[LouieDog]

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

 

[LouieDog]

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.

 

[LouieDog]

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.

 

[LouieDog]

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