<p>I’m seriously at the the point of returning this dog to the breeder. He pees in his crate almost every time he’s left in there for more than two hours, but if we take his bedding out, he can hold it for at least eight hours.</p>
<p>We got him at 10-months old and the breeders told us he was not completely house broken, “But we’re sure it’ll happen once he settles into your new house in just a few weeks.” The reason we got him at 10-months is because the breeder was going to use him for breeding, but when his permanent teeth came in, he had a slight underbite, which removed him from their breeding program. He actually was staying at one of the breeder’s friends homes before we got him (don’t exactly know the story behind that) and the day we picked him up, this friend brought him to the breeder’s house.</p>
<p>He does have a UTI and is on day 12 of his antibiotic, but I’m wondering if the UTI really has anything to do with this.</p>
<p>I’m just so tired of washing his bedding all of the time; I need some solutions quickly. Something drastic that I can see progress being made, or I will return him - this is not what we bought a dog for. He just doesn’t seem to get the concept; oh, and it’s not like he’s completely relieving his bladder on the bedding… it’s just small amounts.</p>
<p>Are you putting the same bedding back in the crate? I would get some other bedding. You can’t wash the scent out to the extent that the dog can’t detect it. They have high-powered noses. I would also scour out the crate with a little bleach to try to remove any scent that might be there.</p>
<p>Is the crate the only place he goes? What about the poo business?</p>
<p>Make sure his crate is not too big… You can section it off somehow so he has just enough room to stand up and turn around and lie down again. He really should not want to soil this area.</p>
<p>Is this a solid reputable breeder? He might have been left in a cage and never taken out. You never did see where he was staying. </p>
<p>I guess I would keep the bedding out of the crate for a few days and see if he continues to hold it overnight. I have heard two different washing techniques for pet urine. One is to wash in vinegar and the other is with the super spendy pet enzyme solution they sell as the pet store.</p>
<p>Take away his water a couple hours before bedtime and do not give him any treats / rawhides at night. I forget exactly what my vet said, but many of those are loaded with MSG, salt or some chemical that makes them urinate more often.</p>
<p>Lady at the pet store offered me this advice - Try to get some of his urine on an old dish cloth or bandana and secure it to a stake in the yard. Next time he goes in the house, get his nose next to it with a very firm scolding and then immediately take him out side and put his nose next to the dish cloth with a lot of happy praise.</p>
<p>How long are you crating the dog and is this the only place the dog is wetting? If it’s the only place the dog is wetting do you have to crate? I, too, wondered if this was a rebellion issue from something in the past related to the use of a crate.</p>
<p>How are his social skills? Was he kept all this time in a kennel? I second new bedding and making sure the crate is not too large. Does he void in the crate during the day and night? Is the crate wire or plastic? Do not put down any pads or newspaper in the crate, especially if he was kept in a kennel previously. Do not give him any food or water close to the time he will be put in the crate. Make sure you give him enough exercise and watch him void before he goes into the crate. Have you tried to potty train him as if he were a young puppy? Take him on a leash outside to void after eating and drinking. Use a phrase that will signify what you expect, “get busy”, “go potty”, etc. lavish praise and a treat. Put him in the crate for a short time, repeat the process. Return him to the crate for a slightly longer time, repeat process. I also read that if you feed a dog in his crate, he will not soil it. Not sure how well this works. A belly band is another option. Did you ask the vet about this? Could it be due to the UTI? Best of luck to both of you!</p>
<p>Does he have access to the crate all of the time? I would remove the bedding and sanitize the crate with bleach. Try just a folded bath towel as a mat and leave the crate door open so he can view the crate as his bed, day and night, rather than his cage. That way, if he pees on the towel, you can pop it in the washer with a splash of bleach to remove the smell. What would happen if he wasn’t crated at night? Could he sleep in your room on a dog bed?</p>
<p>I second withholding all food and drink beginning a few hours before bed. You can provide water, but be sure to take him out for a pee just before you go to bed. My husband usually takes the dog out and they BOTH pee! That’s another story that I won’t get into now!</p>
<p>Right after he is fed take him outside until he pees/poops. Keep doing this until he is sure that this is his yard and that he is to eliminate there.</p>
<p>We got our pup at a younger age but this method worked for us. We trained him to go on a schedule much like a baby. Every two-three hours during the day and night, bring him outside. Choose a command to pee (I used, “go pee” which now sounds silly). And I’d give him a small treat and lots of praise when he went. I was exhausted having to wake up but in less than a month, he was house broken. So, now before we go to bed, we send him outside and tell him to “go pee” and he’s good for the night.</p>
<p>We also spent time with him in the yard to catch him going so he could be praised and given a treat. </p>
<p>As the above posters said, clean out his crate well and maybe change his bedding. Dogs don’t usually like to “go” where they sleep.</p>
<p>In the first place, since the poor thing has a UTI he has to be very uncomfortable trying to hold it. I know how <em>I</em> felt when I had one!</p>
<p>Secondly, dogs develop surface preferences for elimination. If he only pees in his crate when there is bedding, remove the bedding permanently. Or at least until he is reliable. He really doesn’t need bedding. You will not be doing him a favor by giving him bedding in these circumstances. If I were in this situation, it would be a YEAR before I put bedding in his crate. </p>
