I have a 5 year old chihuahua that we either have to 1. get to quit peeing on the floor or 2. get rid of...any suggestions??? my fiancee is ready to kill my dog...I'm tired of cleaning dog pee...I don't know what else to do. He will go out for 20 minutes, come in, pee on the floor 10 minutes later. K
catch him in the act otherwise he will only know that the puddle on the floor is wrong but will not necessarily associate that his going there is the problem. when you see him ready to hike, firmly say no and tote his behind outside. wait him out, he will go. once he goes outside be sure to give him oodles and oodles of praise! be sure to give him oodles and oodles of praise! give him oodles and oodles of praise!
Crating is a great way to potty train too. Dogs will usually not urinate where they sleep. Buy a very small crate...one that allows enough room for his to turn around and sleep in it. Put him in there at night and when you leave the house. When you take him out don't even put him on the floor....take him straight outside and let him do his business. And like LE said "once he goes outside be sure to give him oodles and oodles of praise! be sure to give him oodles and oodles of praise! give him oodles and oodles of praise!" and maybe even a little treat.
Thats just it, we've done all that. I've caught him in the act, told him no, done all the stuff they say to do...he is in a crate the majority of the time b/c every time he gets out, he pees on something. He's 5 years old, i've had him since he was 6 weeks, I don't WANT to get rid of him, but I can't have a house full of dog pee. He knows it's wrong, he'll go hide soon as he does it. And normally he ONLY does it right after he comes in from outside. Last night, he was out for 25 minutes, came in, 10 minutes later, peed on the floor...thanks for the suggestions though K
not neutered and there has never been any other dogs around...He's it! would neutering help??? At this point, I don't know what to do. MY 4 year old son LOVES this dog, i love the dog, but my fiancee hates him b/c he's ruining our house. K
I've always heard that neutering can help, but at this point the behavoir is pretty ingrained it sounds like. Have you spoken to your vet? Are you sure there isn't something medical going on? He may just be doing for attention too. I imagine he gets a pretty good rise out of you when he does it. There are some pretty awesome pet people on here, I am sure you will be getting some more good advice shortly.
I hope so, I plan on calling a vet later today to ask, but I feel bad just letting him stay in his crate all the time. It's a HUGE crate, but still. Like I said, I don't want to get rid of him, but I'm just out of ideas. He gets attention, he's a loving dog, he gets treats when he's good, he gets played with, he gets taken places...I just don't know. K
The "huge" crate may be the problem, truly. A dog won't normally pee where it has to sleep. The crate should only be big enough for him to go in and turn around in. Any bigger and he has room to go to the other side to pee. He has to associate your house the same way as he does the crate, the place he "sleeps" that way he won't pee in the house. At least that's how the whole crate thing was explained to me when I had my Sheltie. I'm sure someone else can explain it better.
My answer will be long and I have a couple of ?'s to ask - my cable - internet and phone :evil: is Time Warner and they have been on and off with service in my area today - haven't lost TV, but just got internet connection back ----no phone yet and my cell will not work in the house.... Try calling me - if you get through I'll give you a few suggestions - 934-9438 Vickie
Zookeeper thank you SO much. My fiancee has agreed to give him a little time and to let me try the things you said. Thank you so much, and i'll be sure to let you know. K
if you really think it is the dog's fault, be sure to tote him to the vet to be medically certain. hope your new found hope lasts long time!
You are quite welcome. Keep me posted. le - we did discuss seeing a vet and the little one will be having an exam, plus working on some behavioral steps to keep him from 'returning to the scene of the crime' ;-) in the future.
Vet visit tonight, she said she wants to rule out UTI first, then check other things. Meeting with her at 7 or so! K
One question I have - does he drink water all day? I'd pick up his water for periods of time and only allow him X amount of water. It's not like he's gonna die from not having water, he's inside.
think positively and you will set him up for success! good luck with the vet tonight. it sounds like zoo put you on the right path!
hey k - what's the latest on your boy? just spotted a chihuahua in the classifieds, so relieved it was not yours! hope all is well.
As of right now, he has a pretty bad UTI, and is on meds for 10 days. Then if it's not better they're going to do more tests. She said the liver isn't enlarged, no obvious prostate problems, kidneys seem ok. In 10 days she's going to do bloodwork and stuff anyway, so she said lets just hope that the meds work great! My 4 year old said last night that he knows Gizmo isn't a "good" dog, but he's our dog and he loves him...after I laughed, I almost cried. K
So sorry to hear his infection is bad, but this may be why he was doing his thing in the house. As I mentioned, sometimes when an animal knows something is wrong, they try in their way to say, 'hey, you see this? something isn't right here." As long as his organs haven't been damaged, you have good news. Infections can be cleared up with a round or two of antibiotics most of the time. Remember, to clean those areas where he did his thing, so as not to lure him back out of habit. Still do the things outside I suggested and remember praise him every time he does potty outside. I honestly believe you can get him past this with a little patience and persistence - he may not break the habit immediately, but if you are consistent, you will see results. Please keep me posted. I'm rooting for all of you - especially Gizmo!
