she is left in there and will go pee right next to you when she just went pee 30 minutes ago. In the crate we've tried just leaving her in there on the hard plastic part and she'll just pee anyway and you'll come back to find her laying in it. She doesn't seem to mind at all. During the day she is left in there for a maximum of 3 hours at a time and she still goes every time. We've minimized the crate area so it's only just big enough for her to lay down and clean it with the enzyme cleaner to remove the smell. When we're home we tether her to ourselves or put her in a playpen but if we don't take her out every half hour or so she'll just go where she stands, if I don't notice right away she'll even lay in it. She never tries to get a treat from me when she goes inside, which she always does when she goes outside. She came to us with a UTI and on antibiotics but seemed to do better with pottying then than she does now. I'm just not really sure what to do with a dog who doesn't seem to care that she's laying in her own pee. Help please!
Hello Kayla, I highly recommend a trip to your vet. This sounds medical even before you mentioned the UTI. With her history of having a urinary tract infection, that is an even greater reason to go visit your vet again. UTI's can be recurrent and the chance of having another one is great once you have had one. She may also have the first UTI still and need to switch antibiotics and the potty training is worse now because the UTI is getting worse. I suggest also having them evaluate if there is an issue with her urethra or bladder that prevents her from emptying her pee all the way or makes it easier for bacteria to enter. If there is an issue, that may need to be addressed as well to prevent future UTI's. They may also feel that she may out grow that if they find an issue. It could also be a few other things, such as scar tissue, damage to the Urethra, or something else that would make it hard for her to hold her pee, make her drink more water, or feel the urge to go. (I am not a veterinarian though so consult your vet). Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
My dog is a little over 68lbs and cannot hold her bowels during the day when I am at work and/or all night. Whether it is pee or poo, she has to go at 12:30pm and somewhere between 1:30-3AM. These times do not include her going at 6:30am, 7:15am, 6:30pm and 9pm when I let her out because I am home. It doesn't matter if she goes right before going to bed, or if we exercise her a lot so she is really tired. We tried crating her, but she gets all wound up and ends up going in the crate. This even happens when she is at the kennel, and in the morning the staff finds her excrements "painted" all over the run as she has trampled through it numerous times. We have never had a dog that cannot hold it all night, or all day if we are gone. What should I do?
Hello SB, I highly recommend seeing your Vet. This is not a typical behavioral problem since it is also happening when you are home and during the night. A dog will typically only need to poop twice a day, some puppies will go three times. Six times is likely a medical issue or food allergy that needs to be addressed with your Vet. Bets of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
My 10 year old male Cavachon has been potty trained since he was a puppy, but lately he was been having accidents at night. He knows to scratch at the back door to let us know he has to go out and we will let him out, but at night either we don't hear him and he can't hold it, or he purposely pees on the wood floors. He gets let out at night before bed at around 1 am, and again in the morning at 6 am. He's been able to hold it for 8+ hours during the day so we are confused why he can't wait 5 hours at night. He sleeps downstairs along with our other dog, and the upstairs is blocked off so they can not come up, but we can usually still hear them downstairs. He slept in a crate when he was a puppy but we stopped crating him when he was around 1 year old. It's been 9 years since, and now he gets anxious when confined in a crate, so we can't crate him at night. Do you have any recommendations of what I should do to prevent these accidents? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Hello Julia, It is very likely that this is age related. It's possible that his ability to hold his bladder varies depending on his health/organ function that day and the amount of water he drank, and after a few nights of accidents he simply gave up trying to hold it at night in general. I suggest a trip to your vet to see if there is something medical going on. Certain illnesses can even have symptoms that come and go, making it so that he would have incontinence issues sometimes but not at other times. If this does turn out to be something permanent due to age, I suggest either: 1. Having him wear a male belly band - which is like a doggie diaper. You can buy disposable ones or washable ones, then put pads in them. There are pads made just for these or you can use human incontinence or overnight feminine hygiene pads. 2. You could set up an exercise pen and put a disposable real grass pad in it. I do not suggest using a pee pad though - because that may lead to him peeing on other things made of fabric, like rugs. A real grass pad is more similar to what he is already used to peeing on and there are not additional things made of grass in your home for him to pee on. Put a non-absorbent bed on one end, such as www.primopads.com, a dog cot, or something else that is non-absorbent. Put the grass pad on the opposite end, closest to the route he would take to go outside. Have him sleep in the exercise pen at night so that he is close to the grass toilet. You can also spray the pad with a potty encouraging spray like "Go Here!" to help him understand that that's what it's for, and reward him with a treat if you catch him peeing on the grass at any point. Take him potty outside like normal during the day unless you want to permanently transition to the grass pad during the day too. Real grass pad (also found on Amazon.com) https://www.freshpatch.com/ Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
We will receive our baby girl in a week. I am nervous because we've never had such a tiny dog. Full grown she will be four to five pounds. She will be under two pounds when we get her. Right now she is using pee pads. We plan to crate train. Three questions. How long can a tiny dog hold it at this age.? Should we continue using pee pads? She seems to little to take outside. Also we can't sleep without a noise machine. So should her crate be in our room so we can hear her? We eventually would want her to stay in laundry room.
