Peeing In House Immediately After Eating, Other Housebreaking Issues

[incredibletaco]

Hey folks!

 

I've posted another thread recently about my newly adopted grey (he's a wonderful guy). I been having some issues with housebreaking him and thought I should start a new thread.

 

I've had him for 2 weeks now but haven't really made any progress in housebreaking him. We take him out as soon as we wake up, and every 3 hours (or less) since he's still learning. When he goes we shower him with praise and give him a treat. He can go all night without having to go to the bathroom and we've taken him on long car rides (4 hours) no problem so I know its not an issue of holding it. However, he still has accidents in the house where he will pee on our cement floors when he is out of site sometimes.

 

The biggest cause of this seems to be that he will pee right after he eats his meals (like within a minute). When I first got him the adoption agency told me to wait half an hour after meals before taking him out to go to the bathroom. We listened to this and it hasn't been working for us, and I think it might have set us back a bit in housebreaking.

 

Do you have any suggestions? How long does it normally take to housebreak a grey rescue?

 

Thank you!

Edited October 26, 2018 by incredibletaco

[MaryJane]

Take him out immediately after eating. You may also want to keep him close to you during the day with a leash so he is within sight all the time. Also, remember to take him out immediately after playing, eating, waking up, and every 2 hours until you get his schedule of when he goes. Also, use a key word like "pee" and when he pees, keep saying the word and then praise with the "good boy". I probably would not give him a treat - use verbal praise instead.

 

Also, you can use belly bands (piece of cloth that goes around the belly area) but, this is not training the dog so, mixed as to whether this will help. It's usually OK for dogs that are markers. You can get them at Amazon.

Edited October 26, 2018 by MaryJane

[incredibletaco]

Thanks for the reply!

 

I will have to try the key word when he's out, that's something we have not explored yet.

 

Just this morning I fed him while he was on leash and took him out immediately after. He didn't have to go because I had just taken him out an hour prior (I take him out right after I wake and feed him an hour after that). Is that still ok to take him out even if he doesn't have to go?

Edited October 26, 2018 by incredibletaco

[MaryJane]

I take my dogs out about every 2 to 3 hours - sometimes they go and sometimes they don't.

[Remolacha]

Not all dogs need/want to go right after eating, but some do. My first greyhound had a few "accidents" in the house until I learned that she was one of those who wants to go out immediately after eating. She wouldn't always go, but often she did, and once I started letting her out right away, she never peed in the house again. At only two weeks, you are both still learning each others schedules

[Batmom]

Take him out shortly before he eats, too -- see if you can get a pee out of him. Then feed, and take him out again right after.

 

Our rule for new dogs is, if they're on their feet and they're not actively playing with a toy or eating, best take them out. You won't have to take him out so often once he settles in; that can take anywhere from a couple weeks to a couple months.

 

Good advice above about keeping him close to you during the day. Some folks like to keep the dog on a leash. I find it easier to gate them into the same room I'm in. Then you can watch and see if they start to get restless and therefore might have to potty.

[incredibletaco]

I just realized that there is a chance that he may have hookworms. Our adoption agency said that every single one of their dogs they got from the track he raced had hookworms this year. We scheduled a fecal test with our vet and will follow up if treatment if need be.

 

Would this be a contributor to him having accidents too? I wonder if it is contributing to some of his anxiety too.

[HeyRunDog]

You say he pees on your cement floors. Is he an ex racer and was used to peeing on the cement yard at the kennels?

 

I ask because you say he'll last 4 hours in a car, which hasn't got a cement floor, and he'll last all night where I presume he sleeps in a room without a cement floor.

 

Just a thought.

[incredibletaco]

Yes, our apartment is all cement and he is only peeing on bare cement. Easy to clean thankfully but still a problem. I should contact his agency to see if he peed of cement anywhere, I'm not really sure.