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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Be honest...Does anyone have a dog that never fully housetrained?

63 replies

BallyGoBackwards · 03/11/2015 14:51

I have posted previously about my dog (now 11 months) who was peeing at night, only at night, he doesnt have "accidents" ever during the day. For over a month now I have gone back to basics and have been getting up in the middle of the night to bring him out to pee. This is more or less working but obviously is not ideal. Last night I brought him out and he went to the toilet at 10.45, when I came down at 3 oclock he had already gone in the kitchen. He is not crated and I dont want to crate him if it is a case that he cant control it. I would hate for him to be in crate and really needing to go pee. All accidents are fully cleaned and double cleaned using bio- detergent.

My question is .....has anyone got an adult dog that has never fully toilet trained?? I am losing the will to live at the moment. Is there a chance that there will never be light at the end of the tunnel?

OP posts:
PhilPhilConnors · 03/11/2015 14:54

Could he be anxious at being alone?

Crate training might help with night weeing as , if done well, he will be in his own safe space.

Branleuse · 03/11/2015 14:56

yeah one of my next door neighbours dogs. Shes lovely, but she still pisses downstairs at night and shes 3 or 4

chelle792 · 03/11/2015 14:59

To.me it seems strange that an 11 mo pup wouldn't have trained at night and i would wonder if it is a medical issue.
Sometimes my boy (3) gets me up in the night to go pee and I don't talk to him, don't put the lights on, etc. No reward. He just goes out to wee.
He often will go out at about 8pm and not need to pee until about 10am.

How is he trained to tell you he needs to go? Could you get one of those door bells?

chelle792 · 03/11/2015 15:00

Are they big puddles or tinkles? haha my choice of wording!!

Howtheheck · 03/11/2015 15:00

My last dog was a night time pooer vet said it was anxiety no helpful tips sorry. Lift his water bowl at night although if he is going to pee he will

TheLuckDragon · 03/11/2015 15:03

My dog is 3 and still pees at night. We let her out before bed and she still goes. All we do now is accept it and put a puppy pad down so at least there's no clean up involved as we can just pick it up and put it in the bin.

I figure there's no point stressing about it Smile

BallyGoBackwards · 03/11/2015 15:12

I could nearly bet my life on it that it is not stress or anxiety related. He is happy being alone and loves his bed.

It is a big puddle chelle so not a case of marking. He obviously has to go. The strange thing is, is that he isnt a big drinker. Compared to our other dogs he drinks very little throughout the day.

OP posts:
LeaLeander · 03/11/2015 15:15

My chihuahuas trained to a puppy pad as they were too sickly (rescue) and tiny to go out when they came to me for foster. I ended up keeping them but they think they are "good boy" when they go where the pads were kept (foyer) and just will not get over it. I have tried not putting pads there and they go anyway. I am away all day at work so just gave it up.

Living with pee pads in the foyer was not in my grand plan for life but the dogs are so small it's no worse than a litter box and in many ways better, just feel guilty about the environmental impact. They do use the pads, and of course if I am home and offer to let them out they do readily go.

At a vacation cottage we visit they have NEVER been allowed to use pads or go indoors and they don't, they stand at the door and give a wistful glance if they wish to relieve themselves, and I let them out. But it's just that at home they are brainwashed they are doing well by using my foyer. sigh. I'm afraid it would confuse them too much if I suddenly started admonishing them for going there. "Oh, maybe mom would prefer we use the bedroom carpet..."

LetThereBeCupcakes · 03/11/2015 15:17

I would query a medical issue too.

My girl came to us untrained at 2 years old (ex puppy farm breeder) and it took her a really long time to learn how to ask. She got there in the end though.

What are you feeding him and when?

BallyGoBackwards · 03/11/2015 15:25

I dont think it is medical either cupcakes as he can and does go long durations during the day and has had many many nights of being dry.

He eats dry dogfood (James Wellbeloved) with some protein mixed in. He is offered food in the morning that he may or may not eat. Mostly he will only eat in the evening around 6.30.

OP posts:
LetThereBeCupcakes · 03/11/2015 15:29

How much protein are you adding and why?

There's a school of thought that too much protein can put strain on the kidneys. No idea if it's true, or if that could be related to the overnight wees...

WhoTheFuckIsSimon · 03/11/2015 15:30

You're describing my dog perfectly. Can be dry all day no problem. But can't go 8 hours at night without pissing on the dining room carpet.

Worst thing is she sleeps in dds bedroom. She can open dds bedroom door because she is a true ninja dog. Goes downstairs and has a wee. Comes back upstairs and knocks on my bedroom door to tell me I need to go down and clean it! I shoot out of bed (normally about 4am) thinking she's knocking to ask to go out but as I open my bedroom door she's disappearing back into dds bedroom. I shut her door and go downstairs, sure enough puddle! And sometimes a poo as well.

WhoTheFuckIsSimon · 03/11/2015 15:31

And my dog is big puddles so she needs to go. She's a cavachon so notorious for being rubbish at house training.

LetThereBeCupcakes · 03/11/2015 15:35

Just had a quick read of a few articles and there is some evidence that excess protein causes extra urination. It may relate to quality of protein but I can find anything concrete.

I'd cut out the extra protein for a few weeks and see what happens.

