a_daerr Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 As many of you remember, Truman was very difficult puppy to housetrain. He started with crate anxiety, and when I reached my breaking point, we eventually ripped up all our carpeting, installed a dog door, and called it a day. That seemed to be the miracle fix because it has been at least 8 months since he had an accident (discounting the one time he ate Neosporin and had uncontrollable diarrhea). Well, it's been raining for the past few days, and the weather is starting to get more wintery. Yesterday I catch him squatting down and peeing in the house. I couldn't believe it- I was standing right there! I said "NO!" and took him to the dog door by the collar. The problem was, he had already emptied out, so by the time we got outside he didn't have to go anymore. Today, I come home to find not one but two piles of poop, and a huge puddle of pee in the basement RIGHT INSIDE THE DOG DOOR. I think he's decided that he's too much of a priss to go outside in the rain and cold weather. My schedule will be a little more flexible after the start of the new year, but at this point I work from 7AM-6PM, so I'm not there to supervise. Just wondering if anyone has experience with this? I really don't think he would tolerate being crated again... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macoduck Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 As he exits out the doggy dog, is there any shelter overhead, anything that could keep the scary rain or snow off of him long enough to do his business? Quote Freshy (Droopys Fresh), NoAh the podenco orito, Howie the portuguese podengo maneto Angels: Rita the podenco maneta, Lila, the podenco, Mr X aka Denali, Lulu the podenco andaluz, Hada the podenco maneta, Georgie Girl (UMR Cordella), Charlie the iggy, Mazy (CBR Crazy Girl), Potato, my mystery ibizan girl, Allen (M's Pretty Boy), Percy (Fast But True), Mikey (Doray's Patuti), Pudge le mutt, Tessa the iggy, Possum (Apostle), Gracie (Dusty Lady), Harold (Slatex Harold), "Cousin" Simon our step-iggy, Little Dude the iggy ,Bandit (Bb Blue Jay), Niña the galgo, Wally (Allen Hogg), Thane (Pog Mo Thoine), Oliver (JJ Special Agent), Comet, & Rosie our original mutt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a_daerr Posted December 12, 2012 Author Share Posted December 12, 2012 As he exits out the doggy dog, is there any shelter overhead, anything that could keep the scary rain or snow off of him long enough to do his business? Yes, our back porch is roofed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubcitypam Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 None of my dogs past or present ever had a weather related accidents, so I'm no help. They do spend a lot of time nosing the corner of the flap open and judging how bad it is raining or snowing vs. how bad the need to go how...then they gut up and do their business at warp speed. They can hunker down for amazing amounts of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a_daerr Posted December 12, 2012 Author Share Posted December 12, 2012 None of my dogs past or present ever had a weather related accidents, so I'm no help. They do spend a lot of time nosing the corner of the flap open and judging how bad it is raining or snowing vs. how bad the need to go how...then they gut up and do their business at warp speed. They can hunker down for amazing amounts of time. Henry is the same way. He's like a mailman! Rain, snow, sleet, or hail... Truman? Not so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleptogrey Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 i throw a bunch of dog biskets out into the yard when the weather is lousy, small biskets all over the place. their stomach will lead them to a treat no matter what the weather is and along the way as they search for their morsels they empty themself. maybe this approach will help. hey what ever works! my dogs hear the cookie tin, run out the door no matter what's doing outside now. truman is still an adolescent, i'm writing from owning a gh pup from 7 weeks on. their brains short circuit along the way, slips and slides in good behaviors that are well established. maybe this time you can introduce the crate in a different way, leave it up and start by feeding him in it if he really really doesn't like it. don't lock him in, place the food bowl 1/2 in the crate and wait, then proceed from there. the crate may be YOUR best friend (and you can stand a friend right now). when will he be 3? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a_daerr Posted December 13, 2012 Author Share Posted December 13, 2012 i throw a bunch of dog biskets out into the yard when the weather is lousy, small biskets all over the place. their stomach will lead them to a treat no matter what the weather is and along the way as they search for their morsels they empty themself. maybe this approach will help. hey what ever works! my dogs hear the cookie tin, run out the door no matter what's doing outside now. truman is still an adolescent, i'm writing from owning a gh pup from 7 weeks on. their brains short circuit along the way, slips and slides in good behaviors that are well established. maybe this time you can introduce the crate in a different way, leave it up and start by feeding him in it if he really really doesn't like it. don't lock him in, place the food bowl 1/2 in the crate and wait, then proceed from there. the crate may be YOUR best friend (and you can stand a friend right now). when will he be 3? I think I was maybe overreacting a little bit when I originally posted. He used the dog door for the past two days with no accidents. I've been praising him and telling him