Thank you
Hello Kim, If your end goal is teaching her to go potty outside, then I suggest skipping pee pads completely because using pee pads, then removing them later can lead to some dogs peeing on rugs and carpet also. If someone is home during the day and typically gone no longer than two hours at a time, then check out the Crate Training method from the article linked below and use just that method day and night (it's more work at first but MUCH easier and quicker in the long run). Take her out as often as that method describes to speed up potty training (that method is designed for young puppies). The maximum amount of time that puppies generally can hold their bladder for is the number of months they are in age plus one. Meaning that at two months of age she can hold her bladder for 2-3 hours maximum during the day (it is different at night while asleep). Since that is the maximum amount of time during the day, only have her hold it for that long when you absolutely must when you are not home. In general take her out every hour right now, and every 1.5 hours at the most. As she gets older that time will increase between potty breaks. For example, at four months she will be able to hold it for a maximum of 4-5 hours and you can take her outside every 2-2.5 hours when home if potty training is going well. Crate Training method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-german-shepherd-puppy-to-poop-outside Although her bladder is very small she will also drink less water so the normal times for other puppies by age should still apply. You may need to decrease the maximums by 1 hour if she has an accident in the crate at any point though. Puppies are all a little different after all. If you cannot take her outside as often as needed to crate train exclusively, then the next best option is to crate train while home and set up a real grass pad in an exercise pen in a room that she will not spend time in as an adult (She will get used to being able to pee in this room so you want it to be a room she will not frequent later). Keep her in that room and the exercise pen with the grass pad only when you are gone off, and crate train the rest of the time like normal. Follow the Exercise Pen method from the article linked below. You will not remove the exercise pen like the method mentions though, since this part of potty training is only temporary and your end goal is not indoor potty training - but just to use it until her bladder control increases enough for her to hold it in a crate the entire time you are gone - at that point you will transition to just crating her and using crate training. Exercise pen method - this article mentions using a litter box. I suggest using a real grass pad (linked below the article) instead in your case, but the steps are the same for a litter box or a grass pad. simply substitute the grass pad instead. https://wagwalking.com/training/litter-box-train-a-chihuahua-puppy Real grass pad (This can also be purchased off Amazon): https://www.freshpatch.com/ As far as taking her outside, your main concerns are distemper and Parvo. Those diseases are typically contracted through the saliva and feces of infected animals - normally dogs. If your yard is fenced, then take her into your fenced in yard, avoiding the rest of your street or unfenced yard, so that no neighborhood or roaming dogs can enter it. If your yard is not fenced but you live somewhere where your yard probably hasn't been visited by any dogs in the last six months to a year, then you can take her there in most cases. Avoid setting her down on sidewalks and public areas where other dogs have been. For the sake of socialization you can take her TONS of places with you and you should to help her develop a great temperament! BUT carry her to those places until she has had her 12 week or equivalent puppy shot,, to avoid touching the ground where infected feces may have been tracked on the ground. You can even join a puppy class but make sure the participants are required to be up to date on age appropriate shots, that the floor is cleaned with a cleaner that kills parvo and distemper right before class, that no non-class participants can enter that area once it has been cleaned, and that you carry your puppy until you are in the cleaned class area. You can even request that the instructor have class participants take off their shoes outside of the class. If you live in an apartment where there is nowhere safe to take her outside, then you may want to use a grass pad until 12 weeks of age. If you have a balcony or patio, that may be a better place to use the pad and exercise pen than inside your home, since there are likely not extra rooms in your apartment that she won't be frequenting later as an adult. In that case you would use the crate training method so that she is not left in the exercise pen on the patio in hot weather, and simply take her to the exercise pen on the patio for potty breaks instead of outside. For sleep, if you want her to sleep in the laundry room in the future you can certainly start that now - there are even benefits to that, like her adjusting to being boarded later in life. To do so, set up an audio baby monitor in the laundry room and turn up your listening volume to high so that she will wake you if she cries during the night to go potty. At this age she will probably need to be taken potty during the night at least once for the next month. You simply need to make sure that you can hear her when she wakes up and cries to go potty. If she doesn't wake you up, then you will need to set an alarm to take her every 4-5 hours or sooner. While asleep most puppies can hold their bladders for longer than during the day. Use the baby monitor even if you set an alarm, in case she wakes up sooner some nights - in hopes of her waking you up then. If she has an accident sooner than five hours, then subtract an hour and take her out every 3-4 hours during the night instead. Don't wait until she has numerous accidents before you adjust it. You don't want her to get comfortable with peeing in the crate! If you will wake up when she cries on the baby monitor, then I suggest waiting until she cries to take her potty so that she learns to sleep through the night sooner. Only use the alarm if her cries do not wake you up. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
Hello - our dog is fully crate trained and doesn't let us know when he has to go out and pees on our floor during the day when we are at home and at night. We are trying to train him with puppy pads if he has to go in the house. Every day is different for his bladder movements so it's hard to track. We know he can hold it for hours at a time because he does it on some days and not others? Any advice on how to house train him? We also live on the 6th floor of an apt building so taking him out if he pees when we catch him is also an issue! HELP!
Hello Margot, Check out the Crate Training method from the article linked below. Since he is older, take him potty every 3-4 hours while you are home, and up to 8 hours if you have to be gone all day and he has shown that he can hold it that long. When you take him potty, tell him to "Go Potty" and give him three small treats or pieces of kibble after he goes potty - you want to motivate him to go outside more than go inside - keep these treats somewhere out of his reach, by the door or near his leash, where you will remember to grab them on your way outside. After he goes potty outside, give him 2 hours of supervised freedom out of the crate. After that time, put him back into the crate until it has been 3-4 hours or more since he last went potty, so that he is not out of the crate while his bladder is at all full. Crate Training method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-german-shepherd-puppy-to-poop-outside Crate Training utilizes a dog's natural desire to hold it in a confined space, encouraging that desire combined with strictly PREVENTING accidents can help break a habit of peeing inside. Second, rewarding a dog for going potty outside can help motivate that dog to go outside instead of inside, since they want to get the reward. Third, teach him to ring a bell to help him realize that he can control when he gets to go outside. Teach him to ring the bell whenever you point to it by following one of the methods from the article linked below. Ring a bell article: https://wagwalking.com/training/ring-a-bell-to-go-out Once he has learned to ring the bell when told to or when you point to it, then point to it on your way outside each time and require him to ring it on your way outside before letting him out (since you will be controlling his schedule better this should be easier). If he is motivated to pee outside, the habit of peeing inside is broken, and he learns that he can control when he gets to go outside - and he wants to go out to get that treat after peeing, then he will be more likely to ask to go outside when the urge hits him. Finally, clean up any new or old accidents you are aware of with a cleaner that contains enzymes so that the pee and poop is broken down at a molecular level - only then will the smell be removed enough for his sensitive dog nose not to smell it anymore (bleach, oxygen and ammonia aren't always enough, and Ammonia can make it worse). Any remaining smell from accidents can encourage a dog to go potty on that same spot again and make training harder. I do not suggest using pee pads unless you want to be stuck using them forever. Using them is encouraging him to go potty inside and can sometimes lead to confusion about other fabric type materials, like rugs, especially if you try to remove them later. If you must use something, check out real grass pads and use them inside of an exercise pen in a room where he will not be able to go normally so that he is less likely to associate peeing with the rest of the house, but he has somewhere he can stay with a grass pad to pee on while you are gone if you are gone for longer than he can hold it in a crate. Grass pad: https://www.amazon.com/Fresh-Patch-Disposable-Potty-Grass/dp/B005G7S6UI/ref=asc_df_B005G7S6UI/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309763115430&hvpos=1o2&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4628430177348674255&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1015431&hvtargid=pla-568582223506&psc=1 Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
Stanley is on dried puppy food so needs to drink a lot of water. We always make sure that he 'goes' just before we go to bed but he gets us up between 2-3 am to pee and then again between 6-7. I have read that to avoid the early morning pees we should remove his water 2 hours before bedtime, but is this ok to do if he is on dried food. I feel that removing his water would make him dehydrated and would be detrimental to his health.He is not in a crate and we don't to crate him. Is there anything else that we can do to avoid the 2am wake up call or are we asking too much from a 16 week old pup?
