Morning Crazies - Excitement Urination?

[Bizeebee]

Our new hound (4 yr old male, former racer, gotcha day Aug18 2018, second grey we've had) has been such a great dog so far, EXCEPT for first thing in the morning.

 

He waits for our alarm to sound before he gets up (and wants us up), but when he does he's so uncontrollably excited that he's a bit of a hazard to himself and us. At first it seemed more about getting fed because he'd calm down quite a bit after his breakfast and calmly go outside, but lately he is developing a habit of beginning to pee (dribbling or even just giving in and going), before we feed or can even get the coat on to let him out into the yard! We're right there to do the big "NO" and open the door sans coat, but definitely need some ideas for the best way(s) to remedy the situation.

We've switched to letting him out immediately (and breakfast afterward) but he remains a maniac.

 

Before this, we'd been working on calming him down by asking him to lie down (into sphinx) before we'd fill his bowl/open the door. He does pretty well obeying the command but now the pee will start flowing while he's in sphinx so that's a non-starter.

 

It's getting cold here (Wisconsin) so we need to be able to get the coat on before he pees and we'd obviously like for the pee to happen outside. Secondary to that, we'd like to figure out how to train him to calm down during this time, because it is only a matter of time before his morning antics cause an injury to himself or one of us.

 

My first thought is to put a belly band on him before bed and to take it off right before we open the door for him in the morning, but is the belly band going help train the "don't pee in the house" behavior? Or is it just a band-aid to save our floors?

 

How do we train "calm down" when the only time the command is necessary is when he's so amped up that he can't focus and pees in the house?

 

One thing that concerns me is that when he pees (outside) he takes FOREVER, longer than any dog I've had or known. This guy could win contests, I swear. His stream becomes weak & slow right away and then it's like he's peeing in morse code, starting and stopping (he doesn't move around or mark). He's not a marker on walks or in the yard (or in the house), he just stands and waits for it to all come on out. He's been that slow that since we got him, which concerned me initially but the urinalysis done in Sept came back clear.

 

It feels behavioral because it is only happening at one time of the day, but his slow flow also has me worried that it could be medical, despite the uneventful test and nothing else of note. Thoughts??

 

 

 

 

Hopefully anticipating some questions that might be asked (can you tell how much time I spend on GT?):

He seems to drink a normal amount, the dish is usually not dry at feeding time when we refill, but we'll start keeping better track of how much water we're giving/he's getting.

He had a urinalysis in mid Sept which did not show anything significant.

He definitely has the ability to hold it for 8-9 hrs, and does not get this hyper or leaky at any other time, like when we come home from work, etc.

 

 

 

[MaryJane]

I have had two male dogs that do the "slow pee". It starts normal, then dribbles, then back to normal. Did extensive testing but, never found anything.

 

As to peeing - let him out right away in the morning even if you have to let him out without the coat. He will only be out there 5 minutes so, unless it is real cold, he should be ok for the quick pee trip. I would not belly band unless you can't help it.

[greysmom]

You might have your vet check his prostate, and see if his neuter incision/result is all OK. If you have access to someone who does ultrasound, you might also request one of his lower abdomen, urinary tract, kidneys, bladder.

 

It has to be super cold for my crew to get coats on - like, low 20s or teens farenheit - just for potty breaks. Get him outside as soon as possible, especially if he can go out into a yard. It's much harder if you need to leash him up for a potty walk - then I would suggest the belly band as he would need to wait for the human! Let him out to pee and get some of his yips out with morning zoomies, and he should be much better to focus for breakfast (remember to let him cool down if he runs a lot before feeding).

Edited November 9, 2018 by greysmom

[XTRAWLD]

When is his last out and how much does he drink before bed? A good practice is immediate out when you get up, the rest of the chores of feeding come later. I bet the second you wake up, visiting the bathroom is first on your list right? Same for pup.

 

Its not too cold yet, and many greys are fine to dash out without a coat first thing. Skip that process until you can get the pee under control. Check for a uti too. Yes they are tanker trucks when it comes to holding it and letting it go freely!

Edited November 10, 2018 by XTRAWLD

[Dawnnziggy]

I live in northwest Ohio. I have had 4 greyhounds. Only 2 of them would wear a coat. I really wouldn't worry about letting him go outside without a coat.

[turbotaina]

Agree with others regarding not bothering to put a coat on to let him out. Mine are out for just long enough to pee, then they come back in and get ready for breakfast. I have one who is a spazz about feeding time - he jumps and hops and wags his head and rears like a wild pony, but he has to sit before he gets fed. You need the train the behavior you want when he is *not* hyped up, make sure it is *super* reliable, then start working with distractions.