questions

[snowball]

Every since I have had Shadow six years this coming fall...we have not had accidents except once
at my daughters house pooped but then her dogs pooped a lot so I figured he smelled the poop field and used it
but Sunday I came down and he had wet the floor....I vaguely recalled hearing him bark but didn't arouse enough to go take him out so my bad... but he did it again last night and his last time out was late... again he could have barked but not totally sure...this is the dog that can go 12 hours and be ok neither time had it been that long...
so the questions I have are should I be concerned??
what to put on the carpet so he doesn't think this is the spot to pee?
and what do I do when I don't see him doing it just the evidence to let him know that I am not happy and it's not a ok thing to do?
sheila

[BarbaraRose]

You can't scold him after the fact.

You could try to see if he would use puppy pads.

For the carpet, use Nature's Miracle. It destroys the enzymes instead of just covering up the smell.

How old is he? He may be having trouble controlling his bladder.

Others with more dog experience can chime in with more ideas.

On edit: I am now having a similar problem. McKenzy is supposedly housebroken and also trained to use potty pads. However, I can't get her to potty outside, only rarely does she go when I take her out. I put a potty pad in the sunroom today for her. When I got home she had used the potty pad but also pooped in two other places. Now I found another poop in the living room shortly after taking her outside. I will have to figure out why she won't go outside when I take her out. I will put more potty pads around the house but would rather she not go inside at all. Glad I don't have carpet anymore tho. This is obviously a training issue so will have to work with her on this. Any thoughts or ideas?

[BirdbyBird]

For starters Sheila, I would recommend ruling out a urinary infection. I have used Shout Out for urine in the house but a mixture of vinegar and water works just as well. And I would go back to crate training and keep him confined when you are not right there to watch him or notice his signals. Barb, you have a different problem, especially if your dog has been trained to use pads and isn’t really trained to do her business outside. Again, if you want to keep her trained to using the pads, I would confine her to an x-pen when you are gone until she is reliable. I would think that pads all over the house might be confusing. You want her to have to think. You might take her back to training as if she was a puppy. Maybe even trying her with crate training. The only down side to that is that she is older and unfortunately some older dogs have learned bad habits.....like soiling in their crate instead of outside......Good luck.

[Acadianmom]

I second what Tina said about having him checked for a urinary infection. Our dog has had that a couple of times.

Martha

[BarbaraRose]

I also thought of a UTI being possible for Shadow.

I do crate McKenzy at night. I took her out this morning and she finally peed and I gave her a treat and praise.

Am also very concerned about her and Lola. She went after and attacked Lola last night. We were sitting on the couch and she all of a sudden flew across the room after her before I could even react! No broken skin but a very traumatized kitty. I am not happy about that. It's one thing to be curious but a whole 'nother to be aggressive.

[monik7]

Barbie, could you try a water bottle that you can squirt McKenzie with if she even acts like she’s going to go after Lola? Also, my dogs like pooping outside but are very picky on where. They never go on asphalt or concrete. They always look for a grassy or weedy area. Maybe you could find something like that but that won’t cause trouble with neighbors.

Sheila, I would check on the UTI first. One time with a previous dog when she lost control and urinated in the house, I made her a diaper by cutting a hole for her tail. She wore that for a week or so and whatever her problem was cleared up. It was so funny when my son’s friends came over and saw my dog walking around with a diaper on. They absolutely could not stop laughing. I think they now have doggie diapers for males and females.
Sandi

[avalen]

Perhaps Lola will teach her a lesson or two on her own, wouldnt be the first time a cat taught the dog not to mess with the big cat.

[retiredhappy]

I'm not a fan of wee wee pads. I think that all they do is teach a dog to go potty IN THE HOUSE. When I got Daphne, the little Chihuahua, she had been using wee wee pads (and rugs). It took me about three weeks to get her to go outside and she still occasionally does her business inside. The other dogs were helpful in showing her that they go outside. I would make her (and the others) go outside about every two hours at first which since you work, isn't possible.

Sassy, my lab, had a problem all her life, of leaking when she was sleeping. The vet had her on medication her whole life with me. Apparently a common problem in older labs.

Two of my boys are markers from a territorial thing. I use belly bands on them if I'm going to be gone from the house for a while.

I, too, like using a squirt bottle with water as a training method. Gets the point across without hitting or yelling. Also helps with jumping on people and barking excessively.

I also confine all the dogs to the hallway area by the backdoor (without belly bands) when I'm going to be gone by using a baby fence. In the summer, since my little back yard is completely fenced, I use one of those mesh screens with magnets that allow the dogs to come and go at will.

As for chasing the cat, it will only take one good swat by the cat with her claws to show the dog who's boss altho I would not leave them together when I'm not home.

Being a dogmommy is a lot of work.