Hello Cathy, The 2 hour rule is also recommended for puppies on dry dog food. As long as you feed him at least three hours before bed he will have time to drink after eating during the following hour, then do a final pee and maybe poop before being put to bed. Crating is the easiest way to get a puppy to sleep through the night. Make sure he is not sleeping too much in the evening before bed or that will cause him to wake up earlier. Remove all food and water at least 2 hours before bed, keep his sleep area quiet and dark, and keep trips outside for pottying very boring with no play or treats - or he may start waking you up just to play or eat. Don't feed him breakfast until the time when you WANT him to wake up in the morning - regardless of when he wakes up, unless he has a medical condition that effects blood sugar like hypoglycemia. At this age she shouldn't need more than 1 potty trip outside within 10 hours at night. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
How do I stop my dog from peeing on the carpet in the bedroom when we are putting puddle pads down in the garage
Hello Lindsey, First, I suggest switching from pads to a real grass pad. Pee pads look a lot like carpet and rugs because they are made out of fabric - many dogs confuse them. If your pup is confusing them I suggest removing them and switching to a real grass pad that smells, feels and looks different and spending time teaching her to go potty on that instead. Follow the Exercise Pen or Crate Training methods from the article linked below. Disposable-real-grass pads: https://www.amazon.com/Fresh-Patch-Disposable-Potty-Grass/dp/B005G7S6UI/ref=asc_df_B005G7S6UI/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309763115430&hvpos=1o2&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7162065122120233335&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9010791&hvtargid=aud-643565131866:pla-568582223506&psc=1 Porch potty also makes an expensive but much fancier one - I suggest starting with FreshPatch above first before using a more expensive one though, to be sure it works well for you guys if you do want a fancier one. Exercise Pen and Crate Training methods for potty training - the article mentions a litter box. You can switch to that also but I suggest a real grass pad and the steps are the same for both. https://wagwalking.com/training/litter-box-train-a-chihuahua-puppy Second, you need to thoroughly clean potty accident spots in the bedroom with a cleaner that contains enzymes - only enzymes remove the smell fully, other cleaners aren't good enough. Any remaining pee or poop smell will encourage her to go potty on that same spot again and a dog's nose is very sensitive. Look for the word enzyme or enzymatic on the cleaner bottle. Third, limit her access to that room for a while while she is getting out of the habit of going potty in there and learning about the grass pad instead. Block it off, keep the door closed, or have her wear a doggie diaper while in there. If you use a doggie diaper, then supervise her while she is in there and whenever she tries to squat to go potty while the diaper is on, clap your hands loudly a couple of times, then without saying anything rush her to the grass pad. The timing is extremely important - this has to happen right as she starts to squat and she needs to be wearing the diaper so that she doesn't successfully pee there. This also needs to be combined with rewarding her for going potty on the grass pad a lot using the exercise pen method or crate training method linked above. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
During the day, Bradley and his "sister" are confined to a small, tiled corner of the den where they have access to the doggy door. I have an outdoor camera positioned outside that notifies me of movement from the door. I have noticed that my female dog uses the outdoors twice a day during my work-day (8a-5p). However, Bradley does not go outside when I am out of the house.
At night time after bed (10p-6a) Bradley wakes me at least three times needing to be let out to urinate. I have attempted to ignore him and make him wait longer, but he paces and whines until I get up to let him to the doggy door.
I am losing a lot of sleep because of this nighttime urination habit. How is it he will hold it all day but at bedtime he's going every two hours?
Hello Angela, First of all, go with him outside at night and make sure that he is actually peeing at night when he asks to go out. He may be asking to go out to sniff where nocturnal animals have been, to play, or for attention, and not to pee. It that's the case, then you can ignore or discipline the whining if you know that he truly doesn't need to go. If he really does have to pee and will have an accident if you ignore him, then you may want to set up a camera inside to watch him during the day and see if he is asleep all day while you are gone. Some napping is normal and good, but if he is sleeping the entire day, then he may have his nights and days mixed up and his bladder is more active at night because he is awake all night! If that's the case, he needs to be given things to do during the day to keep him awake more so that he will stay asleep all night. A Pet Tutor, AutoTrainer, food stuffed, frozen chew toys, Doggie Daycare, or Pet Walker can all get him be more active during the day. If he really does have to go potty at night, isn't sleeping too much during the day, then I suggest a visit to your vet. There are some diseases that can effect hormone levels and cause issues only at certain times, or at night possibly. I am not a vet though so you would need to ask your vet for further details. The most likely thing is that he doesn't actually have to go potty at night but wants to sniff around where other animals have been in your yard at night. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
hello my puppy is choosing to pee inside , i have growled when she is caught and taken her outside, stayed with her for 10 to 15 mins, she hasn't peed within 30 seconds being inside she pees, and this happened 3 times in a row, she simply doesn't pee outside, she waits to be let back inside and pees immediately, can you please advice me , thank you .
