Peeing problem

[boris]

Join our free community today.

Connect with other like-minded dog lovers!

Login or Register

Hi all,

I've searched and tried everything I can find without success... I hope that maybe someone here has the answer.

I have 2 dogs, a Spaniel and a Westie. Both are around 10 years old, in good health for oldies. We had the spaniel as a pup and the westie at 2.

We walk them twice a day without fail and let them out in the garden regularly, there is almost always someone at home.

From day 1, the westie would occaisionally pee in the house.... almost always in the same spot in our lounge but sometimes she'd pee on one of the beds upstairs.

This happened maybe once every 3 months. A few times, she even did it in front of me, each time I scooted her outside.

She knows how to ask to go out and always gets let out.

Last year, we changed the carpets due to this. The affected area (concrete) was bleached, scrubbed, underlay replaced before the new carpets went down.

The westie has started peeing there again.... and sometimes pooing. It's getting more regular. A few days ago, I went out for 2 hours (just after walking them) and came back to find pee and poo. Tonight, she came to me as normal to ask to go out and after letting her out, I found there was a still hot pee patch in the usual place,

I've tried chemical products, fussing and giving treats for going in the right places, taking her back to the pee patch and telling off, shutting her out of the area completely (she seems to mostly stop peeing then) and putting her toys where she pees. Nothing has made any difference at all.

If anyone has any idea, please let me know, I'll try anything.

Many thanks in advance for any help you can give x

 

[gypsysmum2]

There are lots and lots of reasons why dogs pee in the house.

First and foremost is to rule out a medical problem. Get wee sample and take her to the vet with it so that she can be checked out.

The next thing that must be addressed is that she does fully understand house training. Lots of people think that letting the dog out and rewarding it when it comes back in will work. This is not he case. In order for the dog to fully understand what is being rewarded they must receive the treat immediately they have peed in the garden. In order to do that you have to be there. It may take weeks but you need to take her out, be boring, but be ready with a fantastic treat to be given just as she stands up from peeing. If she walks towards you she may think she get the treat for coming to you and not for peeing in the garden.

Bleach is not a good product to use to clean up urine. It is similar to ammonia and can cause dogs to over mark it. Make a 10% solution of biological detergent. Wash, rinse, dry the area then agitate some sort of spirit like surgical spirit into the area to lift the last of the fat deposits, still detectable to a dog's nose.

What is you little dog's demeanour? Is she a confident outgoing character? Does she have fears and phobias about, say, noises or certain situations? Is she confident when left or does it worry her to be left? Is she sensitive to tensions in the household?

Anxiety can cause dogs to pee. The act of peeing gives them a physical feeling of "relief". When they are feeling anxious over something they will look to find relief from that feeling and this may manifest itself as peeing (or pooing).

If you suspect that some sort of anxiety might be at the root of her problems then I suggest a consultation with a Qualified Pet Behaviour Therapist from either COAPE or the APBC is the best way to go. They will take a thorough history and delve into her emotional make up to put her onto an even keel where she can cope with whatever is bothering her.

While you are working on all the above, try to prevent her peeing by making her comfy in another room with a washable floor. If she is crate trained she could be crated when you can't watch her. Of course you don't want to make her anxious so it will be a balancing act until you solve what is going on.