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Old 01-21-2014, 01:47 PM
 
21 posts, read 22,785 times
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Ok long story short I have 2 rescued dogs. One is a Pittbull mixed with a Rott, she is almost 3 and we have had her since she was 5 weeks old. She has gone to basic training classes and is potty trained.
Then we got a full blooded pittbull who is almost 2 and we have had her for a year. Both dogs are females and spayed and both dogs are potty trained.

Here is the issue, THEY ARE STILL USING THE BATHROOM IN OUR HOUSE IN THE SAME PLACES.

So the dogs go on a walk or go out to potty, they use the bathroom, then before we know it one of them has peed or pooped then you will find another spot. In the middle of the night the get up and do it to.
They have even done it within 10 minutes or going outside. We have cleaned the carpets and tried everything we could to get the smell out but they keep doing it.

I DONT KNOW HOW TO FIX THIS OR WHAT IS GOING ON
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Old 01-21-2014, 01:56 PM
 
1,696 posts, read 4,339,984 times
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Have they been checked by the vet to rule out medical causation? Describe the method you used to clean the carpets. Is there a way you can prevent access to the spots where they repeatedly potty? If they are relieving themselves indoors and nobody is catching them in the act, they are in essence being rewarded for pottying indoors (it's called "relieving" for a reason). We need to interrupt every accident and bring the dog swiftly outside to finish and we need to reward every successful outdoor potty with treats, play, petting, and praise.

Here is a basic guide to potty training. If you implement this plan and they are still having frequent accidents after a few weeks, I have to think there is a medical issue involved:

  • Frequent trips outside to maximize opportunities for success and therefore rewards. Whatever you think is frequent, make it even more often at first.
  • Accompany dog outside each time. Reward for potties immediately, not once back inside. * Remember: rewards are defined by the dog, not what the human thinks is rewarding. Make sure you aren't bringing the dog directly inside after successful potties. We don't want to teach him that potties equal the end of outdoor time.
  • Constant supervision so that all accidents can be caught and interrupted. The only time you can address an accident is when it is in progress. How you interrupt the accident is very important. If your interruption is intimidating or frightening you will end up with a "sneaky" dog who won't potty in front of people. Your interruption must convey "woops! wrong spot buddy - let's get you to the proper potty place asap" - not "no no bad dog". When he's caught in the act, interrupt by briskly moving toward him saying something like "uh oh woops!" in a pleasant but urgent HIGH PITCHED tone then RUSH him outside to finish. If he finishes outside, big rewards, praise, and party. If he doesn't finish outside back inside and watch him like a hawk.
  • Confine to a safe zone when direct supervision can not be provided. Safe zone means an area in which he is unlikely to eliminate. During times when you'll be briefly distracted consider tethering the dog to you/keeping him on leash to make sure you eliminate the possibility for accidents to go unnoticed.
  • The worst thing that can happen: accident goes unnoticed. It is it's own reward i.e. "relieving" so he is in effect being rewarded for going in the house.
  • Clean all accidents thoroughly with a specially formulated enzymatic cleaner such as Nature's Miracle or Simple Solution, NOT a regular household cleaner.
  • Never ever show a dog his accident and then punish him for it. After the fact, the dog will NOT make the connection that you are punishing him for pooping in the house. All he'll learn is that you are a highly unstable psycho that lashes out at him unpredictably and for some weird reason involves poop in these meltdowns. If you want to punish someone for accidents, punish the person who was supposed to be watching the dog when the accident happened.
  • Stick to a consistent feeding schedule and learn how soon after eating your pup tends to "go".
  • Be mindful of water intake and let out accordingly.
  • Learn your pup's unique "need to potty" signals and respond accordingly. Potty signals can include sniffing, circling, pacing, staring, vocalizations, and taking a break in play. Always bring pup outside right away after he wakes up in the morning or from a nap.
  • We want your dog's experience to be: "Every time I go to potty in the house I get interrupted. Every time I potty outside, I get treats, praise, play and petting." He'll choose to potty outside.

Edited to add: If you really adopted your dog at 5 weeks of age you are extremely lucky that potty training is her worst behavior issue. I know that sometimes circumstances can not be helped, but to separate a puppy from her mom and littermates at 5 weeks is horrendous and setting that dog up for major problems.

