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And it's only getting worse...

6K views 54 replies 24 participants last post by  Carolinek 
#1 ·
It seems I can't win. Now that Merlin is becoming a bit less fearful, thanks to the meds, the housebreaking part is going down the drain.

He won't poop outside since there is snow, and now I just found out he has been lifting his leg in his crate. I had stopped checking every day for accidents, since he had been okay for more than 3 months. Now with the poop problem, or for some reason I don't get, he's peeing inside also ! It happened at least 10 times, there were 3 different crusty, dried, thick spots. Outside the crate, so he's lifting his leg.

I am going back to work in about 1 month. I have been working on him for 5 months, it should have been more than enough. Now I don't even know what I am going to do with him while I'm away. He can't have the run of the house, and the crate doesn't work either. Pipi pads ? Since he lifts, it's going to be all over the place. Plus, I have allergies and urine and poop smell aggravate it.

I am seriously questioning myself. I am going nowhere with this dog. I can't take him back to the breeder, I can't find him a more suited family, nobody will want to deal with this crap. I see no light at the end of the tunnel. I had to fix the poop problem, but now lifting his leg inside on top... :-(

Please send me good vibes, I don't know what to do.
 
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#4 · (Edited)
maybe a potty patch?


[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Potty-Patch-Small-Pets-Under/dp/B002MVN4EO/ref=sr_1_47?ie=UTF8&qid=1452481138&sr=8-47&keywords=patio+potty[/ame]

there are several different ones on the market. some even come with something resembling a fire hydrant or "wall" on one side for leg lifters.

here's a site that lists some choices out on the market:

http://www.doggies.com/articles/149-indoor-dog-potties.html
 
#7 ·
belly bands sound like a good idea. i think i recall poodle foster mentioning using them when taking in rescues that are not dependably house trained.
 
#8 ·
Thanks for the suggestions. I think we'll try the belly bands if I see anymore spots. Now that he sleeps in the smaller crate, it might help. I much prefer giving him the freedom of the bigger crate, but I don't have much of a choice right now. He has to earn his rights back. I don't want him to urinate on a potty patch because it is not helping my allergies and I am very sensitive to strong smells, like urine.
 
#9 ·
I wish you lived closer. He'd fit in with my daughter's little beastie girl. I have had to make a modified way to live with Pixie. She is all of 6 pounds, but dog aggressive and refuses to house train (shelter dog, I think I know how a nice looking purebred ended up in the shelter *sigh). I tried crating her, she pottied then frantically spun, ran, jumped, etc in it. Turning her loose in the house with a potty patch didn't work, she hasn't caught on to the idea of pottying only on the patch and would fight horribly with the other dogs.
I went to Tractor Supply and got one of their little gazebo pens, set it inside a large kiddie wading pool with a tiny little dog house, a potty pad and her water bowl and toys. She's allowed loose on leash only and very closely supervised. She has finally managed to learn how to make a friend, so sometimes, I will leave Laurie's other little nightmare, I mean, dog in the pen with her and they seem content enough. I change the pads as used (if there's even a spot on it, she'll go elsewhere) and mop the pool daily. Once a week, it goes into the shower for a hose down and she gets a bath.

Since you are so sensitive to the smell of urine, I don't suppose that would be an option, but hopefully, maybe the hoops I jump though will help inspire some sort of solution for you .

ETA: This sounds horrible now that I read it, Pixie does get house and couch time, my daughter is a rabid couch potato and lets Pixie on the couch for hours while they destroy brain cells in front of the TV. Pixie is also learning the Barn Hunt thing, I was hoping an activity would help her learn to focus, and get the kid off the couch. I swear, she does not spend 24/7 in solitary confinement! lol
 
#10 ·
All training needs constant reinforcement until about 18 months or it can slip. Toys have little hold over time in their bladder. Some inside facility and the training to use it is needed. Grace can go 14 hours but her eyes and back legs are crossed then. Ho Ho!! When ever I go to the "bathroom" I say to Grace "daddy go do pee-pee" she waits for me to return rather than following me as is more usual. Recently I was ill (as I am more and more often as I age) I was sleeping and home alone except for Grace. She needed to go and came to me and "nose bumped" me. In my torpor I ignored her. She went into the bathroom and positioned herself over the floor grating and managed to have most of her pee go down! She misses nothing!! I knew a JRC bitch who would jump up onto the toilet and do her business but she never flushed the toilet? Who knows a Toy might do that?
Eric
 