kind regards Graham
Hello Graham, All her life she is used to peeing inside on paper or another surface so right now she thinks that is what she should do. Potty training is teaching a dog a habit of only peeing outside - after peeing only outside for several months, they begin to want to keep the inside space clean on their own. To teach her OUTSIDE is where to go now and not inside, and create the good potty training habit, you need to crate train her. Check out the article linked below and Follow the "Crate Training method". The crate training method if followed closely will only give her freedom inside your home while her bladder is empty - to prevent inside accidents and make sure that outside is the only place she has access to to pee. After a couple of months of only peeing outside, she should start to gradually associate outside with pottying and inside with holding it. The crate will also naturally encourage her to hold her bladder in the confined space, which helps her learn how to hold it in general. Make sure that you do not put anything absorbent in the crate. If you need a bed for her in there, check out www.primopads.com. Also make sure the crate is only big enough for her to turn around, lie down, and stand up, and not so big she can pee in one end and stand in the opposite end to avoid the pee - too big a crate won't encourage a dog's natural desire to hold their bladders in a confined space. If your current crate is too big, most wire crates come with a divider you can use to make the crate small until she grows into it. Crate Training method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-german-shepherd-puppy-to-poop-outside Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
Loki is a 5 month old beagle. He is fairly well house trained and always goes outside during the day, but always pees inside overnight (even though the dog door is still open so he can go out). Even if he is in a crate he still wees in there and sleeps on it. Should I be taking his water away earlier. I have a feeling it is more peeing because he is upset he is alone rather than actually having to go to the toilet
Hello Michael, I would remove food and water two hours before bed. He also needs to be crated at night - even though thats only part of the issue since he pees in there, but a crate will at least make peeing inside less appealing and help him sleep at night instead or pacing or playing - if he stays awake, his bladder will too and he won't be able to hold it overnight. When he goes potty right before bed, go with him and make sure he is actually finishing peeing all the way - if he is going out on his own or with another dog he is likely getting distracted. At five months most puppies can hold it all night long but some puppies may still need a potty trip in the early morning, after about 7-8 hours of sleep for a while longer. When you take him potty in general during the day, tell him to "Go Potty" and give him two treats, one at a time if he goes. This will teach him the go potty command so that when you take him potty before bed you can tell him to go potty, and tell him to go potty again if he didn't seem to finish all the way - some males will just mark a little and not empty all the way unless encouraged. If removing the water sooner, making sure he goes potty right before bed, and taking him potty after 8 hours doesn't help (put him back to bed after that early morning potty trip if you don't want to get up at that time), then I suggest visiting your vet to rule out an infection, anatomical, or hormonal issue issue that might keep his bladder overactive during the night. Make sure there is nothing absorbent in the crate with him or that can lead to confusion too. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
Every night before bed I take daisy out of her potty. She pees and then walks to the door indicating she has finished. We usually stop feeding around 8 pm sleep at 10 pm. But every night around 2-3 am she's fussing and pees on the floor. What can we do to stop this from happening?
Thank you.
Hello Alejandra, At five weeks old she will need to go potty during the night 1-2 times until about 3-4 months old. Some puppies will be able to hold it through the night by 2-3 months, but as long as 4 months is still normal. At her age her bladder capacity is small and she simply cannot go all night yet; this is true for all puppies that young. You will need to crate her beside your bed at night so that she will cry to wake you up and let you know when she has to go at night. Otherwise you will need to set an alarm clock for 1:30 am to take her potty every night. She may also need to be taken out around 6am for a couple of weeks too. When you take her potty, take her on a leash and keep the trip super boring, then take her back inside and put her back into the crate so that she will learn to only wake up at night if she really has to potty and not to play; doing this will help her outgrow the night wake ups sooner. Unfortunately, middle of the night potty trips are just normal for a while and part of having a puppy. They usually only last a few weeks before puppy's bladder grows enough to be able to sleep all the way through the night without an accident. You can't ignore her need to go potty at night or she will start to make more accidents during the day too and learn to pee at night instead of hold it at night. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
River cries endlessly if we put her in her crate at night, so we let her roam the living room instead. She ill cry for about 20-30 minutes in the middle of the night (around 2 AM), but we are working on ignoring that so it doesn't continue. However, when she wakes up & cries she also pees. She held it through the night when she was in her crate, but now she refuses to sleep in her crate. Do you have any suggestions?
Hello Meredith, Go back to having her sleep in the crate at night but work on the crying in the crate. Check out the video linked below on anxiety - the trainer sounds harsh but is extremely experienced so forgive gruffness, knowing he is very experienced with dogs with tons of behavior issues: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5GqzeLzysk Crate manners for calmness to practice during the day: https://thegooddog.net/training-videos/free-how-to-training-videos/learn-to-train-the-good-dog-way-the-crate/ Quiet method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark Teach the Quiet command above, when she barks, say Quiet (which she should understand if you taught it), and if she doesn't stop or stops then starts again, spray a small puff of unscented air at her side through the crate with a Pet Convincer. Use unscented air not citronella, and spray the puff of air at the side or shoulder NOT face. If she wakes to pee, take her potty on a leash, no talking, no treats, no play, and straight back to bed after. If there is structure and calmness at night and surrounding the crate, and nightly potty trips are super boring, she should start to sleep through better on the nights when she doesn't truly need to pee. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
Sometime during the night, Freckles pees wherever she is. In my room, in her crate, etc. I have tried putting her in her crate and not cleaning it. I have tried putting her nose in it and punishing her, but i cannot get her to stop peeing at night. Please Help
Hello Julia, How long can she hold her pee for during the day? If she can't hold her pee for several hours during the day and is needing to go outside every 1-3 hours to go potty, I suggest a visit to your vet's to see if there is a medical issue effecting her bladder control. There isn't a straightforward answer to this question. You really need someone who can play detective, ask you a lot of questions, see your set up, and get a history of pup and potty training to figure out what's going on and how to address it. For example, a trainer needs to know things like: 1. How long have you had pup? 2. Has she always had accidents at night? 3. Does she hold her bladder in a crate during the day? 4. Can she hold her pee for a few hours during the day or does she need to go potty frequently then also? 5. What methods do you use for potty training? 6. Is she potty trained during the day or does she struggle then also? 7. How big is your crate in relation to her? (It should only be big enough for her to stand up, turn around, and lie down, and not so big she can pee in one end and stand in the opposite end to avoid it). 8. Do you have anything absorbent in the crate? (If so take it out) 9. How long before bed are you removing food and water? (should be 2 hours unless she has a medical condition that requires differently). 10. Does she have access to water at night? (they answer needs to be no unless she has a medical condition that makes it necessary). 11. Any other unusual symptoms (Looking for a medical cause)? 12. Is there another dog in the house that she might be competing with, especially one that also potties in the house? The answers to these questions will tell a trainer important things like whether this could be medical and a trip to your vet is needed, whether she is actually potty trained and this is out of the ordinary or she simply never learned, whether your crate setup or potty training method is the issue, whether too much water is the issue, whether this is a bladder peeing issue or a marking issue, ect... I suggest hiring a professional trainer to work with you on this one. Look for a pet dog trainer who specializes in behavior issues and has experience with this type of thing, to be able to think outside of the box. You may even be able to work with someone over skype or the phone to get to the bottom of things and come up with a game plan together. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