what a good boy he is when I've seen him going outside. The day he messed in the house, it had been raining steadily for two days. He also refused breakfast the following morning, so it may also have been a combination of the rain and having an upset stomach. I'm hoping it was just a momentary lapse in judgement, and now he's back to normal. If the accidents resume, I mentally catalogued your game with the treats. I'm also considering doggie daycare with him, since we don't do as much off-leash running because of the weather. To answer your other question, Truman is 15-months-old. He just turned one in August. Around 8-9 months, we were going crazy with him because it was like he all of a sudden forgot everything he learned. He started getting better, and now he's having a few behavioral quirks again. We're beginning our fifth obedience class in January, so we definitely plan to continue working with him. He's also a blue brindle, so that may also explain why he's "special." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleptogrey Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 enoy obedience, it's the best thing you can do for yourself. somewhere along the way he will apply the info and skills obtained! but i would try the cookie and seek game. let him see you throw them out into the yard. don't let him go out unless he uses the doggie door. then as you leave for work and the hounds are settled inside, throw some cookies into the yard. when he goes out to relieve himself....A PRIZE! this way, he will be conditioned to want to find those prizes even in the worst of weather. but, you still have to be smarter than your dog, don't leave treats for him everytime you go to work. be irregular, consistant in the beginning, then skip a day, alternate days and keep him on his toes. do consider going to rally-o classes as well as traditional obedience once he has some basic skills. it's fun, reinforces what he has learned and it's exhausting for them. good winter activity. yeah, he'll go blank again, just file that. when, who knows,,,,,but it will happen. enjoy the ride! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreytNut Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 I have found that when the weather gets nasty, leaving pajamas or fleece coats on the hounds will make them a LOT more amenable to using the dog door when duty calls. Before I did that I was occasionally finding little "presents" right inside the dog door on bitterly cold days. I also force them to go out right before I leave for the day or turn in for the night if the weather is particularly nasty and I know they'll be reluctant to go out of their own accord. You'd be amazed how fast a dog can pee when the temperature drops below a certain point. Quote Kristen with Penguin (L the Penguin) Flying Penske x L Alysana Costarring The Fabulous Felines: Squeak, Merlin, Bailey & Mystic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PamelaJ Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Has anyone tried to find/build a "litter box"? Noodle, 2.5 adopted spet, is normally quite good (~3 accidents since the UTI she came with was cured). Was pouring last night. Felt so bad taking her out 3 times in the rain yesterday, but she would not do her end of day business. I ended up sleeping on the sofa near her crate and when she woke at 5-I took her for her long overdue pee. She's a love and if we can do something dor the really bad days, would save us both pain. We were thinking of putting a box with sod or plastic outdoor carpet in the garage for really bad days. Thoughts ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sambuca Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Has anyone tried to find/build a "litter box"? Noodle, 2.5 adopted spet, is normally quite good (~3 accidents since the UTI she came with was cured). Was pouring last night. Felt so bad taking her out 3 times in the rain yesterday, but she would not do her end of day business. I ended up sleeping on the sofa near her crate and when she woke at 5-I took her for her long overdue pee. She's a love and if we can do something dor the really bad days, would save us both pain. We were thinking of putting a box with sod or plastic outdoor carpet in the garage for really bad days. Thoughts ?? Why did you feel bad taking her out? We all have to do it. I've walked my dogs in hurricanes and blizzards because thats what I committed to do when I got them. If she won't do her business, walk her until she does. She will eventually learn that shes stick in the reason until she potties. Then she will potty very quickly to go in. You may want to invest in some good rain gear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PamelaJ Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Thank you for your reply. I was fine (we walked her during Sandy) but she just stood and then tried to pull me back in. We are not at the point where she indicates so we take her out on a schedule. That day she had an extra walk before her last so her need may not have been great. My other dogs always just went whenever we were out, if only to mark, not so with her. Will try the rain gear, I made her a sweater and a dickey to go with her coat. Will try a slicker next. Will also try to create an area close to the house with leaves etc. that may be appealing for when she does not want to be out in the elements. Be well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neighsayer Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 Kiddie pool with one side cut down low makes a good litter box. Pee pads or newspaper inside it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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