#11 ·
So sorry, I hear your pain...
First of all, you should try the belly bands - I think 50 percent of them just won't pee if they are wearing them, and that would be a really easy fix. The other half will, but at least that is better than peeing on your stuff.
Did you ever think that this backslide in housebreaking could be a side effect of the meds? Maybe something to discuss with your vet - perhaps a change of meds could be attempted?
As for an indoor potty solution, I think pads would be a whole lot better than a potty patch, because you can't constantly clean the grass, and the urine, it just collects in the tray. And you know there are hundreds of different types and sizes of pads to try (including human bed pads which
I prefer for my girls), and the level to which they absorb and permit odors varies widely.
And for boys who lift, there are two solutions. Some will put the pad right up against a wall and tape a second pad on the wall. Others will use a large pad, and then put a coffee can or something covered with a pad in the center of it for something to aim at.
But alas, pad use still has to be trained - it is not something that comes naturally to them, and such training would be quite difficult with a dog who messes in his bed, and does not happily take treats.
If I were you, I would belly band with a pad in the band at night in the crate (be sure to get a good fit because they can slide off when they lay down), and tether him for training during the day. You will have it covered 24x7, and I think that by doing that you have a very good chance of having it resolved in a month.
 
#12 ·
I would certainly get belly bands - I have used them with visiting males and they are very effective, and not smelly if checked and changed regularly. But I think I would also talk to poodle and small dog rescues in your area. Firstly, they may be able to offer help and support - they must deal with these problems over and over again. In the UK some even have qualified behaviourists who can help. And secondly they can give you a better idea of your options, should you get to the point of feeling completely overwhelmed and unable to cope. Hoping this is just a blip, and that a good sleep, belly bands, and getting used to the weather put both you and Merlin back onto an even keel, but it is always a good idea to have a back up plan.
 
#13 ·
Thank you everyone. It is true, I feel overwhelmed right now and very disappointed. Also frustrated with him. He is 100% lap dog. All he wants all day is to be near me, preferably on my lap.

We will get through this winter. It's his first, and it is so hard. If I had known it would be so hard, I would have stayed away. Now I regret that I ever made contact with that "breeder". I even hate her sometimes, for what she did to him, and the price I have to pay.

I am very stressed with going back to work after so long, and Merlin's problem aren't helping at all.

I need to find a way of letting go, for my own sake. Yes, I will be getting belly bands for sure. It is sad for me to have to resort to this, but it is acceptable given the fact that I don't have a choice.

I will call the vet tomorrow and see what she thinks about all this. If I have to choose between having a neurotic dog off meds and a pooping / peeing dog on meds, what will I do ?

All this, all the problems I have with him, they're all caused by one single thing : incapacity to adapt to change and different situations in a normal delay. It all comes down to lack of socialization. It will never be said enough how crucial it is.

At least I am lucky I have you for support, it means a lot, really.
 
#14 ·
Dechi don't give up yet, as you say it's his first winter. My first poodle Baby, she had her issues but she was a dream on the leash and a breeze to housebreak until it got really cold that first Winter, wind chills in the -10s and below seems she only wanted to potty on dry leaves, or so I thought. I was extremely frustrated she was my first dog, my first poodle. There are severals things you can try, remembering that he is a tiny dog and it may just be too cold outside for him. Leave more hair in between his toes and paw pad, layer his clothes for when he goes out, try boots or mushers secret. I finally trained Baby to use a pee pad inside with a urine smelling spray so that she had an option to go inside when it was too cold, it was frustrating for both her and I until I did so. After that winter pottying wasn't a problem, and yes she did go outside.
 
#16 ·
Sorry to see this news Dechi. I will add my name to the list of those suggesting belly bands, but also the small crate. Until a dog is really totally there a crate that is too big just is an invitation to making mistakes.

I know this has all worm your patience, but I do think the pattern is very similar to things I've seen with other rescue dogs. They make great progress with the most important concern areas and then slip with something else. I've seen new issues appear as far out as a year after the dog was rehomed. I don't mean to be bumming you out, but you need to be watchful of everything for at least another 6 months I think.
 
