Guest DiforDan Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 We adopted 3 year old Pixie at Easter this year. She tried one pee indoors and we told her no, and after that she was entirely brilliant in the toilet training department, never soiling indoors at all. However, about six weeks ago she did a pee on the bed in the (carpeted ) hallway on the bed she eats her biscuits on. This has been followed by several pees and poos in the same area. I have tried my best to clean it all up using enzymatic cleaners and all, and once caught her in the act of peeing and told her no, took her outside, complimented her on going outside, all that. At that stage I thought we had overcome, but no, she often pees and poos indoors now Practical solutions are in progress: we are going to have vinyl laid in the hallway as the carpet has pretty much had it. One of the problems is that she hardly ever vocalises. Have only really heard her bark a couple of times in six months. It has been suggested that we confine her in the lounge where there is no carpet, using a stairgate, but then all 3 dogs would be confined and one of the others is blind and would be very confused (and whine his head off!) if he couldn't go where he wanted in the night. Both the other dogs know to whine or bark and let us know they need to go out in the night, which is better than finding a pile of poo in the morning! I think if she was confined she would not tell us she wanted to go out, she would just "go" in the lounge where she was. We are in the UK and we don't generally use crates here, we don't have one and if we put her in one I'm sure she would be even more confused. She would probably go nuts to be let out of the crate, but it would not teach her any toilet training I think. Pixie just seems to have lost the plot and doesn't know it is wrong to do her stuff indoors anymore. Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest IrskasMom Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 How much do you walk Pixie ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Downtownhoundz Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Has she been checked for a UTI? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OwnedBySummer Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I've never had a dog, grey or otherwise, vocalize when they want to go out. Are you sure you aren't missing some very subtle signals? It can be as simple as changing beds a few times... or getting up and looking out one of your living room doors (not necessarily the one she would need to go through to access your back yard)... Quote Lisa B. My beautiful Summer - to her forever home May 1, 2010 Summer Certified therapy dog team with St. John Ambulance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandiandwe Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 When our (trickier to toilet train) hound had a couple of accidents, we took her straight to the vet - she had the early stages of a UTI and simply couldn't hold it. It happened one morning: heard her trot downstairs,come back, then on her walk she didn't pee as much which made me a bit sus, so I went looking for and found the accident. Wrote it off as abnormal, she was fine the next morning and then the third morning, we had a repeat of morning 1. Vet confirmed a UTI. So if this is abnormal behaviour, check for medical first, make sure she's walked enough and then see what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DiforDan Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Pixie is walked in the afternoon, a long walk of about 1 hour plus, but with lots of stopping for chats and even a lie down. Then she has the run of the garden and is let out, encouraged, and often escorted out by me or my husband and the other dogs. One problem is that during the summer the door to the garden was open just about all the time except at night. Now she has to ask to go out. We are picking up her more subtle signals, such as running up and down to the door and back. This is of no help in the middle of the night though. I really don't suspect a UTI. She was doing this whilst on Flagyll for a tummy bug, I would have thought Flagyll, a wide spectrum antibiotic, would have knocked out any UTI as well. Also pooing is involved as well as peeing. She is not peeing more than usual. Both our other greys, Pingu and Slinky, will vocalise if they want to go out in the night - Pingu whines, Slinky barks. My thought is that it is behavioural, and now she has started to go in that place when there is no easy access to outside, it has become a habit. She has lost that "dirty" feeling about going inside, I fear. I am hoping that the complete change of flooring to vinyl, which should happen in the next week or so, might break the habit, but I am not holding my breath! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeofNE Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Please take her to the vet first-- If she had a "tummy bug" she may still have something. Sounds if not, then you need to start from step one with housebreaking. Any chance you could install a dog door? If you were OK with leaving the door OPEN in the nice weather, you would probably not mind having a dog door. Problem solved. Quote Susan, Hamish, Mister Bigglesworth and Nikita Stanislav. Missing Ming, George, and Buck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greytpups Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 What has worked for me in the past is simply putting a puppy pee pad in the spot where she was peeing. It worked as a deterent because the spot was no longer available. Some other GTers have placed a piece of furniture over the spot to make it inaccessible. Quote Jan with precious pups Emmy (Stormin J Flag) and Simon (Nitro Si) and Abbey Field. Missing my angels: Bailey Buffetbobleclair 11/11/98-17/12/09; Ben Task Rapid Wave 5/5/02-2/11/15; Brooke Glo's Destroyer 7/09/06-21/06/16 and Katie Crazykatiebug 12/11/06 -21/08/21. My blog about grief The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not get over the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again but you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same, nor would you want to. ― Elisabeth Kübler-Ross Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Wasserbuffel Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 One problem is that during the summer the door to the garden was open just about all the time except at night. Now she has to ask to go out. We are picking up her more subtle signals, such as running up and down to the door and back. This is of no help in the middle of the night though. My gal knows how to ask to go out. She has bells to ring and will also seek me out in the house. Unfortunately she hasn't figured out how to ask at night from our bedroom. If she's loose and has to go, she'll just find a spot and go. If, however, she's in her crate, then she will whine and wake me. Although that took a few accidents in her crate to get it figured out. Before the crate I would leash her to me at night. Her bed was right next to mine and I slipped the leash onto my arm, so I would feel if she tried to leave her bed to pee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batmom Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Flagyl isn't effective for UTIs. Get her tested. Quote Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in IllinoisWe miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DiforDan Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 She hasn't soiled in the house for a couple of days now (but I am well aware that pride comes before a fall !) Greyaholic, I am a little puzzled by the pee pad idea. If this is a puppy training pad you mean, aren't they supposed to ATTRACT the dog to pee there? Also, the area is now about 8 feet by 3 feet so a puppy pad wouldn't quite cover it. I get the piece of furniture idea but it would not be practical in our cramped hallway Also she doesn't sleep in our bedroom so a bit of vocalisation if she was desperate to "go" would be so helpful ! If I had the slightest suspicion it was a UTI I would not hesitate to take her to the vet, but as this happens with pee AND poo, and she goes days without doing it and then does, and is not peeing any more than normal, you really could knock me over with a feather if it turned out to be a UTI ! I do observe her and all my dogs as much as is possible, and if there seemed to be anything amiss in that way I would notice. Hopefully with all your help and advice, and our diligence, this will just be a passing phase. Will feel so much better once we have the hard flooring down so carpet isn't getting soaked all the time. Thanks guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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