He Won't Pee...

[adudle00]

So we've been working on housebreaking and he's been doing pretty well. We leave him gated in the living room while we are gone during the day and he hasn't had any accidents during the day for about a week. His SA issues have also been improving dramatically. After I wake up, I fix his breakfast (meaning I put it in the bowl, but don't give it to him) and take him outside. He goes the bathroom (both) right away. I'm pretty sure he knows that's what he's supposed to do, and then when he comes in he gets breakfast. Same routine at night before dinner. However, when I come home at the end of the day and take him out he WILL NOT go to the bathroom outside. I will sit outside with him watching him for a half hour (literally) and he just won't go. He'll play and run around, then eventually get bored and lay down. I've tried taking him out many times after getting back home, but nothing works. I've even tried showing him a little food or something before taking him out so that maybe he would think he's getting 'fed' when coming back in, but it doesn't work. So then he holds it until I think he can't hold it anymore and will end up having a huge 'accident' in the evening (large amount of pee, but no poo). I'm pretty sure he doesn't have any medical issues, because he has absolutely no issues 'going' when he wants to. (before meals). Any suggestions? We are making good progress, but these huge accidents are getting frustrating. TIA!

[Guest june]

Walks. Long walks with lots of opportunity to sniff, mark and pee!

[Brandiandwe]

When you say you take him out, do you let him out or take him for a walk? My two won't empty out unless they go for a walk - they seem to need to stimulation to mark and sniff, collect pee-mail and general 'take the air'. So their routine is up, walk (empty out), breakfast, post-breakfast snooze, midday nap, pre-afternoon walk power nap, afternoon walk (empty out), snuggles, exchange news about their day with the resident servant (ahem human), dinner, post dinner cuddles and play, teeth cleaning chewie, final quick P&P bed. But they need to walk to get empty.

 

What june said....

[adudle00]

I have tried walks and he will sometimes pee on them, but he statues SO bad that it often takes me 20 minutes just to go a block (and I admit that I get a little embarrassed when I'm stuck standing in front of my neighbors house for 10 minutes, which doesn't make me want to keep doing it...) I will continue trying with the walks...

[a_daerr]

Are you rewarding his morning pee? I would start there. Stand with him while he pees. Use a phrase like 'Go pee!' and once he starts, say 'Good!' and give him a treat. Note: the treat has to come DURING the pee, not when he comes back inside. Otherwise, he'll think he's being rewarded for coming inside. When he does go outside, make a huge deal out of it. Throw him a pee party.

 

It sounds like the problem in the evening is that he's understanding that as soon as he's done peeing, he has to then go back inside. So instead of getting down to business, he wants to run around and be silly to delay going back in. Give him 10 minutes and bring him back in, even if he doesn't pee. Wait 15 minutes, then try again. Since you'll be home, I might try the umbilical method- tether the leash to your waist, and don't let him out of your sight. That way, he won't have the opportunity to sneak away to pee.

[adudle00]

Are you rewarding his morning pee? I would start there. Stand with him while he pees. Use a phrase like 'Go pee!' and once he starts, say 'Good!' and give him a treat. Note: the treat has to come DURING the pee, not when he comes back inside. Otherwise, he'll think he's being rewarded for coming inside. When he does go outside, make a huge deal out of it. Throw him a pee party. It sounds like the problem in the evening is that he's understanding that as soon as he's done peeing, he has to then go back inside. So instead of getting down to business, he wants to run around and be silly to delay going back in. Give him 10 minutes and bring him back in, even if he doesn't pee. Wait 15 minutes, then try again. Since you'll be home, I might try the umbilical method- tether the leash to your waist, and don't let him out of your sight. That way, he won't have the opportunity to sneak away to pee.

 

Yes! I always reward him when he pees with a treat and lots of praise. I tell him 'go pee' and when he starts to go I say 'go pee, good boy!' and treat him. I'm ALWAYS right next to him when he goes out, he is NEVER just let out alone. I always try to play with him a lot while he's outside as well so I don't just take him out there to pee and bring him right back in. He loves playing fetch with his tennis ball. We do this almost everytime we go out.

[Feisty49]

I have tried walks and he will sometimes pee on them, but he statues SO bad that it often takes me 20 minutes just to go a block (and I admit that I get a little embarrassed when I'm stuck standing in front of my neighbors house for 10 minutes, which doesn't make me want to keep doing it...) I will continue trying with the walks...

 

My girl pees & poos, unless she doesn't have to go, so I have no suggestions. You mention, though, a problem with him planting himself (statuing). Here's a link to suggestions about how to circumvent that problem, a problem I had BIG TIME when I first adopted Annie. I dreaded walking her but once I learned how to get her going, it became fun.

 

http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/294313-questions-on-a-stubborn-greyhound/?hl=planting&do=findComment&comment=5417455

[JJNg]

Can you post a brief summary of your daily schedule? What time is breakfast in the morning, what time do you get home from work, when do you feed dinner, etc?

 

Is he having that huge pee accident in the evening every day? About how long after you come home does it happen?

 

Sounds like he might just not need to pee yet when you first come home. I'd continue to take him out and give him the opportunity, but if he doesn't go, you can't take your eyes off of him when you come back in (the umbilical cord method a_daerr suggested helps a with this). Learn his signs, so that you can recognize any signals that he needs to go, and hopefully get him outside before he has that accident.

