Re-Housetraining

[Guest Punzy41]

Hello, I am new to this forum but my husband and I are desperate for advice from a Greyhound Community who I know has loads more experience than us.

 

We adopted Charlie the blue greyhound in June of this year from a family who could not keep him any longer. We are his third family after retiring from racing 3 years ago. Charlie Boy will turn 6 in January and he is our precious regal boy.

 

The family who had him before us said he never had trouble with peeing indoors, and would only when left alone for an entire day (over eight hours). He was a dream the first week we had him but has been peeing in the house about once every three days since then. It is always at night when we cannot catch him in the act and charlie never fusses or barks to let us know anything. The previous owners suggested we lay down a child's potty training mat down (one that doesn't attract him to pee). He would pee on that at first, and he even pooed on it once, but now he pees anywhere and everywhere in the house even if the mat is down.

 

I thought maybe he was sick but he has pooed in the house about 4 times in the past 5 months. We let him out at 10:30 every night and watch him every time to make sure he goes wee. He doesn't usually mark when he pees, he merely stretches/pees as though he is mad at us or just can't hold it. I am 95% certain this is behavioral.

 

I know we should always give him access to water but he gets at least two pints of water in his food during the day and will still occasionally drink throughout the day. We took away access to the water at night only and he still does it.

 

Charlie gets three 20-minute walks per day and is let out to wee at 7 am and 10:30 pm every day in the garden. We have tried everything short of crate training but as my husband is currently scrubbing our one and only area rug as I write... We are going to break out the crate (which Charlie has certainly peed ON before).

 

The other thing I think worth noting is that Charlie would tell his old owners when he had to go out by stretching and doing the yoga "downward facing dog" pose. He would do this when he wanted something like dinner or a walk. Since we have adopted him he doesn't tell us any of that because we just keep a schedule as someone is home with him all day. Also, Charlie never poos in the back garden/yard where he is let out.

 

Can someone help us? We have cleaned up pee about 30 times in 5 months and are tired of fearing what waits for us downstairs when we wake up in the morning! We want to get a Christmas tree but would like to keep the presents dry...

 

Hannah

[vjgrey]

In my opinion, whenever you're dealing with a housetrained dog who suddenly starts going inside, the first step should be to have him tested for a UTI. If it's positive, that's an easy fix with meds. If it's negative, at least you've tentatively ruled that out (I say tentatively, because false negatives are possible).

 

If it's a behavioral/housetraining issue - If possible, keep him within you or crated at all times. NO access to the house alone = fewer opportunities for mistakes. If you catch him in the act, tell him "no," and take him out immediately. You can even keep him attached to you with a leash if necessary.

 

If he's having accidents at night - is it possible to have him sleep in your bedroom, maybe blocked in with a baby gate? That way, you should be able to hear him get up.

[a_daerr]

Sorry you're having trouble... I had a ton of problems housebreaking my younger grey (coincidentally, also a blue). He gave me no warning signs that he needed to go, he basically would just get to the point where he would randomly squat down anywhere and everywhere. On the otherhand, my other guy was a dream to housebreak. He would probably explode before he had an accident in the house. Some dogs are just more challenging. From a training standpoint, Basic Housetraining 101 is based on crating or confining when you aren't there to supervise, and then supervising 100% of the time when you are there. Some people will even tether to dog to their waist so they can keep diligent watch. If crating is not an option, confine him to a smaller room with easy to clean floors, like a kitchen. Take him out often (every hour or every couple of hours). Then, when he does his business outside, reward reward reward. Make a huge deal out of it, and give him lots of treats and attention. NEVER PUNISH unless you are right there and can stop it while it's happening. Punishing a dog after the fact will only teach them not to go to the bathroom in your presence. It's equally important to keep him on a strict food, water, and elimination schedule. Also, be sure to clean all the areas where he's gone before with an enzyme-based cleaner like Nature's Miracle.

[KickReturn]

No one likes to hear it but what about a longer walk after 9:00 PM. We give our boy at least a 40 minute walk every evening before bed. Never had a problem. It's the only way for a dog to truly empty himself.

[Brandiandwe]

I guess the only thing that stood out for me was the 3x 20 minute walks per day. Can you take him for a longer walk late in the day (as has been suggested above) to encourage him to empty out? My two get at least an hour in the morning, at kleast 20 - 30 minutes in the afternoon then another 10 - 15 minute (or 5 minutes if they;re quick) pee stroll before bed. They also only empty out when marking. I'd also check the vet option.

