Capri Potty Problem Update

[jetcitywoman]

Some of you may remember that we've been working with Capri to try to figure out why she keeps peeing in the house. We went through the gauntlet of medical tests and treatments and verified that she's a healthy girl. Our vet finally recommended we consult a behaviorist. I was willing to do that although I was pretty sure it wasn't a behavior problem. She's house-trained. It's not a problem of not being house-trained.

 

Well for the last week we've been web-cam-ing her while we're gone at work. It's a behavior problem. The problem is this: she wants to go out when she wants to go out. She tries to go out but the sliding glass door is closed and there's nobody to open it for her. So she squats and pees right there, as close to outside as she can get. When she goes, it's a full bladder's worth.

• One day last week she went immediately after I left. She whined first (but after I was out the door) as if to say "wait, mom, I need to go out.... don't go yet... darn."
  
• Yesterday she went about 30 minutes after we left. Same kind of whining, "I need to pee but nobody is here to let me out".
  
• Today she went about 10 minutes before I got home for lunch. I offered to let her out and she didn't respond so I didn't open the door. Immediately after I went upstairs to the computer, what do I see on the webcam feed on my screen but that little ** peeing on the floor in front of the sliding glass door.
  

We're going to follow up with the behaviorist, but wanted to ask here also. How do you fix the attitude that "I don't want to wait"? When we're home, she does ask to be let out. Today was unusual that she didn't respond to my offer - I suspect because it's cold and rainy out.

Edited November 27, 2012 by jetcitywoman

[Batmom]

Make sure she goes when you need her to go -- it's been awhile since she went and you're going to be gone, busy, etc.

[jetcitywoman]

The odd thing is that she's pretty consistently doing this in the mornings before lunch. They're alone for about 2.5 hours between when we leave and I come home for lunch. They get walked at about 8am, we leave for work around 9:45, and I get home for lunch between 11:45 and 12:00.

 

In the afternoon they're alone between 1 and 5:30 and she rarely does it then. She's just a stinker.

[Batmom]

I'd take her out again before you leave.

 

I've had a dog who needed to go out a second time @ 1.5 - 2 hours after a meal. When need be, I adjusted mealtimes so we could get the second "out" taken care of before I left.

[Guest BiancasMom]

I second the taking her out another time before you leave in the morning. My dog is the same way, always has to go again (urinate) 1-2 hours after eating. If she is holding it until her bladder is full, it seems she is doing it because she honestly has to go.

Edited November 27, 2012 by BiancasMom

[JAJ2010]

Leash her up, take her out, and make sure she's empty before you leave. The girls will sometimes forget why they are outside. LOL They learned really quick that being icky outside will not melt them. Again leash them up and stay out until they pee. Then it's a squeaky happy dance run back inside the instant they squat. Takes them 1 time to understand. My poor Foster pup is just learning this today....

 

Oh and if emptying her doesn't work crate or xpen her for a few months until she remembers that the house is not a potty area. Every time she successfully pees inside it enforces that bad behavior.

[Guest PhillyPups]

If it was me, with the information given, I would let her out again just before I leave, not an hour and 45 minutes before I leave (less time going out) and when I got home, i would make sure she went out right away, if it was raining, and she goes out slower, I would wait.

[Guest mld]

I would take her out and walk her in a circle until she went pee and the big praise for doing this!

[jetcitywoman]

We've been doing all of this, with one exception. I do agree we need to take her out immediately before we leave in the morning. We did change our morning routine hoping it would fix it. Here is our morning schedule now:

 

up at 6:30

yard potty break 6:35

doggy breakfast 6:37

our breakfast 6:45

20-minute walk 7:45

leave for work 8:45

 

You'd think that would be fine, but... no. So yes... out into the yard she goes before we leave starting tomorrow.

[JAJ2010]

Just make sure she squats in the yard. LOL Us females can be stubborn... If that doesn't work what about trying to cut out breakfast? Maybe her kibble is making her thirsty? Or do you add water to it that you could stop? Also did this start when you turned the heat on? My girls have been drinking more since then. Maybe running a humidifier would help?

[Ragsysmum]

I always take mine out immediately before leaving them even if we have already had a good walk an hour before. I walk round the garden with them and mostly they will do another wee before going back in. Your girl is trying to do the best she can going as near to where she should be able to get outside and obviously just cannot wait until someone opens the door for her, not her fault.

[Guest PhillyPups]

I have been thinking about this, and what I come up with is difference in dogs and their needs, just like people, not so much "behaviorial" as just her 'needs' for bodily functions. My co-worker goes "down the hall" about three or four times in the morning and the same in the afternoon, I go about two times in the morning before I leave for work, then at work I go "down the hall" once in the afternoon, just differences in our bodies and our functions, dogs would be the same. I certainly would not cut out a meal. Most of mine go once after a meal, Deon goes then about 20 minutes to 1/2 hour later has to go again and she sure does have to go even though she went after her meal. Deon has a very sharp way of letting us know. I just adjust to their needs, just as DonnieDude will puke in the car if he goes for a ride that lasts any length of time and has eaten within an hour of going, so I feed him about 1-1/2 hours before a trip that will be over 15 minutes, I learned this about him through a lot of experimentation and cleaning up. .

 

Hoping taking her out again just before leaving works.

Edited November 28, 2012 by PhillyPups

[jetcitywoman]

I'm inclined to agree with you, Phillypups. It seems to be just her biology along with maybe a little attitude. When she pees in the house, it's never a little bit so she really has a full bladder. It's just that she gets full at inconvenient times (for us). So we don't get mad at her, although I admit I was a bit peeved when she didn't respond to my offer to let her out yesterday and then peed about 2 minutes later as soon as I left the room. There was no call for that!

 

Anyway, yes, for the most part, she just seems to have different bladder timing than anybody else. Ajax for example, has never had an accident amazingly even with his sister peeing in the house right in front of him. His bladder seems to take hours to fill up while hers takes minutes.