First Week Was Fine, Now Having Accidents?

[Guest giraffe]

I've had Zee for exactly one week and until this morning, things were going quite well in the potty department. Because she did so well and didn't have any accidents, we decided a day or 2 ago that we would give her more freedom to roam around on our first floor -- she had previously been confined to the kitchen when we are/were home and crated when we leave the house.

 

This morning while my entire family was on the second floor getting ready to go, we let Zee roam the (carpeted) living and dining rooms. She started to cry and whine, but we figured we'd take her for a potty break right before we left to go out (IOW, in a few minutes). Bad idea. She pooped and peed on the living room floor and we discovered it when my daughter came downstairs. I told Zee calmly, but sternly that she isn't supposed to poop/pee indoors, but I felt like I was at fault since I was taking too long to take her out. We crated her, then left for our outing.

 

When we came back, she refused to pee in the yard, but only would pee when I took her for a walk. (I don't normally walk her in the middle of the day.) Fast forward a few hours and she peed on the living room floor right in front of all of us immediately after a nap. There was nothing that clued us in to her needing to go. She got up, stretched, walked around for a second, then peed. When I took her outside just now, she refused to go and after 15 minutes, we came back inside. I just fed her, but will take her out again in about an hour.

 

I feel like I am failing somehow. She's so sweet, but now her personality is coming out and it's starting to get a bit more challenging. She has started to beg and also gives us some trouble when it's crate time. What can I do differently? Maybe I got too comfortable too quickly?

 

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[Batmom]

She just doesn't understand inside vs. outside yet. I would continue to confine her when nobody can watch her, when she hasn't gone in awhile. When you're all home, perhaps outside every 2-2.5 hours.

 

Normally what I do with a new dog is, outside for potty:

 

- immediately upon getting up in the morning

- just before we leave the house

- immediately after we come home from somewhere

- immediately before and after each meal

- 10-15 minutes after something exciting happens (really exciting new toy, visitor to the house, etc.)

- last thing at night

- every 1.5 - 3 hours during the day, if the above makes for longer gaps

 

Usually within a couple weeks it settles down into:

- immediately after breakfast

- @ 5 hours later

- immediately after supper in late afternoon

- after evening playtime a couple hours later

- last thing at night

- maybe one other time during the day if people are home

[Guest giraffe]

Thanks for the advice. Our schedule was pretty much what you described, but I suppose we slacked off this morning with making her wait until we were finished getting dressed.

 

She just doesn't understand inside vs. outside yet. I would continue to confine her when nobody can watch her, when she hasn't gone in awhile. When you're all home, perhaps outside every 2-2.5 hours.

 

Normally what I do with a new dog is, outside for potty:

 

- immediately upon getting up in the morning

- just before we leave the house

- immediately after we come home from somewhere

- immediately before and after each meal

- 10-15 minutes after something exciting happens (really exciting new toy, visitor to the house, etc.)

- last thing at night

- every 1.5 - 3 hours during the day, if the above makes for longer gaps

 

Usually within a couple weeks it settles down into:

- immediately after breakfast

- @ 5 hours later

- immediately after supper in late afternoon

- after evening playtime a couple hours later

- last thing at night

- maybe one other time during the day if people are home

[Guest 4dogscrazy]

I agree with above. I treat my new hounds as though they are new puppies, no matter how old they are. Out to potty at least once an hour, every time they stand up after a nap, any signs at all of sniffing or wandering around "looking" for something, 10-15 minutes after a big drink, etc. One thing I do know, with one of my dogs, if she barks or yaps at us, it is time to MOVE your butt, because she needs to go out right now. There is no holding it with that girl, and she has had potty problems in the past, explosive big D, and all that. So if she gives me any sign, out she goes, no matter what I am doing. I have gotten out of the tub to let that dawg out!

 

You are not failing her, it is a learning process, just like with children. One mistake does not make you a bad parent, unless you don't learn from it! She had no idea that you were coming down in a minute to let her out. She did the next best thing, picked a spot. I would only let her out into the carpeted area if she can be watched, even if it is by one of your kids. They can learn how to read her! Praise Praise Praise when she goes potty outside. I would not use treats though, you might set yourself up for midnight snack potty breaks!

 

I'm not sure what you mean by trouble with crating? Is she refusing to go in? Soiling in the crate? How much time is she crated? Are you having separation anxiety issues? Bending the bars? Having panic attacks? Need more info to help you out with that one!

 

Congratulations on your new baby, it does get easier!

[Guest giraffe]

I'm not sure what you mean by trouble with crating? Is she refusing to go in? Soiling in the crate? How much time is she crated? Are you having separation anxiety issues? Bending the bars? Having panic attacks? Need more info to help you out with that one!

 

Congratulations on your new baby, it does get easier!

 

Her issue with crating is that she was into the crate fairly easily, now she freezes. My husband has taken to tricking her into the crate with a treat, but I'm not a fan of that method. Unfortunately, the only method I have to get her in there is to push her butt! A push or two and then she goes in, reluctantly, though.