#17 ·
I had a shy Yorkie boy once. A very expensive one --no rescue. I thought his problems were due to lack of socialization but he was genetically shy. For one thing, he wasn't able to eat out of a bowl for his distrust of it. He was a mental wreck in so many ways. He lived in a belly band and it was not so bad. You keep them clean shaven and use baby wipes when you change the belly band. Clean house!

This little boy, however, became a self confident little man when I took him for walks in the woods. He would be the leader. It was so good to see him shine like that. Maybe Merlin has a happy place as well.

I would accept him as he is and make adjustments. He may come around but he may not. The life he leads may have to be different than the life that a normal dog leads. I know there was no fixing my little dude and accepted him as special.

pr
 
#18 ·
I am trying to accept him as he is, but at the same time I know he can do this, because he has done it for almost 5 months now.

So I would rather see this as a temporary setback and as a hard, first winter. When spring comes back, he will have the whole yard and will be able to go in the back, where he likes. I am sure he'll be okay then.

This morning I was more stubborn than him. I sent him outside once, he peed and came back. Crated him a few minutes, then sent him again. He is not stupid, because he goes down the stairs when I tell him to go poop, pretends to smell the grass, and then runs up the stairs. So he knows what I want. So I kept sending him back down and after about 15 minutes of this, he first lifted his leg to pee and then squatted to poop. I felt like I Had won the lottery ! He got praised a lot and was very happy about it !

So I get a poop break for today, yeah !
 
#21 · (Edited)
I am sorry that you have this to deal with, especially with your allergies. I have a potty log for my older dog Phoenix because even though we have a doggie door, sometimes she waits too long and will poop in the house. I made a potty patch for her when the weather gets bad, she will be confined to that area. My potty patch is homemade and has 3 layers, a tarp, pee pads on top of that, and it is covered with plastic indoor/outdoor carpeting. If she messes in there, I spray it down with antibiotic enzymes spray and change the pee pad underneath. I also have a candle in the sunroom to use if she poops in there. So there is not really too much of a smell.

Perhaps when you go back to work you can set up some kind of potty patch with the small crate open into that area. It might take the stress off of you. That doesn't mean that he can't go outside when you are home, just that you have a backup plan.
 
#23 ·
I had a male Yorkie got him a 10 weeks, form a breeder, not a rescue, or re-homed. House broke in no time. Then my boyfriend moved in and it was awful. I had a white satin sofa, would put him outside he would go, then come in. Look right at me and lift his leg and pee on the sofa, knowing her would get in trouble. After 6 months of that I re-homed him and they adored him. Maybe I should have dumped the boyfriend then and kept the dog.
 
#24 ·
Dechi I am so sorry you are going through this and how difficult it must be. I agree with the belly band suggestion and hopefully when this winter passes these issues will resolve. Even the best potty trained dogs can have an accident! The most horrifying thing happened the other day. I took Mira to my neighbors house and to my horror she started pooping on her floor!! It was the first time she pooped indoors since she was 4 months and it was worse since it wasn't even in my own home. The next day, she jumped up on my brother's bed and peed on it! I've started praising her for going outside again and so far she's clear for now!

Maybe putting Merlin in an ex pen will help? Treat him like a puppy and take him out every hour? I do not have good advice but I am thinking about you and Merlin.
 
#25 ·
I was thinking about the peeing. Merlin is a very different and sometimes strange dog. One night I put him to bed in his crate and decided to give him the freedom to get out of his crate. So I left the door open and figured he would go in the doggy bed with his sister.

Instead, I guess he was disoriented and perplexed by the change, he decided to pee in the middle of the room. He was in his crate when I went to get him in the morning. That incident made me think of this week, when I tried to make him poop and I was putting him back in his crate, then putting him outside, and so on. Maybe he peed because he didn't understand what was happening. Maybe he doesn't have a lifting problem, just trouble with coping with change ?

I will be monitoring this closely, but that might be an option.

He will be crated when I go back, with a belly band on, for a good while. I just haven't decided if I will use the medium crate (big enough for a welsh terrier) or the big crate (big enough for a german shepard). I still have time to think about it.

Leaving him in my office with the door closed, where his crate is, would also be an option.
 
#27 ·
Well. If we hadn't had this poop problem, I might have considered giving him the run of the house. But now I don't think so. So he would be crated part of the day, until my daughter comes back from university. As soon as he is to be trusted, he will have his freedom. I don't like crating dogs when I'm away.

I have put him in his crate when going away, though. Just not everyday and for as long.
 
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