Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2012 6:03 pm Post subject: Toilet training a slightly older pup. Success!
Sone of you already know i have a 5month American bull dog staying for a month. This girl has had a rough time in the past few months. Shes been passed about a lot and abused.
She is a gorgeous girl and very friendly. The only issue i have is her toilet training is non existence. I've started from basics letter her out every hour, after a sleep, before and after meals and given her loads of praise when she goes outside. She will then come back in the house and wee indoors. Not just once or twice but she's done it 8 times today alone. My house stinks of wee. Despite have been out for a walk and being taken into the garden about every 30mins she will still do it indoors.
She will have a wee outside then 15mins later wee inside. Shes even taken to weeing and soiling her crate.
Its as if she has no control of her bladder
Any suggestions on how i can help her?
Last edited by -Kate- on Sat Jan 14, 2012 6:26 pm; edited 1 time in total
It really sounds like you are doing everything right and I know you are experienced. Millie came to us at 7 months totally untrained and never been inside before. It took her a while to catch on, could this be just that she is still settling in as you don't say how long she has been with you? I see she has not had a good start which may contribute. I have no further ideas but hopfully someone else may assist.
____________ Gillian, Millie & Arya, watched over by Becky, Arwen & Amber from the Bridge. Run fast & free
When I got Millie she hadn't lived in a house and was used to just toileting whenever she liked. I also found that the stress/warmth of being in a house made her drink more than normal and therefore wee more than normal. Like you I just did puppy toilet training and, apart from the odd accident when I'm not watching her closely enough to see her very subtle request to go out, we're now pretty much there.
But if your girl is weeing 15 minutes after weeing in the garden then I wonder if there is a medical problem? A UTI maybe? Or physical damage if she's been abused? Is she drinking much more than normal?
Hope you get it sorted - I know it's not something that they do on purpose - but it does get to you a bit, I know! My vax was on permanent standby why Millie first came!
The only things I can think of are a possible bladder infection or maybe she is gearing up for her first season.
Although, it may be nothing more than the poor girl just so confused with all the change in her life she simply doesn't know how to control it ... particularly if she has been abused, it may be a fear or excitement response.
I hope she settles and soons find a forever home that will give her the love and attention she deserves
____________ Owned by Bella, Shadow & Cats ....
Never forgetting Harry : 18/01/11 - 14/05/11 RIP
Something like cystitis is a possibility. One of our dogs had what I'm sure was cystitis once and she was squatting and peeing all over the place - and she was toilet trained. I gave her various things to help and it cleared up in a day or I'd have taken her to the vet as I know how uncomfortable it is.
It could be though, with her past, that your foster girl is fearful/not sure of things. In terms of toilet training, treating her as a pup, taking her out often and praising her for going in the right place, as you are doing, is exactly what I would do. Not sure what you know of her background, but maybe she wasn't able to get outside often enough and is just not sure of how to behave yet.
Our Collie had apparently not lived in a house before and when we adopted him, he'd spent two years in rescue kennels. He wasn't house trained, but I treated him as a big pup in that respect and he soon picked things up, with the help of a toilet cue word too, and he became completely toilet trained
Tricky one given you seem to be doing all the right things already. Has she changed food and thus drinking more? Infection? Is it that shes's scared - does the weeing indoor occur after anything specific like when you're in the room/not in the room/other people are in the room/dogs are in the room/not in the room/there's a bang or other noise - anything like that?
Pets@Home stain and odour remover spray and Johnsons clean n safe are good for cleaning up and getting rid of the smell, a friend of mine who had a dog that was incontinent (bladder cancer) used this and it worked really well (her dog now has dog nappies and is much happier but she's not a pup she's a 13 yr old so circumstances are different).
Did your foster have to live outside? Is she afraid to ask to go out because of what she thinks might happen if she does - from being left out in the cold to being actually beaten? Does she think her nice new warm house and warm bed or toys will be taken if she leaves them to go and pee - or is that me putting human emotions on it because I'm used to working with toddlers?!
Her owner was a victim of domestic abuse. She left the home with her children and spent christmas is a womans refuge. She had to leave the pup behind because they would allow dogs. She then found out that the man she left wasn't looking after her, abusing her, leaving her for long hours on her own not feeding her properly and not letting her out for bathroom breaks.
Her owner collected her and took her to a friends. The friend lived in 6th floor flat so not ideal with a pup.
The refuge got involved and asked if anyone would be able foster this girl till Feb when her owner gets the keys to her new house. So the poor girl has been through a lot in a short space of time. Shes been passed about and had lots of food changes in between all this.
Shes been with me 10days now and showing no signs of getting better. Her owner still very much wants to have her back and is in daily contact with me over her. I will suggest getting a urine sample and get her seen at a vets. I've just bought a new vax cleaner, i love it. But getting tired of cleaning the carpet every hour. I've ordered a new one but said they are not fitting it till shes gone. Poor thing much be really confused and scared about whats going on.
aww sorry no idea what advice to give then but she's a smashing looking dog and you're a star for helping her like this and I'm certain her 'Mum' feels a lot better to know she's safe and is being well looked after, she must have been through so much herself too. I'll say it for her - Thank you
It is probably not an infection more behavioral and using where she feels safe.
Is it always in the same patch? Maybe you could put a pad down if it is and then gradually move it out - not ideal for most dogs as it is confusing but she is already confused about everything that has happened so you need to take a different approach to the conventional one. The behavior of the man who would not let her out has probably really messed up any training she had in place.
Well done for taking her in - especially as so many see the breed and think they are dangerous when in fact they are softies. She is gorgeous.
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum You cannot attach files in this forum You cannot download files in this forum