[PrairieProf]

Are you giving her something like a stuffed Kong in the crate? With really desirable filling, like peanut butter? In the crate is the only time Beth gets PB, and she runs right into it whenever she knows its time or hears me take it out of the freezer (she's not new, this routine has been going on a long time). She needs a positive association with going in the crate, not just being confined or having you leave.

[Guest 4dogscrazy]

I don't see anything wrong with giving a treat for going into the crate, but this is not a good sign in my opinion. My group told me to just make Tempe get into her crate, use the treats to help. 18 months later I have a full blown SA dog that chewed up all the paneling around my doorway, was soiling in the house every time I left, bent the bars in her crate, and finally was having full blown panic attacks if she was crated when we left (before we were out the door). The last panic attack was so bad my fiance made himself late for work waiting for me to get home for lunch because "the skinny black one is freaking out!" I'll have to note here that "the chubby black one" is the lab, lol. You can tell I tried many different combinations to help ease her pain. She is on anti-anxiety drugs now, muzzled in the house and gated into the master bedroom with the other dogs (who are crated). Things are good here, but it was a long road. She does not mess in the house if we are home though, and never has. She just yaps in my face if it is an emergency.

 

Can you gate her in the kitchen, with a muzzle on, to see if she might like that better when you leave? Some dogs get into a home and decide they do not ever want to see the inside of a crate again. I have heard some people use large ex-pens to confine their dogs when they aren't home too. Every dog is different, I have two who fight over the good? crate, and poor Tempe, who would be happiest if I would just sit on the couch all day every day posting on GT! Don't mean to alarm you here either, some dogs do quite a few quirky things when they first come home, like freezing on walks and refusing stairs, walking on lineolium (spell?) etc. Hope this helps you

 

Just saw the above post, the Kong idea is a good place to start!

Edited March 29, 2010 by 4dogscrazy

[Guest giraffe]

Are you giving her something like a stuffed Kong in the crate? With really desirable filling, like peanut butter? In the crate is the only time Beth gets PB, and she runs right into it whenever she knows its time or hears me take it out of the freezer (she's not new, this routine has been going on a long time). She needs a positive association with going in the crate, not just being confined or having you leave.

 

I tried this and she hasn't shown any interest in peanut butter or the Kong. I even put a little cheese in it (her favorite!), but she just sniffed it and turned up her nose.

[sobesmom]

Rewind. You thought she was ready to take a step - and she wasn't. So now go back in time a week. Go back to what she did well, and let her do that well for a while longer. Then try again. Normal stuff, no biggie. We all get so excited when our new dogs progress, that sometimes we move too quickly for them. No harm, no foul. Just back up. And start over. And yes, you ARE starting over. Day one again.

[Batmom]

One thing to do with the crate is put some treats in it when she's not looking, put her in ... and let her come right back out again. Repeat a couple times a day at odd times. Sometimes she gets to come right out, sometimes she has to stay in for a few.

[Guest 4dogscrazy]

You can also try crating her for a bit while you are home. That way she doesn't associate the crate with you leaving, if that is upsetting her.

[PrairieProf]

Are you giving her something like a stuffed Kong in the crate? With really desirable filling, like peanut butter? In the crate is the only time Beth gets PB, and she runs right into it whenever she knows its time or hears me take it out of the freezer (she's not new, this routine has been going on a long time). She needs a positive association with going in the crate, not just being confined or having you leave.

 

I tried this and she hasn't shown any interest in peanut butter or the Kong. I even put a little cheese in it (her favorite!), but she just sniffed it and turned up her nose.

 

Well, I don't have too much experience with this, but I'd still put the cheese in if she likes that and leave it in the crate with her -- maybe, being new and stressed, she just needs a little "alone time" with the Kong to get it figured out. Dogs will disregard treats when they're tense or distracted by other things.

[jenn8]

If she is confined to the kitchen when you are there and crated when you are gone, how is she going to learn not to go potty in the rest of the house?

 

I would focus on housetraining downstairs and maybe you won't need the crate anymore.

 

Jenn

[Guest giraffe]

If she is confined to the kitchen when you are there and crated when you are gone, how is she going to learn not to go potty in the rest of the house?

 

I would focus on housetraining downstairs and maybe you won't need the crate anymore.

 

Jenn

 

Once a few days go by and she doesn't have an accident in the kitchen, then I'm more than happy to let her try going out into the living and dining rooms. I'm not confining her away from the rest of us, as my computer is right here next to her (I'm looking at her sweet self napping on her bed about 2 feet away from me at the moment), my husband will come down in about a half hour and my daughters will be up around 8am.

 

I have a cat and a toddler -- the crate is going to be around for a bit until we all get to know one another very well.

 

Honestly, I'm not fond of cleaning up poop and pee off the carpet, so this is what I have to do for now.

[Guest giraffe]

Just some happy news... She finally decided to pee in the yard when I took her back there! She had decided not to pee back there for me, but would do it for my husband. She would only pee if we went for a walk down the street, which I wasn't ready to do at 4am. She got plenty of praise for going in the yard so quickly.

 

Baby steps, right?

[Guest MyBoys]

EXACTLY, baby steps. Sounds like you went back to square one with her and it is working, sometimes we just expect a bit to much from them in the beginning when they are doing so well.