Teach Me About Belly-Bands?

[sobesmom]

Our adoption rep is sending us a belly-band to try with our foster.

 

It's NOT that he isn't house-trained - he is. He'll even go to the door when he wants out.

 

He just - pees randomly some days. Sometimes we'll come home and he'll leave a big puddle in the kitchen. Or not. Some days - he'll "squirt" 3 sprinkles on a chair, or the couch.

 

He used to try to mark CONSTANTLY - even pee on his own food bowl - but we've broken him of that. He's MUCH better than he was at first.

 

So - we've been asked to try a belly-band. OK - I'll try anything.

 

Tell me about them?

 

How does this work? Does it "teach" or just "catch"? Will he leave it on?

 

BTW - in this instance, please don't suggest crating. That's a dead-end street on this one. We've got to be more creative.

[Guest mcsheltie]

A bellyband doesn't teach them anything. It protects your house while you teach them. You want to get the ultra (highest absorbency) incontinence pads to line it with. I like the bellybands with the elastic all the way around. Couple that with a thick pad and you won't have any leaks.

 

The problem with bellybands is that since they aren't peeing on your stuff, you tend not to put as much effort into your training. So guard against that. Every time they pee or mark with the bellyband on they are deepening (can't think of the word I want) the behavior.

 

Bummer you can't crate. Here is what I do. I never let them off leash until I am sure the problem is solved. I tie them to me when I am doing stuff and can't watch them. I tie them to the chair if I am watching TV. I train them on leash one room at a time. I start with the kitchen so I have a place to gate them in (once they know not to pee there). As I walk thru the house with them in tow I use it as an opportunity to train them not to pee. I let them walk around and check things out and give an ACK! and go straight outside if they even think about lifting their leg. At night if I can't crate them I tie them to my wrist.

 

I've had them mess with them at first and I redirect their attention to something else (food ). After a day or so they get used to it. After the first day I've never had anyone take it off. Some have trouble walking at first tho.

[Guest TheUnrulyHound]

Perfect McSheltie just what I was going to recommend

 

I tie all my new in training fosters to my waist when I cannot watch them or if I am moving around the house. It teaches some leash manners too.

 

The bellybands are great just for saving furniture but do not teach necessarily, unless the hound realizes they do not like to be wet, some do not seem to care. If you do use one check it OFTEN for wetness, sitting in urine can cause problems from rashes to UTIs....

[Guest NatesmomPA]

We started our pup on a belly band as a training tool when he was six after we had him for about a year. He was housetrained and also knew to go to the door when he wanted to go out. He just liked to randomly mark around the house. If we were home we could correct, but we didn't know how to stop the behavior when out of the house. It was happening every day and he completely ruined several pieces of furniture.

 

For us, crating was also not an option. At a prior placement, crating had been used as a punishment and he was crated for days on end. He was taken away and placed with us. Unfortunately, it caused him to be quite claustrophobic.

 

We used a belly band with elastic all the way around and washable fabric liners. He messed in the house a couple of times and seemed to quickly figure out that peeing in the belly band led to an uncomfortable feeling (we only left him for short trips while we were initially training him with it so that he didn’t have to stay wet for very long). Now we leave him in the belly band whenever we leave the house and haven’t had any accidents or marking in the house for over three years.