Simon what is your dog fed on?

Howtheheck · 03/11/2015 15:46

Sorry i just lold at ninja dog love her knocking to get the maid you to clean up

LeaLeander · 03/11/2015 15:47

Not sure how much this will help but vis a vis the protein:

My sister and BIL have a rescued potbelly pig that is allowed indoors. It is fastidious and never relieves itself indoors. It suddenly urinated on the carpet and as you can imagine with an animal the size of a 150-lb pig that is a major disaster -- turned out they had erroneously purchased a pig feed that was higher in protein content than it should have been. They went to the correct food and the problem never was repeated. (And believe it or not their house is actually quite nice despite four dogs and a pig having the run of it.)

Surely the dry dog food provides a balanced diet check with your vet and no extra protein is really needed except for occasional treat?

WhoTheFuckIsSimon · 03/11/2015 16:12

I feed my dog Burns sensitive dry food.

Wombat87 · 03/11/2015 16:12

I have 2. Both are 6 and 7. Little girl (6 - had since she was a puppy) doesn't ever really pee indoors. If she ever (rarely) does it's by the back door and you can sort of tell it's a case of "I was here, where the f**k were you!?!?".

Little Boy (7 - had since he was 18months old). Oh I have cried over this dog. I don't think he was ever fully toilet trained as a puppy. Someone told me that our cleaning products often contain ammonia which to them smells like pee so doesn't remove the smell. This to me makes sense, so I used biological powder like Daz as advised to clean it up. Literally scrubbed EVERY corner. He will pee in doors and mark. Not always, but at the time it was frequent enough for me to resort. Scrubbed everything, spent hours doing it, then rewashing the floors twice to get rid of the residue. Came down the next morning and he had literally gone to town. OH came downstairs to find me sobbing hysterically in the shower and threatening to give him away.

Please do not jump on horses at that last comment. It's just so that people know some background. I was so so SO upset. It was the exhaustion talking. But never in a million years would I give any of my dogs to anyone. They are literally my whole world and when I thought I had nothing, they were there.

Over the last year he's got better, I have literally let the little dude out every time I've passed the back door. We recently moved and I noticed him slipping up more, so I got a dog trainer in. Apparently people tend to think of dogs as humans (very guilty) and neglect the 'dog' needs of a...dog. Mine are bored, they don't really play for long other than with each other and are lazy by nature so love a cuddle. Turns out I've probably made them depressed. I've been doing 20mins per dog of training per night with what he's taught me, and her constant licking of sofa/clothes/the air/anything around her and him peeing are decreasing.

For those that say you can't teach an old dog new tricks I honestly beg to differ. I have 2 stubborn old pugs. Who now sit and lay down when commanded (with treats, we're still in training). He also told me to almost go back to basics with toilet training for little boy. So now, I open the door, I go out with him and say "go for a wee", I don't watch him as such but I make sure I am aware (apparently I am not to follow or force him too, just say Go for a wee a few times) when he goes, and I literally do the whole "GOOD BOY" thing. It's working-ish, but it'll take a long time to sink in. We're getting there and I won't give up.

Another very useful tip he gave, was never let them see you clear it up. Just calmly put them outside and clean up when they aren't there. Don't make a big deal about it, apparently unless you catch them doing it, they don't understand that it's that what you're telling them off for. They have no concept of how much time has passed and they don't associate the telling off with peeing. If they see you cleaning apparently they'll think it's normal for them to do it and that you aren't bothered (not sure on that but i'll try anything).

Also, food, take a look at Millies Wolfheart, available online. My two have all sorts of skin issues and this stuff is amazing, and it's very nautral. I do notice accidents increase if I'm later than usual feeding them. Not much you can do about that if your day over runs.

Maybe a dog trainer will help? Do stick with it, he's so young and he'll still be so quick to learn. You can normally get one come to the house.

Good luck, don't give up!

WhoTheFuckIsSimon · 03/11/2015 16:14

And she properly Knocks on the bedroom door, raps her paw against the door. she's a bugger!

Be honest...Does anyone have a dog that never fully housetrained?
BallyGoBackwards · 03/11/2015 16:26

I am prob being a bit anal saying protein. The spoilt brat wont eat the dry food alone so I jazz it up abit by mixing it up with abit of something so maybe a tiny bit of whatever meat we are having or a bit of tuna. But I will cut back on this and see if it helps.

Not that I am glad that others are in the same boat but it helps to know that I am not alone. Smile

OP posts:
BallyGoBackwards · 03/11/2015 16:27

How old is your dog Simon ?

OP posts:
WhoTheFuckIsSimon · 03/11/2015 16:49

She's 18 months.

LetThereBeCupcakes · 03/11/2015 16:56

You could try soaking her biscuits in warm water for a bit. Or grated veg like carrot often works. Give it a go for a couple of weeks and see. If nothing else you've ruled it out.

ChairRider4 · 03/11/2015 16:58

The protein thing may be red herring as my boy raw fed and no problems at night

Is it worth setting your alarm for a few nights and letting them out and if gone downstairs and already had a wee set alarm bit earlier

With idea eventually are catching them before they need to go

LetThereBeCupcakes · 03/11/2015 17:02

Sorry if I've missed this OP but what breed is your dog?

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