Our rescue, who we have had for 1.5 months, is leaving us surprises in our lower level in the middle of the night. I have read quite a bit about crate training (no accidents in the house during the day and she has access outside via dog door that she's using) however, from what we learned, her 1st year she was abused and either abandoned or ran away, and her 2nd year, she lived in a cave and had a litter of pups. She is coming along wonderfully, except this issue. She is pretty skittish around most people (but is getting much much better), is very afraid of a leash (tethering makes me nervous for her trust that we've earned), and I fear that crate training would be pretty traumatic for her. I've been letting her out right before we go to bed, and usually she eliminates and I praise her. Again, she is going outside to go potty during the days and I praise her a ton. Should I be saying "potty, good girl" during these times? She's super smart and has already learned to sit, down, come, etc., and I haven't been able to catch her to tell her and take her "outside". We've been trying to spend the evenings in the lower level so she understands it's part of her "den", but not sure what else to do at this time. I thought about the crate training but leaving the door open? We are starting to work on the leash training so we can walk her, but I play with her in the yard 2-3 times a day for 15 minutes for exercise (she gets tired, but I know she needs more), which is also a new experience for her. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Hello Jessica, I suggest crate training here so that you can crate her at night. It doesn't have to be traumatic. There is a way to ease into it. Check out the article linked below. Focus the most on the Surprise method, but I suggest incorporating the other two methods a bit also. Many anxious dogs do really well in a crate once they adjust. I typically just suggest easing it to it more gradually with these dogs. You need to sleep and without supervision the accidents will continue overnight. Another alternative is to place her in an exercise pen with a real grass pad and train her to go potty on that pad at night, but honestly this is not a ton different than crating overnight and will complicate other potty training efforts during the day. Crate Training - The Surprise method starts off with the crate door open and gradually works up to it being closed - practice all of this during the day. You don't want to give food overnight. Once pup can handle three hours during the day, then transition to overnight use: https://wagwalking.com/training/like-a-crate Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
Bear is a 10 month old lab and he does great not having accidents in the house. As a puppy, we were taking him outside overnight every 2-3 hours and popping him back in his crate after. Around 4-5 months we started leaving his crate door open and closing our bedroom door to allow him more space. He was making it from 10pm-5 or 6. Lately, he has been going to bed around 9pm and getting up consistently between 1-2 to pee and/or poop. My husband works from home 4 days a week so Bear regularly has access to the outside to go to the bathroom during the day - he's only ever left for 4-5 hours without being let out. We want him to be able to hold it throughout the night and not make the pee breaks in the middle of the night (it's exhausting!!!). HELP!
Hello Brianna, First, pay attention to how often he is pooping during the day - is he pooping more than 3 times during a 24 hour period? If so there may be something medical going on, or his food may not agree with him. Most dogs don't need to poop during the middle of the night. He also might be getting too distracted while outside and may not be pooping during the day when he should - so when things finally calm down at night, he feels the urge to go. If there is something medical going on like a food allergy, parasites, or GI upset - consult your vet to deal with the underlying issue first. (I am not a vet) If he is not pooping during the day about 2 times because he is getting distracted, he will need to be taken potty on a leash for a while again. When you take him, slowly walk him around and tell him to "Go Potty". After he pees, give a treat. After he pees, walk him around for twice as long again to get him to poop, telling him to "Go potty" again, and reward with three treats if he poops. Most dogs need to poop morning and evening - often after breakfast and dinner; helping him focus to poop helps reset his body to pooping during the day instead of holding it and needing to go at night - meaning less wake ups to poop at night. The slow movement of walking helps a dog feel the urge to poop so walking slowly is an important step. The treat rewards will teach him to go potty when you tell him to - so that the process will go faster in the future. Make sure you are removing all food and water 2 hours before he goes to bed, and taking him potty right before bedtime and not an hour or more beforehand. With all of that said, if the above suggestions are not the issue, he simply might be going potty during the night because he is used to going that often during the day and it's more comfortable - but he could hold it if he had to. Make sure there isn't a medical or schedule reason why he is incapable of holding it first, then if there isn't or you have dealt with it, crate him at night again. When he cries and it has been less than 8 hours since he last went potty and you know he is capable of holding it, ignore the crying until he goes back to bed. You have to be firm about this. It could take up to two weeks, but often just three days of being consistent will help. If you free him when he doesn't really have to go potty, the process will take much, much longer though because he will learn to simply be more persistent the next night, instead of just going back to sleep. You can also discipline the barking if you feel confident that he is capable of holding it but just not willing to, and there is a reason why you can't or aren't willing to let him cry. To discipline the barking, start by teaching the Quiet command using the Quiet method from the article linked below. Quiet method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark Practice the Quiet command method during the day until he learns the meaning of the word Quiet. Since you want him to learn it quickly, I suggest practicing for a few minutes several times per day to speed up learning. Only give treats while practicing this during the day - no treats at night. Once he understands Quiet, if he wakes up and it has been less than 8 hours since he last went potty, then when he cries tell him "Quiet". If he gets quiet - great! Go back to bed, nothing else happens. If he doesn't get quiet or starts barking again right away, calmly say "Ah Ah" and use a small canister of pressurized air, called a Pet Convincer, to spray a quick puff of unscented air (do NOT use citronella) at his side through the crate's wires (avoid spraying him in the face). After spraying him, go back to bed. Repeat the corrections each time he barks until he goes back to sleep. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
Hello! My dog was very good with his potty training up until the last year. He got a urine infection and had a lot of accidents in a short time frame. After we went to the vet and he got better I had our carpet cleaned professionally. After that he still went to the same spot and peed. We eventually got an indoor shock collar to steer him away from the spot he was having his accidents. Now he has found a new spot he likes to frequent at night. He is crated during the day and has no issue holding it. He also will not ever have an accident in our bedroom or during the day when we are awake. Not sure why he has started this at 4 years. Any feedback is appreciated!