[Ragsysmum]

I'd take him for a walk at bedtime so he empties more completely and then have him sleep on a dog bed beside yours so you can take him out quickly if he shows any signs of needing to go. Anything is better than getting up to a mess regularly and he will probably settle very quickly and sleep through the night.

[Guest KatyC]

I would maybe try taking him out for a quick 10 minute walk just before you go to bed, we do this if we look after my parents dog as he has a habit of waking up very early to go out. If we take him for a walk last thing he's usually not as eager to go out for a wee first thing. Bit of a pain in the winter with all the rain and wind! You could just try it for a week or two and see if it makes any difference to Charlie.

Having him in your bedroom, like someone else suggested is also a good idea. Then you'll hear if he moves at all and hopefully can catch him before he goes.

Let us know how you get on

[GeorgeofNE]

I didn't hear a word about "and we took him to the vet."

 

That should be your first trip. Trust me: you would much rather treat a UTI than deal with a behavioral peeing issue.

[Guest Gemma]

Yup, vet visit first to rule out a UTI. I'd also have a stool sample tested in case he has picked up some worms.

 

If both those come back clear, I agree that taking him for a short walk before bed might help. I'd also restrict his area at night so you have more control over where he might go. You could also try putting a bell on him so you hear him get up at night.

 

As an aside, I notice you live in Bucks? I'm from there, originally. My mum lives in High Wycombe still.

[Guest Punzy41]

Thanks for the advice, everyone. We really never thought it could be a UTI because it's been going on for 5 months, but you never know. We will probably get him checked out soon. We started crate training last night and he only hates it a little. It was a dry night but he will usually go dry for about a week after trying something new before he wees again. (One week=just enough to get my hopes up!)

 

The late night walk is a good idea too, but, you're right, we usually are in PJs by 8:30. It's so strange to us that he wouldn't just want to toilet completely outside as long as he is out there!!

 

Our bedroom is upstairs and Charlie isn't allowed/can't go up there. I was able to train myself to get up in the night if I heard his tags jingling downstairs but this happened just about every night and now I've become an insomniac. I really don't want him to get into the routine of going out in the middle of the night every night, anyway. He truly is a creature of habit, which I'm sure you all can attest to.

 

My hubby and I are expats from MN currently living in Bucks for a few years. We were in a house hunters international episode in may of this year, which was fun. Charlie wasn't a part of our lives then.

 

One more thing...Could the fact that he is almost 6 and still not neutered be a factor?

[KickReturn]

The last walk of the day can happen at 8 or 8:30 if you are the early to bed sort. Forgive my preaching but I strongly advise you to include a significantly longer walk in your routine. It does not apply to all dogs but most benefit from significantly more walking than you are providing. In your case there's a good chance doing so will solve you current problem.

 

A young healthy dog will love a one-and-a-half or two hour walk as part of his daily routine. Such activity transforms the animal physically and emotionally. (Sniffing around the yard doesn't count.)

 

Wish I had a blue - can we see some pictures?

[a_daerr]

One more thing...Could the fact that he is almost 6 and still not neutered be a factor?

 

When he's peeing in the house, is he emptying out fully or marking? If it's marking (lifting him leg and only going in small amounts), it could certainly be related to him still being intact. If he's squatting and emptying his bladder, then probably not. Regardless, I would have him neutered. Unaltered dogs have a higher potential for other behavioral/medical problems.

[Guest Punzy41]

Wish I had a blue - can we see some pictures?

 

We took a really cute pic of him waiting for dinner, but I don't know how to post photos! I'm sorry!

[brianamac]

My hubby and I are expats from MN currently living in Bucks for a few years. We were in a house hunters international episode in may of this year, which was fun. Charlie wasn't a part of our lives then.

 

SO COOL! That is one of my favorite shows! Hope to catch a rerun one day.

[a_daerr]

My hubby and I are expats from MN currently living in Bucks for a few years. We were in a house hunters international episode in may of this year, which was fun. Charlie wasn't a part of our lives then.

 

That is AWESOME! I heard HH was fake though... is that true?

[brianamac]

 

That is AWESOME! I heard HH was fake though... is that true?

 

Oh don't break my little heart!

[a_daerr]

 

That is AWESOME! I heard HH was fake though... is that true?

 

Oh don't break my little heart!

 

Well, not totally fake. I heard somewhere that at the time of filming, the people already live in the house they supposedly 'choose.' Could be a rumor though... I hope so because I also love that show!