Toileting Inside Any Chance They Get!

[Guest lumoria]

Ahh!

 

My husband and I are so frustrated! We have two greyhounds - Suni (2 yr female) and Fenway (2 yr male). We adopted Suni in June of 2009 and Fenway in October of 2009. We love them so much - but they drive us crazy with their toileting behavior!

 

We recently moved into a new house - so I know that's part of the issue and that they are regressing. We take them out three times a day: once in the morning, again in the afternoon after work (on a 20+ minute walk), and lastly in the evening to pee. To me, this seems like it would be often enough. I mean, how much more often can we take them out? But almost every time my husband and I leave them alone, we return to multiple accidents. During the day while we're at work, we keep them in a bedroom (which is another issue I'll talk about in a second). The room is small enough to keep them from going potty most of the time. We tried the basement once, but it was too much room and we came home to accidents. It's just most frustrating because it happens even if we're in the house. We've been having to keep them in the same room with us 24/7!

 

I know Suni is the main culprit of this and I don't understand how she could have so much in her! We always make sure she potties when we take her outside, but it always seems like she has more. The thing is, I know she can hold it all day. When we first got her, she refused to go to the bathroom for 22 hours. Do you have any ideas on why she is doing this and what we can do to prevent it?

 

My second issue deals with Fenway. As I mentioned above, we keep both of them in a bedroom while we're at work during the day. He seems to have separation anxiety and scratches up the door and molding around it during the day - which is really frustrating, since it's all original to the house. Do you all have any ideas on how to keep him from scratching the door?

 

Why do my beautiful babies do this to me? If they would just behave they could roam around the house and lounge on the couch all day. They're just making it worse for themselves!

 

Thanks!

[Guest LindsaySF]

For the separation anxiety, do a search online and on this forum for "alone training".

 

 

It's just most frustrating because it happens even if we're in the house.

If they are pottying even when you're in the house, that's not SA-related. I think you need to take them outside more often, 3 times a day is not enough. You might need to take them out every few hours until they are accident-free.

 

 

Good luck.

[Guest 3greysinPA]

hi there and Welcome to GT!!!!

 

YOU have come to the right place for answers to all your greyhound questions...

Your concerns have all been in numerous threads here over the last 6 months...

seems like it happens to many many greys and their owners;..so you are not alone...

(similar or very similar stories)

 

I can add to your toileting issue with your Girl...

We had similar issues with Lilly...First of all we ruled out any medical problems first...(like a UTI)... after the Vet has checked and said it is not medical... we then went to More toileting... and Less water in the evening.... and... it worked... She stopped peeing all over the house...

Our dogs are crated during the day while we are at work... so i do not have problems in the house while I am away....

But I would suggest a baby gate in the bedroom instead of closing the door ... that might help with some of the destruction issues... because from what i have learned... some greys do not like to be enclosed into a small closed off room.

But.. I am a fairly new grey owner myself... learning all I can from some very experienced grey owners that I have met here on GT.

You will get lots of responses here... and hopefully you will be able to sort thru them and use them...

I wish you lots of good luck with your responses and hang in there...

and by the way... we would love to see some pictures of your hounds.

 

ETA: Our dogs go out to potty at 5am, 6am, 7 am, 4pm, 5pm, 6pm, 8pm 10pm, and usually 4am

Edited February 4, 2010 by 3greysinPA

[Batmom]

They're not going out often enough.

 

Until a dog proves s/he doesn't need to go, I take dogs out immediately before I leave the house and immediately upon coming home, even if I'm gone only an hour. People coming and going can make for some excitement, and excitement leads to potty needs.

[RobinM]

All I got up to was 3 x a day.

 

If I took my dogs out 3x a day- I would have the same problem you are having.

 

Yours may not have to go out as many time as ours but somewhere in the middle would make more sense to me. When they racing, they were out to relieve themselves 4-5 times a day for an hour each time.

 

We let them out starting at 4:30- (Someone will wake us to go)

 

Then we let them all out at 7AM.

 

We walk at 7:45 for 40 minutes

 

Out before we leave the house at 8:30

 

Out at 3:30

 

Out at 5:30

 

Walk at 6pm for 40 minutes

 

out at 9PM

 

out at 11PM

 

That's about 8x a day.

 

As far as leaving them in a room with a closed door... I have read and been told that will surely cause them to freak out, hence the scratching. Try a baby gate. Leave the lights on, tv or radio and something to keep them busy. NO rawhide or bones. Nothing they can fight over or you will come home to much worse than pee and poop.

 

Many hounds when first adopted won't pee or poop for 24 hours or so- that is normal so saying you know she can hold it that long... just becasue she has in the past doesn't mean she can now and doesn't mean she should...

 

They are not doing these things to you! they are having problems that aren't being addressed!

 

It's time to change what you are doing since it isn't working.

 

Best of luck. Walk them more (or let them out), put up a baby gate and see how it goes, but I can guarantee you 3x a day is not enough time to have them out.