 

If you think he should need to pee but is too distracted playing, take him out on leash, even if it's just in your fenced yard, and don't let him off leash to play until after he's peed. If he doesn't pee, go back inside - no playtime until he pees.

[adudle00]

Can you post a brief summary of your daily schedule? What time is breakfast in the morning, what time do you get home from work, when do you feed dinner, etc?

 

Is he having that huge pee accident in the evening every day? About how long after you come home does it happen?

 

Sounds like he might just not need to pee yet when you first come home. I'd continue to take him out and give him the opportunity, but if he doesn't go, you can't take your eyes off of him when you come back in (the umbilical cord method a_daerr suggested helps a with this). Learn his signs, so that you can recognize any signals that he needs to go, and hopefully get him outside before he has that accident.

 

If you think he should need to pee but is too distracted playing, take him out on leash, even if it's just in your fenced yard, and don't let him off leash to play until after he's peed. If he doesn't pee, go back inside - no playtime until he pees.

Sure! Here's my usual schedule (it varies slightly on certain days, but I can't control that).

 

6:00am I wake up and get ready before leaving the bedroom to go downstairs (he sleeps in the bedroom with us).

6:30 fix his breakfast then take him out

6:45-7ish His breakfast.

7:00 take him back upstairs to the bedroom (he sleeps with DH until DH leaves for work, I leave at 7am, except on 1 day I leave at 5:30 so things are bumped up a little)

8:30/9 DH takes him out before he leaves for work

Between 1:30-3pm I arrive back home and take him out. Then throughout the rest of the evening I take him out 1-2x more before dinner

6:30 take him out before dinner

6:45-7pm His Dinner.

sometimes he goes out between here and bedtime, sometimes not.

10:00pm Final P&P

 

He is having the accident around 5:30ish I would say. Yesterday he wouldn't pee when I got back home and then left for the gym around 5:15 (took him out 3 times between 1:30-5:15) DH got home around 6 and there was a huge puddle, so somewhere between then he peed.

 

We have a huge backyard, but I just don't trust him enough to let him go solo and our wood fence is old and frail, so I always take him out on a leash to another part of the yard (still decent sized) that has a 5ft chain link fence and take him off leash there. In the morning when I take him out to that area, I take him off the leash say 'go pee' and he goes P&P right away. After he's done he races around the yard and plays with his ball. Then when he's ready to go back in he stands by the gate. Same thing happens before dinner. In the afternoon he will run around, but just not pee. Perhaps he doesn't need to go, but I think he just doesn't want to go. Today when I got home (around 3) I took him out and he wouldn't go. I took him out again a little before 6 and he wouldn't go. So then I walked him out to the the bigger yard area and he went right away. He just doesn't like to go in this particular area in the afternoon for some reason...I don't know. But I will definitely try any suggestions given to me!

[JJNg]

A few more questions...

 

Does he pee when DH takes him out around 8:30/9 am?

 

If he has an accident around 5:30 pm, does he still pee when you take him out at 6:30 before dinner? How often is he having accidents around that time in the evening - most days, or just occasionally? Are there times when he doesn't have an accident and just holds it until 6:30?

 

If he prefers to pee in the bigger yard area in the afternoon, maybe just try leash walking him in that area when you get home. Then if/after he pees, let him off leash to play in the chain-link area.

[Guest Giselle]

Does he always pee in the evening when he's alone or does it happen when you/your husband are home? Because he has a history of separation anxiety type behaviors, I would be concerned about whether being alone in the evening (i.e. if you always go to the gym around 5PM) is exacerbating his potty issues.

[Brandiandwe]

Does he always pee in the evening when he's alone or does it happen when you/your husband are home? Because he has a history of separation anxiety type behaviors, I would be concerned about whether being alone in the evening (i.e. if you always go to the gym around 5PM) is exacerbating his potty issues.

 

Interesting because we figured out Brandi was having accidents when we came home and then left again without taking her out. So she was fine when she went out first thing and then was left for the day, but on weekends if she went out, then we went out, came home, left again and then came home again, we could expect a wet patch on the floor.

[adudle00]

A few more questions...

 

Does he pee when DH takes him out around 8:30/9 am?

 

If he has an accident around 5:30 pm, does he still pee when you take him out at 6:30 before dinner? How often is he having accidents around that time in the evening - most days, or just occasionally? Are there times when he doesn't have an accident and just holds it until 6:30?

 

If he prefers to pee in the bigger yard area in the afternoon, maybe just try leash walking him in that area when you get home. Then if/after he pees, let him off leash to play in the chain-link area.

He usually does not pee when DH takes him out around 8:30/9am

 

Yes, he will always pee when taken out around 6:30 before dinner, even if he's had an accident not too much earlier. He is having accidents occasionally, not everyday. I would say every other day to every few days. He usually does release it sometime before 6:30,whether it's through walking him or by having an accident.

 

I agree, I think I'm going to try taking him for walks in the afternoon when I get home to see if this helps him pee and prevent accidents.

 

Does he always pee in the evening when he's alone or does it happen when you/your husband are home? Because he has a history of separation anxiety type behaviors, I would be concerned about whether being alone in the evening (i.e. if you always go to the gym around 5PM) is exacerbating his potty issues.

It's not just when he's alone, he will do it with us around as well. Me leaving again might be triggering some SA issues, but I try to make sure whenever I leave (even for a short period of time) that I follow the same procedure as if I were leaving for the day, which is usually by giving him his filled Kong and not making a big deal about it. I don't leave every evening though, maybe a couple times a week.