Bassett Hound Toilet Training Regression

[Johnreid72]

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Hi,

We have 2 lovely bassett hounds, both boys (castrated at under 2 yrs) who are now approaching 3 & 4. The younger one (who has always been more of a handful than the older one) had got House training sorted and we were accident free. Lately though he has started weeing on the lounge floor (wood floor thank god!). At first we thought it might be after left inside too long and he got caught short, but he does it straight after being in the garden for even an hour or so. We clean up and deodorise afterwards with Simple Solution to stop the smell of urine inviting him back to reoffend. Very frustrating but I'm looking for tips on how to stop this before it comes a real problem. Any advice would be welcome, thanks.

 

[JoanneF]

Hello, welcome to the forum.

First step might be a vet check to make sure nothing medical is causing it. Castrated males will still scent mark so make sure your cleaner is biological (I'm not familiar with it). You said he does it even being out in the garden; does he have free access? That can actually be counterproductive to house training because it blurs the boundaries between indoors and out. If any of that sounds possible,  then back to basics with house trianing. It's not uncommon for a dog to regress. 

So set him up to succeed by taking him out even more than he needs. When he toilets outdoors make a huge fuss (never mind the neighbours, act like outdoor toileting is the best thing you have ever seen) and reward him with a high value treat. Do that immediately, don't make him come to you for the treat so he is clear that it's for toileting and not for coming to you. The idea is that he eventually wants to earn the treat enough to hold the toilet until he is outside. If he has an accident inside don't react at all. If you get annoyed he may learn to fear your reaction and avoid you if he needs to toilet - the opposite of what you want. 

Indoors if you see him circling or scratching the floor, that can sometimes precede toileting so get him out fast.
 

 

[leashedForLife]

welcome, & I'm sorry to hear of Ur trouble.    How long was he error-free in his housetraining? // IOW, how long was it between the time he, presumably under 6-MO, was 'in the process' of being housetrained, & then after he was clean & dry indoors, the 1st instance of urine or stool when he did NOT have a UTI, diarrhea, or urgency to void b/c he'd been left indoors for too long?

Most dogs with normal bladders & bowel-function who are 6-MO or older, & not yet seniors, can wait 6-hours to 8-hours between potty-trips - assuming that they're taken out to void immediately B4 that countdown began, of course, & that no unusual changes have occurred - a switch in diet, virus / bacteria, ate trash / drank contaminated water while out, etc.
I definitely agree with JoAnne that a vet-exam is imperative; changes in behavior always warrant a vet visit, & changes in bladder continence can have many physical / medical causes. // If he were mine, i'd ask for a urine culture to ascertain if he has a subclinical UTI - one that lacks many of the symptoms of a urinary infection, but the dog is in fact infected.  There's a nasty multi-resistant UTI that's gone global, which occurs in both humans & dogs - it can be subclinical & chronic, hard to Dx & even harder to get rid of; hopefully he does *not* have that, it's hard to kill & tends to recur.

U have 2 dogs, both male - how certain are U that this is the dog who's piddling indoors? ... A CC-TV positioned to cover the areas where he's been prone to pee might be surprising. [I say this as i've had past clients who were certain they knew which of their dogs was "guilty", & were shocked to find they'd fingered the wrong dog, when a video camera recorded the same action, but by a different dog.]

How old was he when U believed he'd been reliably housetrained? // Was he marking before he was desexed?  Most dogs who are neutered after they begin leg-lifting [which starts around puberty; on average, at abt 6-mos age] continue to leg-lift, as they've already learned that behavior.  Once learned, it's not un-learned.

Also, marking is minimal pee for display or communication purposes; does he pee multiple times in a 12 to 18-hour period indoors, 2-hours or less apart?  If so, that sounds more like an irritated urethra, incompetent sphincter, UTI, or other urinary issues.
Marking isn't voiding; M dogs basically withhold some urine as a marking reservoir, & need to be taught to empty ALL their bladder, not "most of it". // If he's voiding indoors, a puddle not a spot, & doing it often, i'd suspect diabetes - especially if he also drinks excessively. // Ask Ur vet whether a blood-sugar test might be apropos - be ready to offer some idea of how often he drinks, & how much water at a time, plus how often he urinates, & how much on average - also, does he mark / void overnight?
Or can he wait at least 6 hours or even longer, from the time U go to bed until U get up & let him out?

after the vet gives the all-clear [no UTI, bladder adhesion, kidney or bladder stones, etc], i'd try to start pairing his indoor marking with any precipitating events.
For some dogs, the sight of another M dog leg-lifting outside their home, is a trigger to mimic that behavior - but they're indoors, unfortunately, & that's a problem.
Other dogs, even after desex, will react to the scent of estrus - but usually that comes with other visible behaviors: chattering teeth, appetite's down, whines / yelps / howls / barks for no very obvious cause, restless, escape attempts, etc.

Is there anything U can think of, that seems to be associated / coincidental with his marking or urinating indoors?
 - Terry

Terry Pride, certified Vet's Assistant; member Truly Dog-Friendly
 

 

[leashedForLife]

follow-up Qs -
I just re-read the OP, & wondered if U were ever in the room when he pee'd on the floor? --- Did he react to something outside, can he see outside from that room or from the specific area where urine was found?
Does he leg-lift when outdoors to pee, or does he squat pre-puberty puppy style?

Thanks in advance,
- terry

 

[gypsysmum2]

Does he cock his leg when he pees? This is a sign of sexual maturity and helps with knowing what might be going on. What ages was he neutered?

I concur with all that JoanneF has said about a re visit to reward based house training. You will know that he has "got it" when he seeks you out to accompany him to the garden so that he can get a reward for his outdoor pee!

Was he a summer puppy? Some dogs that are house trained in the summer confuse the inside and outside of a house and are not really fully house trained. So, again, back to basics.

Is he worried about anything in the outdoor environment? Any loud noises, new neighbours etc? Fear can produce and need to seek "relief". That can lead a dog to pee in order to feel "relief" even if only for a short time. Anxiety of any sort can produce this behaviour.

What is his relationship with your other dog like? Would he be worried, for instance, to stop and pee in the garden for fear of being pounced on? It might be fun to the other dog but not so much for him?