[snowball]

thanks for the thoughts.. where do I find that stuff Barbie? it seems to be the first pee of the day
today I heard him bark told him would be right there but I had to use the restroom actually was on my way to it when he barked did he wait nope!! I would go to no carpet in a heartbeat if 1. had the money 2. if Shadow liked being on non carpet he doesn't tolerates at my daughters has no choice in the matter but not sure I want to do that to us.
will get him to the vet soon
sheila

[monik7]

I know they carry Nature’s Miracle at PetSmart Sheila.
Sandi

[snowball]

thanks a bunch
took him to a vet today ran senior test whatever that entails will let me know tomorrow
the results..they will also check with the vet in Vegas as they wanted a test rerun so will make
sure that they do what they need to so the test will be the same for comparison
I was getting dressed to take him out and he peed on the floor he did get yelled at
he is at my daughters while I am at my son's so hope he does better there
sheila

[Cudedog]

Barbie:

I have used Nature's Miracle for many years (decades, even - although it used to be called Nilodor) and it works well, totally eliminating the urine smell.

As for McKenzie and Lola - that is a toughie. I, personally, would not allow them to have any kind of confrontation, if it can possibly be avoided. Allowing "one swat from Lola to set McKenzie straight" might mean that your dog is blinded for life if a cat claw connects with a dog cornea.

This happened to me. I hold myself responsible, and even though my dog has been gone to the Rainbow Bridge for these many years, it grieves me still. It caused my dog excruciating pain (she actually screamed) and she was blinded for the rest of her life.

First and foremost, keep in mind that Lola is acting like a cat (doing what a cat will do), and McKenzie is acting like a dog (doing what a dog will do). To hope they "get along" together at some future time is. . . to hope. To expect more "human-like" behaviors (i.e., "getting along"), or to "punish" for exhibiting behaviors that are normal for their respective species is unreasonable - and might cause other problems as well (i.e., trust issues between you and your pets down the road). Simply put: never punish a cat for acting like a cat, or punish a dog for acting like a dog.

A couple of suggestions:

If Lola prefers to avoid McKenzie, let her. Do not force, or even encourage, interaction. I have never had much luck with the "spray bottle" method of correction (notice I do not say "punishment" here - I only say "correction") because you must always have the thing on your hip, you will always fumble to use it at the exact instant it is needed, your "aim" can be off, and it can leak water anywhere (into your couch cushions, for example).

I would try this. Get a length of light rope (light clothes line rope would be good for this - since McKenzie is fairly small, even a bit of light cording - like drapery cord - would probably do). Get a small training collar for McKenzie, and make sure it fits her correctly (not too large, and not too small) in a backwards "P" on her neck as you look down. This is important. If the collar is put on incorrectly, it will not instantly release when the pressure is released. NOTE: a "training collar" (for those who do not understand their proper use) is sometimes called a "choke collar". It isn't. I have used training collars on my dogs for more than 30 (thirty) years. They work well when used correctly, and are not cruel.

Attach the training collar to, maybe, ten feet or so of of the rope or cord. Tie the other end to your belt loop, or around your waist. Keep it on as you do your chores around the house (this will keep McKenzie close to you), or even as you are sitting on the couch watching TV, or reading a book. (**NEVER leave a training collar on any dog when the dog is unsupervised, or you are away from home, or even when the dog is out of your sight when you are home. Even when the dog is just out in the back yard for a potty run.) A training collar just slips on and off over the head, no buckling or unbuckling needed.

As you are sitting reading a book, or watching TV, and McKenzie suddenly dives after Lola, and hits the end of the lead, she will be. . .stopped. Sometimes abruptly, at least the first time. But you don't have to do or say anything - after this happens once, or maybe twice, McKenzie will self-train not to go after Lola. No yelling, scolding, fumbling with a water bottle, none of that. McKenzie will learn that her actions cause an unpleasant reaction - all on her own.

Same with indoor "accidents". McKenzie cannot wander off to a corner somewhere to take a leak without your noticing - because she is tethered to you. If you see her start to squat in your house as she is moving along beside you, you can give her a quick correction (a light jerk on the lead, with maybe a vocal "No!") and immediately take her outside. Stay outside until she pees, no matter how long it takes. Then offer effusive praise, and maybe a treat from your pocket that you have put there just for this purpose.

But keep her on that lead when you are at home, or crated when you are not. If McKenzie is as smart as she sounds, she will probably "graduate" from the use of the training collar after a short period of time. You can be the judge of that.

I have never trained dogs professionally, but I have worked with my dogs with reputable trainers over the course of many years (obedience work is FUN, and teaches communication - a gestural "language" - that facilitates communication between you and your dog). And, of course, I have trained my own dogs at home.

In the blinding incident I mention above, my cat was loose in the house and my dog was just walking by the cat, unconcerned. My cat reared up, making an unprovoked attack on my dog, swatting her in the face as my dog passed. I witnessed the whole thing, and was totally appalled. This cat had been recently acquired from my father, who could no longer keep her and was going to take her to the pound. I took her home instead. I will always regret it.

What did my dog do to the cat when this happened, you might ask? Nothing. Not a thing. Except scream. What did I do to my cat when this happened? Nothing. Not a thing, besides berating myself for not realizing that a cat might, sometimes, act like a cat. Since I had always had cats loose with my dogs in the house without problem in the past I was just not thinking. Since this cat was new to my household (and not reared with my dogs, as my other cats had been) I felt that I "should have known". The cat has never again (nor ever will be) allowed to interact with any dog.

I hope that this story might prove helpful, and might save someone some grief.

Good luck and best wishes to you and McKenzie, Lola and the kitten.

Thank you.

Anne