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Fred Pees Then Won't Pee


Guest mebenz

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Guest mebenz

Fred came to me on Friday night. He had some traumatic experiences at his foster place due to them having 20 stairs so it was either him going to a second foster or me taking him early, so I gladly did. He's still having issues with stairs and Statues all the time, but that's another topic.

 

I have a small grass area behind my apartment but it's only 3/4 fenced in so I can let the leash go and let him walk around on his own. From Saturday at 2PM to 2PM Sunday, he did not pee. He only peed when I took him down to a park area, but on Saturday night and Sunday morning he would not go down the driveway so I couldn't take him there again. That leaves the grass area but he didn't pee there until a friend with 2 Greys came for a visit and helped him to pee there. On Sunday night before 11 he peed there on his own. Thought all was well.

 

This morning at 7, 8:30, 10:30 tried again, but would not go in the back. Took him to the front area, around the block nothing. At 2 took him down to the park again and he peed. At 6 and 10 tonight, tried the back area again but nothing. I was going to take him back to the park but he would not go down the dark driveway. He stood in the grass area and did nothing. I can't leave him there so back inside we went (keep in mind it takes me coaxing, treats and manually moving his legs to get him up and down these 3 steps I have in the back).

 

If he peed when I took him out, the stairs would be easy as it's not so often. He hasn't poop since late Sunday night (liquid again). Friday it was liquid, then Sat back to soft, then gradually back to liquid).

He has never had an accident inside yet feel horrible that he's holding that much pee and poop inside of him. It's not like he's never gone in that area before as 24 hours ago he did. When it's bedtime and he's "statueing" I can't spend 20 minutes coaxing him to try and get down the driveway to get to the park.

 

I would love for him to just go in the back area where he's already peed and pooped twice yet he only seems to do that every other day. I have to work for the first time tomorrow and cannot take full days off. If he doesn't pee again in a couple hours (will try at midnight) I have to sleep so it's going to be another long hold. If he doesn't at 6-7AM, I won't be able to go to work, which is going to be a huge issue.

 

I wasn't supposed to get him for 1.5 weeks when I had scheduled 3 days off work (plus the weekend) but I had no choice and now am worried that he should be housetrained by now?

 

Obviously a newbie here. Even bought a "pee post" but he doesn't go anywhere near it.

Edited by mebenz
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Guest debster

Hello! :)

 

Full disclaimer: I'm not an experienced grey owner, as I just got mine on July 25. But I'm right there with you right now with the stress of wanting what is best for your pup and trying so hard not to smother the poor thing in love and create dependency. I know it's tough but try your darnedest to relax; the more chill you are, the more your pup will chill.

 

Sounds like he's scared to pee, either from the stress of the stairs, or from being watched, or maybe feeling exposed. Mine will not poop easily if you watch him, but he seems to be better if I turn around and give him privacy. Remember that a stare can really unnerve a dog, as it's very forward and somewhat impolite in dog language.

 

Speaking as someone who's had dogs before (but not greys), 3 days is really not long enough to be reliably housebroken. Stay vigilant. One thing to think about is if you caught your dog about to poop or pee and gave him a scare, he may be shy about eliminating in general. I caught my boy about to do so last week and he was so scared to poop after that, as if he believed that the act of pooping in general displeased me. When your dog does go in the right place (rare though it may be right now), throw a party for him and give him treats.

 

Right now, your dog is probably the kid at summer camp that was too afraid to poop in the latrine, so he held it all week. Keep being patient and kind... I think that's what others might say too. Some might have a clever trick to try for your hound, so hang tight. Don't forget that your adoption group is probably more than happy to talk to you; I've been messaging almost nonstop with a contact in my group and she has been a godsend.

 

In the meantime, welcome! This place is great.

 

Edit:

Rereading your post, and I've got two questions:

1. How much water is he drinking? Lack of pee could be from dehydration from liquid poops and not drinking

2. Do you have a crate he can be in while you are gone at work? Not ideal without alone training, but it could save your house and make him feel secure and keep him safe while you are gone. Remember that they are used to crates.

Edited by debster
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Guest mebenz

He's drinking lots of water. I just managed to get him down the driveway to the park but then he wouldn't pee and then got stuck in the dark because he didn't want to move. I had to get home so it was literally nudging him from behind. Got to the house then he wouldn't go back up the driveway so nudging again. Coaxing and saying nicely Let's Go etc etc does NOT work. Treats won't work either.

 

Now I'm at home, tired, bawling because I feel so guilty and he's just the sweetest. I know he's picking up on this but I'm frustrated. I don't want to make his potty issues worse but I don't know what to do.

 

My adoption group had advice but nothing worked.

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Hrmm get a powerful flashlight? I noticed Dane seemed kind of nervous in the dark his first few days here. He doesn't seem to mind it so much now, now that he's familiar with his surroundings.

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You've got a few problems all at once. The first few thing I'd try is to relax. This is easier said than done, but remember that in about two months you'll look back and wonder what the fuss was. Next, try to establish a routine. Has your boy had any accidents inside? If not, get him onto the routine that works for you. Think about trying a longer leash or two leashes together to give him some more privacy. Turn your back when he's sniffing. Party when he goes.

 

If he wants to pee in the park, you might have to go with it. Mine tend to need to move to go so a bit of a walk is sometimes needed. Grab a flashlight, or go when it's light.

 

The poop might be nerves, might be the food, or might be a combination of both.

 

Stairs, tricky. There are lots of threads about this.

 

Hang in there and welcome to the forum.

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Guest debster

Hang in there! The first few days/weeks are so tough (just went through them myself, still going through it, still working through separation training, still working on over-attachment). Sometimes, the dog just won't with something. Mine won't with stairs. In my case, it's not essential; in yours, it is. Keep being loving, keep showing your dog that the world is a beautiful and safe place. Try really hard to force yourself to calm down. His anxiety is most likely temporary. The first four days I was nearly a basket case and it didn't help my cause!

 

The flashlight suggestion is great. From what I've read, these dogs aren't really left in the dark. Two leashes might help too, or a longer one. (things I would have never thought of, being a newbie myself!) He's going to have to potty eventually, and when he does, throw the biggest treat party ever! Try marshmallows as a lure for stairs; they give those to do the dogs on the track sometimes.

 

Can you take those 3 days off of work early? If so, then you can start alone training asap.

 

After reading this board, the one thing I can say is that after you work through the initial problems, you're going to have a wonderful dog. There wouldn't be thousands of happy owners if it was impossible :)

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Guest mebenz

I'm happy to report that even though he didn't pee this morning, he did before bed last night. I came home from work early and he peed on the sidewalk, which was awesome, then on our 5:30 walk he did again. He had diarrhea too but got some meds from the vet yesterday and it's already fixed that (he pooed normally this morning and on our 5:30 walk).

 

What I'm not having happen is barking. I have a webcam on his crate during the day so heard it, as did the neighbour's. They're supportive but don't want this to go on too long as my previous dog had barking issues and had to leave one apartment due to it, so I'm extra sensitive.

 

I got some Rescue Remedy so hopefully he'll pee in the morning so I don't have to do half days, and the RR will help his anxiety. Even just leaving him in the apartment while I was outside for 15 minutes he was barking constantly. Tried the crate but still barked.

 

They encourage lots of bonding for the first few days now worry he's too close to me and can't be on his own. I know I can just let it go as he doesn't destroy anything in his crate, but don't want to have to put my neighbour's through it nor hear them tell me about it.

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