Last edited by k9coach; 01-21-2014 at 02:06 PM..
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Old 01-21-2014, 02:13 PM
 
21 posts, read 22,785 times
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Thank you for this.
To tell you the truth it is almost like they are doing on purpose because of each other.
My Pitt/Rott never went in the house until the new dog came and she was doing it.
We are gonna try the safe zone and hope this helps some. Guess they wont be sleeping with us anymore since they can get up in the middle of the night and hide
They eat at night around the same time and we dont leave water out all day, but they do go to the toilets sometimes
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Old 01-21-2014, 02:25 PM
 
1,696 posts, read 4,339,984 times
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I have to keep toilet lids closed at my house because one of mine would drink the water if I left the lid up. What are you thinking of using for your safe zone? Crates? If they sleep in the bedroom with you and you close the bedroom door - would they pee and poop in the bedroom in the middle of the night? Would you hear them get up? I always think it is preferable for dogs to sleep near their owners, but at least if you do set up different sleeping arrangements they'll still be together.. Dogs should sleep with their pack in my opinion.

It is fairly common that a potty trained dog will regress if an untrained dog comes into the home and starts peeing and pooping in the house. As you already know, scent plays a big part. I really think you can turn this around if you follow a strict plan and stay consistent with it for a couple months. Once you've had no accidents for 2 months you can start to relax the plan gradually. It is a short term sacrifice for a long term payoff. For now you need to supervise and work on catching accidents in progress, but be very careful about how you interrupt accidents - if your interruption is intimidating you will just teach the dogs to sneak off and potty when you are not looking.
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Old 01-21-2014, 04:52 PM
 
10,599 posts, read 17,844,930 times
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Quote:
They eat at night around the same time and we dont leave water out all day, but they do go to the toilets sometimes
Quote:
Both dogs are females and spayed and both dogs are potty trained.
Well, no both dogs are not potty trained unless you're causing this with withholding the water or not walking them enough/long enough etc. That water thing is always a red flag to me.

Also on the walk they should be IN THE ZONE not sniffing and fooling around standing still. You should be able to tell from their gait and sniff that they are going to eliminate #2. It's different than a recreational sniff and with "purpose". You can also see their butts open up when they're going to go. Once they eliminate, they MIGHT have to go a second time but certainly not 10 minutes after coming back. They didn't finish, then. If you're feeding grocery store brand foods with alot of filler, this could be a problem but not with the urination. Cheap foods create HUGE stools. Even Science Diet does this - for example.

Did you happen to start withholding the water when the second one arrived?

Why don't they get water all day? Is it because you are at work?

If so, you're essentially only "training" early am and after "dinner"?

I NEVER recommend this. Dogs really need access to water when on dry food and while it may seem counter-intuitive, withholding water is likely getting you the OPPOSITE effect. Because they have to drink SO SO MUCH to "catch up" from not spacing it out properly and naturally all day long.

There is also linkage between withholding water and epilepsy, also confirmed by Dr Dodds, a national expert.

Think about it. Their bladders are totally empty all day long, then they load up like a camel and it's NOT going to all come back out in 20 minutes. Even if they GO, they're going to have to go again shortly after.

I would leave water FREE ACCESS like a normal healthy dog gets. If they can't hold it mid-day get a dog walker. And see if that helps.

IME, trying to control the physical needs of dogs is not going to get the desired outcome and you're really NOT seeing a true picture if you're manipulating their intake.

You're also risking BLOAT with them gulping down so much especially if they start playing and running soon after.

I also saw this when a friend of mine withheld water from the housemate of a megaesophagus dog on our message board. The one without the mega-e started seizures...then when the sick one died and water was returned to the living one the seizures STOPPED COMPLETELY. HE also drank like a camel twice a day. Not fair! I wouldn't appreciate it if someone refused to give ME water all day long. And potentially at night now in crates.

The reccomended baseline amount of water for a dog is ONE OUNCE of water per POUND OF DOG per day. Before factoring in things like dry or wet diet, humidity, activity, lifestyle etc.

That means at least 5 cups of water each if they weigh 40 lbs. 8 oz = 1 cup.

If they eat wet food or human food with alot of veggies or Raw Meaty Bones Diet, they will drink alot less but free access to water should still be provided. With dry kibble they need ALOT OF WATER.

Last edited by runswithscissors; 01-21-2014 at 05:09 PM..
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