need help from the dog lovers

3

3kids

Cathlete
Help. My 9 year old yellow lab has taken to peeing on my son's rug. We've had it steam cleaned over and over, even using those cleaners for pets. She does it when we leave her for over a couple of hours, which is very rare.(Understand she is the princess and is mad if we go to the store) She hasn't done this since we moved in 5 years ago and then when we were going through the hurricanes. We talked to the vet, her obvious answer was that the scent is already in the carpet. Obviously we need to replace the carpet now. Nothing new is going on to upset her and there is nothing physically wrong with her(besides the fact that she is a bit:) overweight). We shut his door and she pees in the hall. She has a bit of an attitude. I'm worried when I start working soon what she is going to do to my house. Help!
 
Is there any where that you can confine her to an area where this only hard floor? This will atleast make her accidents easier to clean up. I never had a dog that was allowed to run free in the house when I wasn't home until DH and I got our dog a couple of years ago and being free when we are gone is relatively new for him too! If/when he starts causing problems when left alone, he will be confined again.
 
You need to catch her in the act. I know that's not likely, since the only time she does it is when you're gone. But she needs to be punished right when she pees. That's the best way.

Alternately, do you have a small room with a bare floor (like a tiled bathroom or laundry room) to keep her when you're gone? Or maybe you could resort to buying a cage or kennel and restrain her there. The odds are, if she knows she's going to have to lay in it, she won't pee. I really don't like crate training, but in this instance, maybe it will help. Good luck!
 
Sounds more like a behavior that occurs when she's frightened, from what you said (happens when you leave, and when you went through hurricanes...). Dogs really don't understand the concept of revenge, so I doubt she's peeing on the rug to get back at you (although it can certainly seem that way!).

Have you considered crate training her? It gives you a way of securing her, and her a way of feeling more secure. It also gives her a place to go when she needs to feel safe. If you check with a local Pet Store, you can find crates - and make sure you consult an expert for the best way to crate train. My dogs love their crates. I don't need to lock them in any more, but even when I did, they still loved their crates. It's their home base. And just FYI - crate training is not a punishment, and the dog should not be confined as a punishment. The dog needs to feel safe and secure in the crate.

You can also try giving her a Kong stuffed with peanut butter and other treats (I usually freeze these to make them last longer), to give her something to do when you're gone. Or get a puzzle cube - where the dog has to work to get the treats out of the cube. There are all sorts of fun things to keep dogs busy.

Keeping her busy while you're gone will help a lot. Dogs are social animals and get anxious when we leave them, especially if they have no other dogs around. Giving her something to do will help with that anxiety.

Good luck!
 
I think the crate idea is even better than a room with a hard floor. The smaller the space, the less likely she'll be to mess because, like others said, she is not going to want to lie her in her own pee if she doesn't have to....
 
Thanks for all the suggestions. We did try crate training when we first got her and we were both working(this was before the kids). We put her in the spare bedroom with the music on and her toys. We came home at lunch to let her out and run. She still managed one day to get the tray out from under her and eat a hole in the rug! We have taken to locking her in the foyer. It looks like we have a group of toddlers in there with all the baby gates:) It does make us feel guilty if we don't let her walk around, we're pushovers with her. But I'm tired of cleaning up the already ruined rugs.
Christine, I love the frozen peanut butter in the toy trick. She loves peanut butter and bread. She is a carb addict! I have to try this one.
By the way, I know they don't do things to get back at you but our dog will also go get one of our shoes from another room and put it by the front window when we leave just to show that she is mad at us! We think it is a riot. She should have been a little person or something.
 
Christine gave you some great advice!! I too believe the crate to be the way to go. Our dog LOVES her crate...she escapes there quite often to get away from our two youngsters. It really isn't as barbaric as it seems. But if you don't want to go the crate route than I guess you should just stick with using your foyer. At least she won't be ruining your rugs.

But the Kong's with stuff stuffed inside them and then frozen, as well as the treat cubes are excellent ideas and may very well be what could condition your dog to not dread you leaving so much as she will come to expect such a great treat upon your departure!! Maybe if you started out confining her in the foyer AND giving her the treats she could eventually work up to being able to be left loose in the house with her "going away treats".

Good luck to you!!

Deni
 
Is the vet sure she isn't incontinent? That's very common in older dogs.

I agree with the crate/xpen/baby gate thoughts. Or a doggy door if it safe to let her outside while you are gone.

Colleen
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top