Behaviour Issues and Shift work

3085 Views 10 Replies 5 Participants Last post by Lightning&Stomps, Nov 7, 2008

LouieDog

Discussion Starter · Nov 5, 2008

Hi everyone!
I'll try to be brief. (not one of my strengths..lol)

I am a nurse and work 12 hour shifts. I do two days and then two nights back to back with 5 days off (nice, i know!) example: DDNN then 5 off (same pattern all the time).
We are lucky that my husband's job/career allows for him to be at home most of the time.
Louie is our 15 month old boy that's housebroken...most of the time...

Louie is getting a little confused with the lack of structure/routine with my job. For instance, I come home after my second day shift and try to stay up late (usually until 2 am) so that i can sleep in the next day and have a nap during the day before my night shift. We always let Louie out to pee before we go to bed and usually, the morning of my first night shift, Louie has peed on the floor. Now i've figured this is because the previous night i would go to bed early and then let him out early (6am) but on the morning of my first night shift, we usually don't get up until 9ish.

The other issue is when i come home from night shift at 830 am i let Louie out for a pee and then go off to bed. My husband usually sleeps until 9 or 10 and in that short period of time that Louie is left alone, he pees on the floor. (he doesn't have the whole house to roam in...he's penned in the kitchen when we're not around)

He doesn't always do this, but it happens more often than not.

I'm pretty sure it's a behavioural issue and it is largely due to the lack of structure because we can leave him alone for 6 hours and go out and he doesn't pee anywhere.

Sorry for the length...although the pee is easy enough to clean up, we'd really like to not have to do it anymore.

Any suggestions? Anyone work shift work?...what do you do?
thanks so much,
Dana

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Lightning&Stomps

· #2 · Nov 5, 2008

As I'm sure you've read, bassets can be very difficult to housetrain. And consistency is key to housetraining. I'm single, and perhaps this is why: I don't understand why your husband can't take the dog out on schedule, since he's around more. Barring that, you could try crating the dog during the times he's most likely to pee in the house. You could even put the crate in the bedroom, for those times when you leave but your husband isn't up yet, so the pup won't feel so lonely.

P.S. This assumes there is nothing physically wrong with the dog.

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LouieDog

Discussion Starter · #3 · Nov 6, 2008

Unfotunately consistency doesn't happen in our house. Between my husband and i, neither one of us has "regular" or consistant working hours.
My husband and I do let Louie out quite frequently. There really is no "schedule" per say and I think this is the problem. 2-3 days a week i let him out quite early (which i believe is confusing the heck out of him and his bladder) and then on my 5 days off we go back to our regular schedule of waking up around 9am. I don't expect my husband to wake up every morning at 6 am (and i'm not going to do that on my days off either) just so that Louie can go for a pee because i let him out twice in the week at 6am. I am aware that Bassets are notoriously difficult to housebreak and we have experienced this. He has also been cleared by the vet of any medical issues.

If there's no solution, that's fine, i was just wondering if there are any other shift workers around and just wanted to see what they do.

The one option we were thinking of was a doggy door. But we are nervous about all the other animals that could get in.

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Mikey T

· #4 · Nov 6, 2008

The one option we were thinking of was a doggy door. But we are nervous about all the other animals that could get in.[/b]

That is a red herring.

1. that is what the fence yard prevents

2. how many animals do you thing will be challenging the dogs.

I have had a dog door for decades an this has never occured unless you count mice the cats draged in on a catch and release program so the bassets could prefect there mouser skills Let us just say the dod not last long.

There are doors that only operate on a magnetic key or similar exclusive metondthat the dog have on their collar, so your dogs would the only one to beable to use it. It may offer the piece of mind you are looking for. I prefer to keep it simple and not worry about a door malfunction

Electronic SmartDoor by Petsafe

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Electronic Pet Door Fact & Fiction

Myth: Electronic pet doors provide the best seal and protection from the weather.
Truth: Dual flexible flap pet doors provide a far superior barrier to temperatures and weather. All electronic pet doors are made with plastic doors and are not insulated.

Myth: Electronic doors keep out criminals
Truth: Electronic doors are only designed to regulate the access of pets and some are designed to keep out other animals. Optimal security is found in pet door models that have heavy duty security panels that lock off the pet openings. If anyone represents a door as providing security from criminal activity, they are incorrect...period.