Hello Diane, First, the accidents need to stop at night through management. He needs to sleep in his crate at night too right now. Second, even though the carpets were cleaned professionally, they may not have used a cleaner that contains enzymes. Only enzymes fully remove urine and poop smells for dogs' sensitive noses. Clean any spots he likes to potty on with a cleaner made for carpet that says it contains enzymes. The enzymes will break down the pee and poop at a molecular level - which is needed to neutralize the smell. Even bleach won't do that. Look on the bottle for the word enzyme or enzymatic. I suggest doing those things, in addition to the daytime routine you are already doing. Pup likely needs to be crated for six months to reestablish good potty habits. I would test him at 6 months, and if he has an accident, crate for another 3 months before testing again. If pup has an accident in the crate during the night (don't put anything absorbent in the crate with him), I would visit your vet to see if there are any lingering urinary issues making it hard for him to hold it through the night, such as a low level infection, irritation from the previous infection, or damage or some kind. (I am not a vet so ask your vet anything medical related). There is also an ask a vet section of wagwalking.com where you could ask a medical professional's opinion there. If you need a non-absorbent bed to put into the crate, look into something like www.primopads.com Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
Help my dogs are peeing in my apartment at night!
We have lived in this apartment for over a year and they have never peed in the house before but here recently they both have been using the potty in the exact same spot at night. And it's only at night they never do it when we are gone or awake. I let them out 2 time before bed time and even put out potty pads in the hallway just in case they can't hold it anymore. Nothing has work!
I was thinking about kicking them out of my bedroom at night and closing the door, is this a good way to teach them? I hate to do it because they are my babies, but if I don't do something my boyfriend will want to get rid of them. We have also took them to the vet so there is nothing wrong with there bladders.
Hello Danielle, First, thoroughly clean the area they are having accidents on with a cleaner that contains enzymes. Only enzymes will fully remove the smell to the point where pups don't smell the pee anymore, and any remaining smell will just encourage them to go back to the same spot. Second, you will need to crate them at night. Check out the Surprise method from the article linked below to introduce the crates. Make sure that the crates don't have anything absorbent in them - including a soft bed or towel. Check out www.primopads.com if you need a non-absorbent bed for them. Make sure the crate is only big enough for them to turn around, lie down and stand up, and not so big that they can potty in one end and stand in the opposite end to avoid it. Dogs have a natural desire to keep a confined space clean so it needs to be the right size to encourage that natural desire. You want them to get into the habit of holder their bladders overnight and not just eliminating whenever they feel the urge and you want to encourage that desire for cleanliness in your home - which the crate is helpful for. Less freedom now means more freedom later in life. Surprise method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark If they are not already used to a crate, expect crying at first. When they cry and you know they don't need to go potty yet (like when you first put them into the crate), ignore the crying. Most dogs will adjust if you are consistent. During the day you can practice crate training for 1-2 hours (which I recommend doing!) and give them a food stuffed hollow chew toy in the crate to help them adjust, and sprinkle treats into the crate during times of quietness to further encourage quietness. If they continue protesting for long periods of time past three days, you can use a Pet Convincer. Work on teaching "Quiet" by using the Quiet method from the article linked below. Tell them "Quiet" when they bark and cry. If a pup gets quiet and stays quiet, you can sprinkle a few pieces of dog food into the crate through the wires calmly, then leave again. If they disobey your command and keep crying or stops but starts again, spray a small puff of air from the Pet convincer at that pup's side through the crate while saying "Ah Ah" calmly, then leave again. If they stay quiet after you leave you can periodically sprinkle treats into the crate to reward their quietness. Quiet method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark Only use the unscented air from the Pet Convincers - don't use citronella, it's too harsh and lingers for too long so can be confusing. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
Milo is a 14 week old lab who we only got 2 weeks ago, we have been trying to house train him and he's doing great he has a few accidents the odd time but Not very often, I bring him out at 11/12pm before bed and then again at 3/3:30 am and then again at 7am and he has been fine doing this the past 2 weeks but two days ago I woke up to 3 accidents when I woke him up at 3 and then 2 more when we got up at 7? It has only happened the past 3 days and I was just curious to see if you could help me figure out why it's happened only two days after doing so well with this system for the 2 weeks we have him?
Thanks for the help
Hello Ericka, I suggest a trip to your vet first to see if there is something causing urinary incontinence since the change is so recent sudden and frequent. I am not a vet. Also, is there anything absorbent in the crate. If you need a non-absorbent bed check out primopads.com. Be sure that the crate is only big enough for him to turn around, lie down, and stand up. Too big or if there is something absorbent like a soft bed or towel could be the culprit...He may have had one accident unintentionally, then when it was absorbed or he was able to avoid it he didn't mind having additional ones. If you have a wire crate, you can purchase a wire crate divider to make it temporarily smaller instead of a completely new crate, then adjust the size as he grows. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
I adopted Pansy a month ago, shortly after she had surgery to remove an eye. She has had many episodes of peeing in the house, but the most troubling for me is needing to go out 1 or more times during the night. Prior to her adoption she was being fostered and they reported only a couple of accidents and none of the needing to go out at night. I've cleaned up where she has peed with an enzyme based cleanser. Thankfully, she seems to prefer hard surfaces versus carpet! I anticipated an adjustment period for Pansy but I'm growing concerned. She has been to the vet and a UTI was ruled out but they also did a culture (no results yet). I've tried crate training but she has peed in the crate. Pansy doesn't bark at all and seems to pace when she wants to go out, or is sometimes just pacing for whatever reason. Its hard to determine at night if she wants attention or if she wants out. She is also hard of hearing, at best. I work outside the home and have a 12 year old Shih Tzu and 4 cats - none have problems except for an occasional accident. Your previous answers suggest nothing soft in the crate; should it just be the bare crate floor? I haven't yet tried confining her to a smaller area. Any other thoughts or suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Hello Eileen, First, if it's an option, I would contact the rescue she came from and ask if they used the crate, what her potty schedule was and generally what they did - since according to them she did fine there. If she really was fine there, you might be able to replicate what they did and see a big improvement. Second, I would make sure the crate is small enough and remove the absorbent bed. I would purchase something like www.primopads.com to give a little cushion without causing potty issues. It won't be soft and wonderful like a stuffed bed but it will help her joints and be much better than the hard ground of the crate. Try crating her at night and when you can't supervise to see if it's a training issue. If she still has accidents despite nothing absorbent in the crate and the correct size (if you have a wire crate that needs to be sized down, you can purchase a wire crate divider instead of an entirely new crate - to make the crate smaller)...if she still has accidents, it very well might be her age and early stages of urinary incontinence - sometimes that's caused by something like kidney issues (I am not a vet) but often it's just a normal part of aging for some dogs, and one dog (like your 12 year old dog) may have a better bladder than even a younger dog (like this 10 year old) based on just genetics. If pup physically can't hold it due to age, a different type of potty training will be needed. If your schedule allows, I would keep pup either tethered to you or crated when you can't tether during the day and take pup potty more often - pay attention to how soon she seems to need and be sure to take her before she reaches that point consistently. At night, you can either wake up to take her potty OR set up an exercise pen in a room that can be closed off during the day (like a guest bathroom or laundry room - without the machines on) and place a disposable real grass pad in the exercise pen for her to use and stick close to. Place a cot type or www.primopads.com type, non-absorbent bed in the exercise pen, on the opposite end from the grass pad, for her to sleep on at night. Real grass pad brands - most are advertised to be used for 2 weeks before replacing if you pick up poop: www.freshpatch.com www.doggielawn.com www.porchpotty.com Try adjusting the crate size and bed first to see if it's just a training issue though. When she is free, keep her tethered to yourself with a hands free leash (a carabiner can make any leash hands free) for a couple of weeks too, in case the issue is just her adjusting to your home - especially given her hearing and eye issues that make it harder to find you and the door to alert when she needs to go outside. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
Hi, my puppy is not holding his pee during the night, he is peeing in his crate and then sleeping in it. I do not give him food or water 2 hours prior to bedtime. I take him out every 20 minutes while we are awake, I also have him go one last time before we go to bed. he will not cry/bark/whimper if he has to go while I am sleeping. last night he went to bed at 10pm, I woke him up at 12 to pee, then again at 2am. I woke up again at 6:30am and he had peed in his crate. The vet says he is just a puppy and has a small bladder, but I think he should be able to hold it for at least 6 hours, especially if he is sleeping. I am getting a smaller crate for him, but is there anything else I can do?
Hello Chelsey, First, make sure the crate you get is only big enough for him to stand up, turn around, and lie down. Too big and he will have accidents. You can also save money though by purchasing a wire crate with a metal divider and blocking off the back of the crate to make it the correct size, then adjust the size as he grows. Second, make sure there is nothing absorbent in the crate like a towel or soft bed. Check out www.primopads.com for a non-absorbent bedding option. Anything absorbent in the crate will encourage peeing. Third, was a medical condition like a urinary tract infection ruled by your vet? I am not a vet so consult your vet about that. Fourth, what is his history? Was he kept in a small confined location as a young puppy and forced to go potty in that location - if so he may have lost his natural desire to keep a confined space clean. This is common with pet shop puppies. If that is the case, you will need to set up an exercise pen in a room you can close off from the rest of the house (so that he can't go potty there during the day), and place a disposable real grass pad in the exercise pen and a non-absorbent bed like primopads or a cot on the opposite end and have him sleep there at night. Don't use pee pads because they resemble carpet and spend time teaching him to go potty on the grass pad some during the day when you first transition to using the grass pad at night - only use this option if a crate won't work - crate training will be easier in the long run if he hasn't lot his natural desire to keep a confined space clean. Exercise pen method for potty training - you will use a real grass pad instead of a litter box and you won't phase the exercise pen away since you are training him to go potty outside and not in the house during the day, but this method will demonstrate how to teach him to use the grass pad while in the exercise pen at night if needed. https://wagwalking.com/training/litter-box-train-a-chihuahua-puppy Real grass pad brands - also on Amazon: www.freshpatch.com www.doggielawn.com Finally, if the issue is just a small bladder, you will need to set an alarm for 20 minutes before he tends to have accidents throughout the night and take him potty at those times for the next month until his bladder capacity increases. At this age, he will need to go potty 1-2 times per night but every 2 hours if excessive so I suspect it's a training issue (not potty trained enough to understand how to control his bladder), crate setup issue, or medical issue and not just a small bladder. It's not unreasonable for him to need to go potty every 3-5 hours at this age though. Most pup's can hold it 8-10 hours overnight by 5-6 months of age, some sooner, but 5 months is average. Whatever you do, make sure that you thoroughly clean his crate with a cleaner that contains enzymes (read the bottle for the word enzyme or enzymatic) to remove the smell so that a dog can't smell it either - only enzymes will do this, not even bleach is thorough enough. Don't use Ammonia containing products on the crate or floor right now also because Ammonia smells like urine to a dog. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
Archie is a 7 month old shihtzu (almost 8 months) and me and my partner are really struggling with him peeing at night while we are sleeping. Archie never has accidents when we are at home awake, he will go to the backdoor and we will reward him after he's been outside. When we are in bed however, every single morning we get up he will have peed on the floor. There will be pee on the puppy pads (we have two down) but he will have also peed on the floor. It's never really in the same spot and varies, but it's become expected in the mornings now. We have tried everything. We let him out before bed, we have a camera downstairs which we monitor for about 20 minutes after we've gone up to bed to see if we can catch him in the act but it must be later on in the night. We've tried longer walks, put him in doggy day care for an entire day to tire him out, nothing seems to be working. I'm at a loss to what else we can try to stop this behaviour.
