Angry Pee-Er

[Guest kwoodard]

Hi there--long time lurker, first time poster. I've tried to find this in the archives and haven't had any luck, so here I go.

 

Yes, they say that dogs can't be vindictive (I searched that thread), and okay, she's not being vindictive. But it's really causing a strain on the house having her so I'm hoping there is advice here that might help. Katie is a 5yo greyhound we've had for just a year.

 

Katie celebrated her first gotcha day yesterday, and really has relaxed a lot since we first brought her into the house. The problem is her getting into things (everything), and peeing/pooping in the house. No bladder issues, she's perfectly capable of holding it as long as she needs. She's also able to tell us when she has to pee, so it's not her not being able to communicate that.

 

She does it when I'm home, so I'm not convinced that it's separation anxiety. For example, yesterday one hour after a 45-minute walk she came downstairs (my husband was sleeping), looked right at me, and then peed a mere two feet from where I was sitting. Looking at me the whole time. A few times one of us has been in the shower and she peed while we were in there. We left for ten minutes and came home to pee and poop. It's constant. If it were just when we were gone, I'd call it separation anxiety, but it's not.

 

Tried crating her for awhile, but when she was put in the crate she would pee and poop. Got two baby gates to keep her in a small area and she learned how to get out of the gates (serious, metal gates, not those cheap plastic things). She knows how to open all of the doors and cabinets in the house so it's virtually impossible to hide things from her. Left one day and had to come back for something four minutes later and she had already peed and pooped. No amount of walking or dog-parking seems to make a difference, she can always seem to squeeze one out.

 

Basically I have to take her with me everywhere so as not to have a disaster of a house, and it's getting really old. And cold. Trainer suggested calming music—no help.

 

PLEASE, ideas and suggestions are much appreciated.

[greysmom]

First, I would say to rule out anything medical. It's time for a thorough vet check. Have her checked for a UTI (which can also cause behavior issues) AND redo any checks for worms that haven't been done recently. You may want to treat for worms anyway, since fecal exam results can be iffy. Bloodwork may also suggest something may be happening to her medically.

 

When did this behavior begin? Has she always been this way? If so, I would say that, even though she *can* hold it, she is really not potty trained. You may need to begin at the beginning and re-train her.

 

Do you have a fenced yard, or is she always leash walked? If so, she may prefer one method over the other. Lots of dogs don't know how to toilet on a leash, so you may need to deal with that issue.

 

What does she do when you're gone, and how long are you gone each day? Have you set up a webcam to watch her? Have you done any SA training with her? What kind of exercise is she getting daily? What is her water intake like?

[Guest kwoodard]

She needs to get a Bordatella update, so I can have them check for a UTI and worms at that time. She has had her annual exams and several blood tests for thyroid and nothing came up, but I'll have them check.

 

She was fine for the first few months, but it's been 8-9 months of this. She doesn't have accidents at my in-laws house, even when they leave her alone. I would agree that it's a potty training issue, but she pees on command, "Go Potty," and knows to stand by the door or go to the door if she has to go. I would think that if it was a potty training issue it wouldn't happen mere minutes after we leave the house.

 

She has a fenced yard, but it's small and only really for peeing, so she gets leashed walks and does fine peeing. When I took her last night it was a 45-minute walk and she went probably 5-6 times during the walk. She doesn't have a problem peeing on the leash or in the yard--we make her pee before we leave (and poop, hopefully).

 

I don't know what she does when we're gone, we haven't left her alone for weeks. I don't work so I'm home all the time and she goes with me in the car now pretty much everywhere. She's getting a decent amount of exercise (usually one walk a day and we are constantly going places), plus usually a trip to the dog park once a week. Water intake is good, maybe 2-3 bowls a day. We haven't done any separation training because initially it didn't seem like a problem, just something that developed over time. We haven't set up a webcam, except when we wanted to see her let herself out of the baby gate.

 

Hope that information helps.

[brandimom]

Does your husband do any one on one with your dog such as walking the dog, taking rides in the car with him. Any interaction with hubby alone with the dog when you are not around. Does he feed the dog or give the dog treats. In all the years I have been involved in gh rescue I have only seen this once and it was in a house where the gh was ignored by a member of the family. I am not saying that is the same situation but that is what I encountered many years ago with a family. The dog did not like the wife and the dog would pee on her clothes and shoes. The dog ended up being a bounce back. I know your husband works long hours but perhaps see if he can have some one on one time with your dog and see if that makes any difference. Worth a try. Good luck!

[turbotaina]

Hang on. Two to three BOWLS of water a day? How big are your bowls?

[turbotaina]

In addition to checking for a UTI (which they should do via cystocentesis), also do a complete urinalysis including specific gravity. I'd also have a superchem run to check kidney values (keeping in mind that greyhounds can run a little high in creatinine and BUN). Inquire with your vet about Cushings as well. As someone else mentioned, I'd treat for parasites, just in case (probably two rounds of Panacur, 3 weeks apart).

 

If all the medical stuff checks out, I'd recommend you find a good veterinary behaviorist for a consult.

[philospher77]

If she is truly drinking two to three bowls of water a day (depending on the size of the bowls), I'd get her checked for diabetes while you are at the vet. Definitely mention that to them. As a reference, my 56-pound greyhound will generally drink less than one bowl a day, so your amount seems excessive, unless we are talking very small bowls.

[GeorgeofNE]

Could be UTI. Could be bladder crystals (cause an uncontrollable need to pee RIGHT NOW in some dogs) but I doubt very much it's behavioral.

 

And I share your pain. I went through similar issues with my guy for 7 years. It was something physical. We never really did figure it out, but it wasn't behavioral, I am positive of that.

 

My dog drinks less than 1/2 a bowl of water a day, but I have a very large bowl.

[sobesmom]

Ok - I agree with everyone else - you need a full medical screening.

 

If everything medical comes up negative - I think you need to do house-training 101. You need to shampoo all your carpets to get the scent out, then tether-train.

[Trudy]

How big are these bowls of water?

 

Depending on size, 2-3 bowls of water every day is extremely excessive.

Peeing 5-6 times on a walk means she may not always empty her bladder when you tell her to pee, so she still needs to go again after you leave.

 

Do a vet check and bring in a fresh morning sample of urine when you bring her in.

Maybe also consider a dog door into your yard. If she knows she needs to potty outside, she may well be happy to go out and potty while you are gone when the need arises.

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

If a previously housetrained animal eliminates in front of you, you can bet its medical. Have you noticed the pee color? Maybe a bit pink color? Smells very odd? If it was behavioral, it would more than likely be the hound trying to sneak off and eliminate.