Another Peeing In The House Problem

[Guest Cosmo]

I've read some of the past posts, but I'm still stumped. I have a 4-year-old female greyhound that I've had for about a year. She is housetrained and I have a dog door. A couple of months ago, she peed upstairs when I was home. She did it a few more times, so I started blocking her downstairs. For awhile, she would then pee downstairs, but that has stopped. She had been doing so well, even with more access to upstairs, that I didn't block her when I was out for about 90 minutes this evening. Sure enough, I came home and found pee upstairs.

 

Here's what's weird. As I said, I have a dog door, and she uses is every other time without hesitation. She only pees in the house in the evening, sometime after her dinner and before I go to bed. Sometimes I am home, downstairs, sometimes I'm gone. I've taken her to the vet and they didn't find anything wrong, but gave her antibiotics just in case. She doesn't have separation anxiety. There is no reason that she can't use the dog door these times that she pees in the house, but for some reason, she chooses not to. She doesn't usually go in the same place twice, so I don't think she's marking. I use Nature's Miracle to clean it up.

 

I'm sure it's a behavioral thing, but I can't figure out why she does it or how to stop her, besides keeping her downstairs in the evening for the rest of her life. I never catch her in the act, so I can't do the usual housetraining things. I was praising her and throwing pee parties when she did do it outside, but she thought I was crazy. Why is she doing this after all this time? How can I break her of this evening habit so I can let her have free run of the house again? She won't answer me when I ask her, so I'm asking you guys for help.

[robinw]

Does she still pee in the house if you take her out on a leash sometime bewtween her dinner time and your bedtime?

[Guest Swifthounds]

For those with dog doors, the easiest way to solve "peeing in the house" problems is to behave as if you don't have a dog door. Too often, the temptation with dog door owners is to think that having a dog door is like having a powder room on your first floor - it's there, it's available, so the dog will use it when they have to go. That might work for adult humans, but it doesn't work well even for toddlers and young children, who still need to be prodded to focus on whether they need to "go."

 

Some dogs get beyond that "toddler" stage and will go to a door, bark, ring a bell, etc. when they have to go. This won't normally happen if a dog door is available because they never are trained to do so. That the dog door is available doesn't focus them on their bladders, nor does it teach them to recognize when they need to "go," or that the yard is for "going."

[Guest scfilby]

This may be a stupid suggestion, but both our greys, and a GD we fostered hate the dark. Our greys will bug me until I turn on a light in the bed room in the evening. They want to lounge on our bed, but want the light on. On the evening turn outs, spooky Cy is hyper spooked about every sound he hears. The GD would go in the yard and stand stone still, afraid to move into the shadows..

 

Maybe your pup doesn't want to go out alone in the dark?

[Guest Cosmo]

It does help if I take her for a walk in the afternoon (she will pee on the walk), but I am not always able to do this. Darkness is not the problem. It is either still light out, or I'm home with the lights on, when she pees inside. She is not afraid of the dark and will go outside on her own late at night.

 

She knows where she's supposed to go, or else she would be peeing inside all the time. What I don't understand is how I can leave her with freedom to the whole house for hours during the day (not common) without any problems. But if I leave for a short period after her dinner, or if I'm home at night but just downstairs, that is when she decides to pee upstairs. The only thing that works is to prevent her from going upstairs in the evening or take her for walks, but this is just a band-aid. It doesn't solve the core problem of why she's doing it in the first place. There is something behavioral going on, but I can't figure it out.

[turbotaina]

What is the weather like when she's peeing upstairs? Also, where specifically is she peeing? Is it in a spare room? Your bedroom? Is she peeing in places where she doesn't normally spend any time?

 

It does help if I take her for a walk in the afternoon (she will pee on the walk), but I am not always able to do this. Darkness is not the problem. It is either still light out, or I'm home with the lights on, when she pees inside. She is not afraid of the dark and will go outside on her own late at night.

 

She knows where she's supposed to go, or else she would be peeing inside all the time. What I don't understand is how I can leave her with freedom to the whole house for hours during the day (not common) without any problems. But if I leave for a short period after her dinner, or if I'm home at night but just downstairs, that is when she decides to pee upstairs. The only thing that works is to prevent her from going upstairs in the evening or take her for walks, but this is just a band-aid. It doesn't solve the core problem of why she's doing it in the first place. There is something behavioral going on, but I can't figure it out.

 

No, apparently, she doesn't. I don't mean that to sound harsh, but I think she just may not be "getting it" and until you can get it sorted, if you don't want her peeing upstairs, then take her for a walk and make sure she's empty. I'm afraid it's up to you to manage the situation to make sure she doesn't do it in the house. Is she crate trained?

Edited July 20, 2010 by turbotaina

[Guest Cosmo]

The weather has been fine. I live in southern CA. She's not weather phobic anyway. She usually pees in either my bedroom or my son's, both places she hangs out a lot.

 

I just don't get why it's specifically during the evening. She'll use the dog door every other time she pees, so she knows what to do. I guess I'll be keeping the dogs downstairs after dinner indefinitely.

[Guest sheila]

can you think of anything that goes on in the evenings near your home in these past few months? For instance is there any kind of outdoor sports arena or car race track etc that could be making a noise that she finds unnerving?

[Guest Cosmo]

Nope, I live in a quiet neighborhood, and she's not a nervous dog. She's as calm and lazy as a typical greyhound. She sleeps through earthquakes and fireworks. I don't think it's any external environmental thing. Somehow, she's just picked up this evening habit, but only if she's upstairs and I'm not. I don't know how to break it -- I can only prevent it by keeping her downstairs.

[Batmom]

When you're home in the evening, take her out *thru* the dog door at @ the time(s) you think she might have to go, praise like crazy when she goes, then back in *thru* the dog door. Could be that in her mind, this time of day is just different, and if you establish the habit of going in/out the dog door at that time, she will start doing it on her own. Probably need to give it a good 3 weeks' practice with you taking her in/out.

[ShantisMom]

How old is your son? If he is young and had accidents while he was potty training she may be marking those areas. Shanti did.

 

Shanti did this a lot to me. If my kids were yelling or crying she would often pee. It took a while to make this connection. If it is raining, block the carpet!!! She will not go out in it. That I am trained to. . When you mentioned So. Cal. I think of Disneyland fireworks. We hear them every night. But you said those don't bother her.

 

Batmom's suggestion is great. I had to do this with Shanti as well. Worth a try.

[robinw]

Maybe she just has to go one more time in the evening. Can you take her for a short walk during the period of time when she usually pees?

[Ragsysmum]

I would think she hasn't fully understood that the dog door is to be used during the evenings when you are there just as through the day when you are not. I'd agree with Batmom on this one and try her suggestion till the 'light goes on' for your girl!

[Guest Cosmo]

Good suggestions, thanks. My son is 5 and I was living in another state when he was potty trained, so that's not the issue. Plus, he's either not home or asleep when she does the peeing upstairs. I'm also not near Disneyland and only hear fireworks on the 4th of July and New Year's.

 

I'll continue to keep her blocked downstairs in the evening and will try to get her to go outside before we retire for the night. It's hard to get her out when she doesn't want to go, though. I still don't think she's peeing inside becuase she has to, but for some other reason.