Myth: It is always best to have an electronic pet door over manual doors.
Truth: Most dog owners do not use electronic doors, unless they are keeping a cat inside the house etc. The large majority of pet owners go with manual doors that seal, insulate, and last far longer than electronic doors.[/b]

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Mikey T

· #5 · Nov 6, 2008

Keep in mind a doog door is not a miracle cure. A dog door will certainly help with accidents cause by the lack of access to a proper area to go. but If you do not develope a substrate strate preferrence in the dog for grass or whatever the ground cover in the dog yard is over material in the house there is no desire for the pet to go out to do its businenss.

see Housetraining Your Puppy on deloping a substrate preferrence and keep in mind it is still imporant to reward the dog fo using the appropriate spot to go to prevent accidents for occuring especially when conditions outside are less than pleasant.

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Beverly Anne

· #6 · Nov 6, 2008

Hi, I'm also an RN who also did 12 hour overnight shift work until illness forced me to a regular day schedule. I would work 3 in a row and Francis never, never had an accident. I don't know if it's because he's blind or what but I never had a problem. In the last 2 months I've been working 12 hour days and Fran is getting up in the middle of the night to pee in the living room. He's done it 4 times in the last 3 weeks. I finally dragged out the old baby gate and there is no longer a problem. I think dogs, like people. set their body clocks to a regular schedule and then get screwed up when we change it.
Good luck!

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LouieDog

Discussion Starter · #7 · Nov 6, 2008

Thanks Mikey for your tips...we're still not sold on the doggy door, but it's an option down the road.

Beverly Anne, thanks for your reply..it's good to hear we're not the only ones. We have Louie baby gated in the kitchen (open concept large kitchen). I think it's just time for me to quit and let my husband bring home the bacon...really the only option...lol :lol:

I think we'll just have to settle with cleaning up a little pee every once in while.

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Lightning&Stomps

· #8 · Nov 6, 2008

I love my dog doors. I have an electronic fence, so no barrier to keep other animals out of my yard, but so far the only things that have come in it other than my dogs have been a gigantic dog from the neighborhood, a little Jack Russell that was in love with Lightning, and my housesitter, who kept somehow locking herself out of my house.

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lovingbianca

· #9 · Nov 7, 2008

I'm also a shift worker, with 12-hour shifts every other weekend. At first, I was concerned that Bianca was going to do as you described--pee on the floor alot, because I was having to leave her for such a long time. But she doesn't. I HAVE established the routine that--she always gets a great WALK when I get home in the morning. And before I leave in the afternoon, I remind her about the WALK that we'll be having when I get back. Of course--before I leave, I give her a "potty break" as well--as I'm sure you do already. Bianca is almost 5--and I don't have a crate--or doggy door.

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LouieDog

Discussion Starter · #10 · Nov 7, 2008

I'm also a shift worker, with 12-hour shifts every other weekend. At first, I was concerned that Bianca was going to do as you described--pee on the floor alot, because I was having to leave her for such a long time. But she doesn't. I HAVE established the routine that--she always gets a great WALK when I get home in the morning. And before I leave in the afternoon, I remind her about the WALK that we'll be having when I get back. Of course--before I leave, I give her a "potty break" as well--as I'm sure you do already. Bianca is almost 5--and I don't have a crate--or doggy door.[/b]

Thanks so much!! maybe i'll do the walk thing when i get home from nights (just a little one so that i don't fall down in the ditch somewhere..lol) Still not sure what to do when switching from days to nights, because we do the park, walk, and of course let him out regularly..i think maybe it's rebellion a bit and confusion. He only does it on occasion, so i guess we'll just have to have a "talk" with him like you do...lol

as for the doggie door Lightning and Stomps; is it that easy for people to crawl through?...don't you worry about a break in?.. i know dogs are supposed to prevent that, but ummmmmm Louie would think it was a new visitor and would likely show them around the house..lol

and then show them where his treats are... :lol:

thanks again!
Dana

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Lightning&Stomps

· #11 · Nov 7, 2008

I got the biggest dog door, since bassets are big dogs on little legs. And my housesitter is very small. Frankly, the neighbor's dog that came in weighs more than my housesitter! I live way out in the country, with lots of big dogs around (and dogs that sound big, like mine), so I have never worried about people coming in the dog door. It would be a lot easier for them to break the glass in the back door.

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