<p>Thirdly, if I were you I would go back to the basics on housebreaking with him, to build up good habits. I’m sure you know the drill: take him out after he eats, plays, naps, and regularly in addition. Take him out on a leash to the designated area and stand there until he does something. When he squats, repeat a designated phrase–I use “Go potty!”-- over and over, with mounting enthusiasm, then praise him extravagantly. Give him a little treat if you wish.</p>
<p>I seem to recall that you have a flexible schedule? I’d try to stay at home with him as much as possible for a week or so. If he is over the UTI–and I would treat it aggressively–and you remove the bedding from his crate, I would bet that he will be reliable by then.</p>
<p>I would add in - and echo, to some degree a method mentioned above. It’s called the “potty, potty, potty” method. When the dog goes out - don’t play, celebrate, etc - just keep repeating the phrase. “Go potty” or “potty, potty, potty” or whatever you choose. When they start to pee, stop saying it - let them finish before you say or do anything - when they are done THEN celebrate.</p>
<p>We confuse our dogs by celebrating as soon as they start to potty - then of course they want to run to you and be happy and stop doing their business. </p>
<p>My dogs knew this so well - when I said go potty - even if they didn’t have to go - they would go out to tree, and raise a leg. It’s the pavlov method - basically.</p>
<p>I would also echo that the UTI is really taking it’s toll on the little guy - and make the evaluation after you get through this.</p>
<p>MOUNTING enthusiasm, mounting. One starts off just quietly repeating the phrase, and doesn’t hit the level of actual enthusiasm until they are done. You’re right: one doesn’t want to distract the pup from the task at hand! :)</p>
<p>OP, given that the dog just dribbles small amounts of urine in the crate, I’d wait until that UTI is completely cleared up before worrying too much. Certainly in humans the main symptom is urinary urgency, even when very little is produced.</p>
<p>For treats without calories, our vet recommended baby carrots, which our dog believes are called “cookies”. But then she’s a Lab, and they’ll eat anything. I’m actually pretty “desperate” myself over this girl. At almost 15, very old for a Lab, she is fecally incontinent (sorry if that offends), and has to be taken out to urinate every three hours or she goes inside (I say “go pee!” too), but otherwise in decent shape, though she often needs help getting up. Fortunately she pretty much stays in one spot all day, so the cleanup is limited. Back when we brought home that squirming little puppy, I never foresaw myself as nurse’s aide to a declining senior citizen. But I’m trying to maintain the same attitude that I hope my kids will have about me someday: “The old gal doesn’t have much life left in her and is a pain to care for, but we must honor the memory of those days when we were the light of her life by carefully attending to her needs now.”</p>
<p>A UTI can definitely cause the peeing in the crate, so give him time to heal; otherwise the information others have given above should be followed. My oldest dog had on UTI after another as a pup along with bladder stones; we never though she would be house broken! You may find your pup needs meds a bit longer than most to clear up the infection.</p>
<p>One of our dogs will fake pee when he doesn’t really need to go, but I am telling him to go potty. He lifts his leg for a second and walks away; this is my notice that he doesn’t need to go!</p>
<p>I love your post! We have a 16.5 yr old Siamese cat & I feel the same way, and we have some of the same issues regarding where he pees. He has his difficulties. But he eats with enthusiasm & sleeps on me, and when he stops looking happy I will take him to the vet for the rainbow trip.</p>
<p>The bedding I bought is liquid resistant, meaning when something wet lands on it, it just rolls off - it does not get absorbed by the material. So we wash it in hot water every time he pees just a little bit. Same with his blanket that we put in there if the bedding is in the washing/drying cycle. We always leave his crate (wire cage) door open, and we have cordoned it off so that it’s the smallest space. Oh, we’ve even found once (found out after the UTI information) that he peed with no bedding in there. </p>
<p>He’s a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. I don’t know if this breed is prone to bladder stones or not; I know our last dog, a miniature schnauzer was and had surgery twice. Otherwise, he’s a very good puppy, well, other than the typical wanting to chew on things he shouldn’t (or should I say things we’ve been stupid enough to leave at his reach). He was neutered about two months ago and we thought that would take care of it. He socializes well with other dogs and is making great strides in obedience class - our trainer said he is already doing advanced skills even though he’s only in a beginner class because we’ve been working on things with him like sit/stay. </p>
<p>As far as taking him out on a leash, we do that in the morning and at night; during the day, I just let him out when he scratches at the patio door. </p>
<p>I would love to have him in bed with us, but I don’t trust him enough not to soil our bed, and I will not stand for that.</p>
<p>We did make the crate a big larger to fit his bedding in it, so perhaps we now need to take the bedding out for a much longer time, then make the crate smaller again.</p>
<p>I’m a little confused: are you saying that he just dribbles a little bit, and never actually pees indoors? From what you describe, it sounds as if he is housebroken, but just having isues because of the UTI.</p>
<p>I think that neutering is only relevant if you interpret peeing as “marking.” I’ve had a number of males, none of whom were neutered, and none of them ever “marked” in the house.</p>
<p>Toy dogs are notoriously more difficult to housebreak. (On the other hand, it is my observation that toy dog owners are much less likely to train, which may have a lot to do with the former. Good for you for doing it.)</p>
<p>I have no experience with the breed–big dogs only :). Maybe someone else does.</p>
<p>I hate to say this, but our Cavalier was very difficult to house train. He never had any UTIs. To be perfectly honest, I don’t think he was every fully trained. Of course, H wasn’t the most conscientious one when it came to monitoring the dog’s bladder. </p>
<p>However, I do know many people who have had no problems training their Cavaliers. Don’t give up. The wet carpets and bedding were probably the only black marks against our wonderful, awesome dog.</p>
You’re right: one doesn’t want to distract the pup from the task at hand! :)</p>