[zprozio]

Hi everyone,

Our female basset ("Ruby") is three years old. She has a doggy door and has been potty-trained since she was about 3 months old. She's never liked getting wet. We live in LA where there's hardly ever a drop of rain, but when it does rain, she won't go outside on her own.

Recently, we had some heavy rain and during that time she peed in the house a couple of times when we were out of the house or asleep. It has now been a couple of weeks since the rain stopped, but intermittently she's still peeing in the kitchen (ceramic tile) at night. She still goes outside to poo, but has returned to the same spot in the kitchen to pee repeatedly. I've cleaned the spot each time with a combination of "Nature's Miracle", Comet and Lysol. I've also sopped up the pee when I have found it wet with paper towels and placed them outside. Nevertheless, the problems persist on an intermittent basis.

Incidentally, I did take Roo to the vet to check whether it was a UT infection and she was cleared. One other potentially relevant piece of info: Roo has some skin allergies and we give her Prednisone when it acts up.

Anyone, please help I'm really frustrated.

Thanks,
Zack

 

[murraysmom]

Is she on Prednisone when this happens?

 

[Mikey T]

Is she on Prednisone when this happens?

excellent point it is one of the unfortunate side effects of the drug, however there is often nothing at that is effective. So working on the behavior side is what remains.
It is not unsual for a dog to lose some aspect of house training during its life time. Esepecial in such cases the house training is not instilled as strongly as one would like, Such as the dog does not go out on its own when its raining.


To fix the problem is not that difficult especial since you know the exent of the problem and it is limited when it occurs.

step one is to prevent the problem This is done first by effective clean up. Dogs go in the same place. Use an enzymatic cleaner that contiues to work below the surface and the remaining hidden urine deposits. If the kitchen is tiled it is likely soaked into the grout. The only way to get it out is to follow the direction on the ezymatic cleaner which often requires the area be covered and prevented from drying out for at least 48 hrs simply using an enzymatic cleaner like a surface cleaner is ineffective.

Prevent accidents in the first place. Everytime the dog has an "accident" it is self rewarding, the dog gets for a lack of better phrasing "pleasure" fron having a full bladder emptied, at night this has become associated with this spot in the kitchen. It will likely require that the dog be confined or the very least some means , tethering, alarm that lets you know when the the dog gets up in the middle of the night. The reason for intermitten could be several fold wich in general is not important but factors such as Dew or not ie is the grass wet, whether the dog has to go in the middle of night every night or fust intermittently etc. What may appear to be an inttermitent problem in fact is a 100 consistent one it is that you simply do not know all the factors require to percipitate the behavior.


As a use of a dog door I feel safe in saying in many if not most cases dogs trained in using a dog door are not as thoroghy trained as those that are house trained to asked to go out. They often don't have the same ability to "hold it" for an appropriate time mainly because they never have had to. so they are under some stress more likely to loses the housetraining. Add to it the relunctance to go out in the rain and it increases the likelihood of a future failure. One way to counter act this is to stength the behavior and especial when it is raining. Again confinment when your not home and can not supervise the dog to prevent accidents and start rewarding the dog for going out in the rain but only when it does so on its own. Keep in mind when rewarding a dog the reward should come withing a second or two of the activity you want to reward. That means you need to go out in the rain to reward the dog. The practice of rewarding the dog when they come back in is just that rewarding the dog for coming in from the rain which is actual just the oposite behavior that you really want rewarded.

 

[zprozio]

Wow! Thank you so much for those replies.

First, it seems to me that she has the behavior occassionally even when she's been off the prednisone for a week, but I don't know if its residual impact can last longer than that.

Second, I never thought about the issue of a dog which is door trained as being more thinly trained than one which requests exit, but as I think of it your clearly right. I don't know whether the Nature's Miracle is an enzymatic product; I looked at the packaging and so no reference to that term. I will check with the pet store, but if there is a brand you can recommend I would appreciate it.

 

[Mikey T]

. I don't know whether the Nature's Miracle is an enzymatic product;.

My understanding that the older version was but the reformulation is not a internet search under enzymatic pet stain remover will give you a good sample to choose from. As with doog food I recommend starting off with the smallest size avai;able and see how it works for you that way you dog get stuck. With a large lot of cleaner that is ineffect but you feel obligated to use up. The nature of enzmes are some will be more effective than other in different situations. And when it comes to urine those variables are great.

I never thought about the issue of a dog which is door trained as being more thinly trained than one which requests exit,

FWIW This is not an inditement of Dog doors but one of the reasoms for their success is they require less training to successfully prevent accident but we also must recongise the possible drawbacks of this and be quick to respond. The quicker the response the much easier it is to correct the problem.