Hello Rachel, Archie needs to be crated at night until he gets out of the habit of going potty during the night. To crate train him, use the Surprise method from the article linked below during the day to teach him to be calm in the crate. At night crate him, but don't give rewards - just ignore the barking until he falls asleep unless is has been at least 8 hours since he last went potty and might actually need to go. This will probably involve barking for a couple of weeks - you need to stay firm with the training, knowing that he is safe and just adjusting to something completely new. When he barks you have two initial options, you can either ignore the barking and he will most likely adjust within two weeks, or you can correct if - which isn't as gentle but tends to work much quicker. If he hasn't adjusted within two weeks, you will need to also correct either way. To correct: First, work on teaching the Quiet command during the day using the Quiet method from the article linked below. https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark Second, during the day practice the Surprise method from the article linked below. Whenever pup stays quiet in the crate for 5 minutes, sprinkle some treats into the crate without opening it, then leave the room again. As he improves, only give the treats every 10 minutes, then 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, 1 hour, 1.5 hour, 2, hour, 3 hour. Practice crating him during the day for 1-2 hours at a time each day doing the treat rewards. Whenever he cries in the crate, tell him "Quiet". If he gets quiet - Great! Sprinkle treats in after five minutes if he stays quiet. If he continues barking or stops and starts again, spray a quick puff of air from a pet convincer at his side through the crate while calmly saying "Ah Ah", then leave again. Only use unscented air canisters, DON'T use citronella! And avoid spraying in the face. Surprise method: https://wagwalking.com/training/like-a-crate In a few months, when pup is sleeping through the night, quiet in the crate, and no longer having accidents, you can experiment with more freedom at night again if you wish, but he needs to be crated long enough to develop a new, good habit overnight. Stop using pee pads in general if he is being trained to go potty outside - they can lead to confusion and accidents on rugs and carpet, use a cleaner that contains enzymes to clean any potty accidents so the smell with be fully removed and not encourage new peeing, make sure that the crate is only large enough for him to stand up, turn around, and lie down - you can make a wire crate smaller temporarily with a crate divider, and that there is nothing absorbent in the crate at first - check out something like www.primopads.com for a non-absorbent bedding option until pup if fully potty trained at night. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
Kobe's schedule is 8am, 2pm, and 630pm dinner then bathroom 8pm (before bed). However, sometimes at 8pm after dinner he will not use the bathroom but will bark at 4am to go potty. How can I prevent him from wanting to potty at 4am
Hello Mary, The waking at 4 am is very much related to him not going potty before bed I believe (if it's only happening then). When you take him potty at anytime, bring small treats or his own kibble if he is motivated by that. Take him potty on a leash, walk him around slowly to help things get moving, and tell him to "Go Potty". After he goes potty, give three treats - one at a time to make it more enticing. Insist that he goes by walking him around on leash. sometimes dogs will hold it when they are cold or tired and just want to go inside - through persistence and treats work on showing him that the quickest way to get back inside is to go quicker, not hold it. Since he is older, you will need to go with him and walk him around on the leash to help things get moving. Also, try feeding him one hour soon if you are home then so that his body has more time to process the food before the potty trip. The goal is to teach him the "Go Potty" command and motivate him to go on command so that it's easier to get him to go potty quickly at bedtime. If the accidents are also happening even when he does fully go potty when you take him, the issue could be a form of incontinence. I would speak with your vet about this. If that is the issue, check out the Exercise Pen method from the article linked below. Pup may need to sleep on a bed inside an Exercise Pen at night if incontinence is an issue and can't be resolved due to age. On the other end of the Exercise Pen place a disposable real grass pad as well. Exercise Pen method: https://wagwalking.com/training/litter-box-train-a-chihuahua-puppy Instead of using pee pads or a litter box, use a disposable real grass pad in the exercise pen as well. Continue taking pup potty outside during the day - just use the exercise pen and grass pad at night and when you will be gone for longer than you know pup can physically hold it for at this age. Real grass pad brands - also on Amazon: www.doggielawn.com www.freshpatch.com www.porchpotty.com Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
We were told when we got the puppies that they were pad trained so we have a designated spot for them to potty. In the mornings we set it up with baby gates and take them out of their sleeping playpen and straight to the potty area. One day they will potty great, the next day they refuse. We try to let them out after about 30 minutes and then one or both will go potty on the carpet. It's very frustrating. The other thing is they will pee and poop in their beds and sleep area - even though I've always heard they will not. I'm wondering if I need to wash their bedding more often or not give them any. Any help is appreciated.
Hello Joelle, Many dogs tend to confuse pee pads with other materials made of fabric - such as dog beds and carpet. With pee pad training the dog often learns to go potty in a particular area where a pee pad tends to be and not just on pee pads themselves in any area. Since the dogs are in a new house the issue could be that they don't have an area they are habitually used to going to to go potty, so since your carpet and the beds are also made of fabric, they are just peeing on anything that resembles a pee pad. Unfortunately, what you are dealing with is a common pee pad issue. First, I suggest getting rid of the soft dog beds completely. The scent will only encourage the dog's to continue to go there again and the absorbent fabric right now be an issue also. Instead use non-absorbent beds such as cot type beds or www.primopads.com. Second, pup's need a crash course on potty training to teach them to go potty on a pad in a certain location. To do this, set up an exercise pen (like the one they sleep in or use that one) in the area where you want them to go potty on a pad long term - keep this location consistent for pups so they can remember where to go to find a potty and not just look for anything soft. Check out the Exercise Pen method from the article linked below. Use that method as if they were never trained to begin with, knowing that it probably won't take as long for them if they were truly trained before. https://wagwalking.com/training/litter-box-train-a-chihuahua-puppy Third, the Exercise Pen method from the article linked above mentions using a litter box, because of pups' confusion with fabric materials and pee pads, I suggest using a disposable real grass pad for future potty training instead of a litter box OR pee pads. The grass pads can be used just like pee pads but are made out of real grass grown on the pad so are less confusing for pups. The big difference is that the pads are designed to be used for up to 2 weeks (picking up the poop) and thus are more expensive per pad since each one lasts longer. Real grass pad brands - Also on Amazon: www.freshpatch.com www.doggielawn.com www.porchpotty.com Finally, be sure to clean up any previous or new accidents you are aware of with a cleaner that contains enzymes. Only enzymes will break down the pee and poop molecularly to remove the smell fully for a dog's sensitive nose and remaining smells will just encourage eliminating there again. Many (but not all) pet cleaners contain enzymes - look on the bottle for the word enzyme or enzymatic. Also, avoid ammonia containing products on the floor since they smell like urine to a dog. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Was this experience helpful?
Tacho is our 4 years old Labrador Retriever. He usually stays alone at our house but won't go to the bathroom by himself (he has an open door to the garden and knows it). When we come home he peed himself as a result of not going to the bathroom all day long (he pees while laying down, so its only drops during all day). Any ideas of how can we train or show him to go when we are not home?