Edited February 4, 2010 by RobinM

[Guest 4dogscrazy]

Welcome to greytalk! You have come to the right place, and you should get many replies from lots of people who have a lot of experience. You have several issues here, and hopefully I can add something useful. First of all, my hounds go outside much much more than 3-4 times a day. Sometimes they go out twice in the morning, sometimes twice at lunch, and at least 3 or 4 times at night. When I first brought them home, I took them out every hour or so when I was home. You have to realize how much their lives have changed, and for the first time in their lives they have a huge space to live in! That takes some getting used to! Have you tried using baby gates to block off some of the rooms while you are home? Restricted access to their favorite potty places should help. All of mine like to go in my dining room, it's mostly unused. I keep it gated all the time unless we are in there.

 

Second, I would like to mention that hounds DO NOT like to be closed into a room. When you shut that door it completely freaks them out. Have you thought about using crates? Two of my younger ones love their crates, and will go in there and lay down even when we are home, with the door open. Muzzles help with chewers, if you don't want to crate. Are you muzzling them while you are gone? They can get into fights and it is not pretty!

 

Third, how long is your work day? Sometimes it takes a while for them to be able to hold it for 8 hours or so. Ideally they should be let out every 4 or 5 hours. A plus for the crate side is that they are used to being in a "house" and will not go in their own bed if they can help it.

 

And finally, what type of pottying are we talking about? Poop and pee or just pee? Do they have loose stools? This needs to be addressed if that is the case!

 

Hope this helps, if there is one thing I have learned on this site is that someone can always help, and you will get great advice.

[Guest PiagetsMom]

I don't think there's a magic number as to how many times is sufficient to take pups out......my girl would probably get by just fine on 4 times a day, but my boy, Mirage, usually goes out 5 or 6 times a day. Occasionally, he's held it for 6 or 7 hours at a time if he's had to, so obviously he can, but he's much more comfortable going out more often.

 

Maybe with the new house they just don't have the training routine down yet, so more frequent trips out, with lots and lots of praise when they do their business outside, would help.

Edited February 4, 2010 by PiagetsMom

[Guest Swifthounds]

All I got up to was 3 x a day.

 

If I took my dogs out 3x a day- I would have the same problem you are having.

 

Me too. I thought it was a typo and reread it. My youngest boy could probably make due with 4 potty trips, but he's an absolute anomaly in the canine world. Even he gets more than 4 potty trips per day.

 

Certainly, I would go back to potty training 101 until they're not toileting inside (potty trips once an hour, leashing and keeping them with you, etc.) and once they're more reliable, set a potty schedule that includes at least 2 trips in the morning and 3 to 5 or more before bedtime. Potty trips should bookend meals (potty, food, potty) each time.

 

Search for "alone training" in the archives.

[Guest lumoria]

Thanks for all the responses!

 

We'll try letting them out more often. The only reason we take them out three times a day is we had a grey named Mercury who passed away in October (he was only 3) and he REFUSED to go out more than twice a day. He loved being outside, but once he was on the couch he refused to get up and go on more walks! Unfortunately we can't take them out in the middle of the day because of our jobs and we don't have a long enough lunch break, but I will try letting them out more in the evening and maybe try twice in the morning. We'll look into getting a baby gate as well - that's a great idea.

 

I will have to post more pictures and stories later today - time for work! Thanks for the replies.

[Guest Swifthounds]

Thanks for all the responses!

 

We'll try letting them out more often. The only reason we take them out three times a day is we had a grey named Mercury who passed away in October (he was only 3) and he REFUSED to go out more than twice a day. He loved being outside, but once he was on the couch he refused to get up and go on more walks!

 

Someone here probably could have helped you with that as well. Glad you found GT and welcome!

 

Unfortunately we can't take them out in the middle of the day because of our jobs and we don't have a long enough lunch break, but I will try letting them out more in the evening and maybe try twice in the morning. We'll look into getting a baby gate as well - that's a great idea.

 

I will have to post more pictures and stories later today - time for work! Thanks for the replies.

 

Most of us can't take our hounds out for a mid day break. Two or three potty trips in the morning and more trips out in the evening should help. I didn't include it in my previous advice, but the anxiety your one hound is exhibiting could be separation anxiety requiring "alone training" but it could also be that he's pottying on his morning trip (which is everything he has been holding since bedtime the night before) and that after a drink and breakfast without a second potty trip, he could go again but without the second trip, he won't think about it until he really has to go. So, some of the destruction could be him trying to signal that he has to go.

 

I would do at least two trips in the AM and then every hour or two at set times in the evening. Even if they don't "go" on the second morning trip, keep them outside and walking (the old college try) so they get the idea that they should "go" a second time. Some hounds won't need to go a second time, but most will. The ones not really inclined to "go" a second time can eventually learn they should empty simply because it's a potty trip rather than wait until they have to go (and there may or may not be a potty trip available).