Hi, Its a real ongoing thing with Otis and his housetraining. He had a course of penicyllin for his cystitis, and it seems to have cleared up, but he still does the odd wee here and there in the house, usualy in the evening. Im wondering though, I havent taken his water bowl up at night, conscious that he needs water to keep him free of cystitis. Its also my fault tonight, as I didnt put him out, so combination of two things. Im wondering though, is it okay to take his water bowl up at about six ? To stop nighttime weeing ? I still want to keep him well hydrated and his cystitis at bay. Ive decided not to get a crate, I think as its just a few wees here and there, that he will eventualy do them all outside. Also I think getting a crate could be really hard on him at this late stage, ( he is nine months) , do you think Im right ?? Otis is a gorgeous dog, really lovely, my best friend, he tends to chew nearly everything, but now Im keeping my counters clear, he has a lot less oppertunitys to counter surf. Recall isnt bad, he will always come to the words treat Oaty ! xx
Re: Otis housetraining and cystitis Ah, bless Otis, he sounds like just a lovely boy. This has been a bit of a trial for you - but I'm sure you'll get there now, without being hindered by the cystitis problems. It is possible that the problems have put you behind with the house training, though, so you've still got a bit to catch up maybe. I would go for a crate - but you know best whether the cost, space etc. means you want to hang on for a bit and see whether you can sort it without. Don't worry about it being hard on him though, I'm crate training my boy at 10 months, and it's going like a dream. They don't view crates like we would - if you go about it the right way, it's just fine. My boy chooses to sleep in his crate now, in preference to his bed, it's cozy and den like for him. I would say a water bowl for a 9 month old pup is neither here nor there and he may as well have the water - at 9 months, his bladder is mature enough that he can have a drink in the evening, a pee before he goes to bed, and stay dry over night. I doubt it's about too much water, it's more likely the house training that still needs a tad bit more work.
Re: Otis housetraining and cystitis Thanks Julie, I may well end up getting a crate, although Im in a small terrace, so not much room really. Im going to give it a bit more time, and see how we get on. Thanks again, Maggie, licks from Otis xx
Re: Otis housetraining and cystitis Nothing really to add to Julie's advice ( glad the crate training is going so well Julie)....just wanted to say hi to you and wish you well Maggie.....treat Oaty is cute ! ;D
Re: Otis housetraining and cystitis he sounds lovely, good to hear he is your best friend,.....personally i would not get a crate , i would just keep taking him out and training him
Re: Otis housetraining and cystitis I had a lot of problems with Penny getting cystitis - she had four urine infections before the age of six months which really messed up her housetraining. The reason she was getting the infections was that she had an inverted vulva, this meant that there was a breeding ground for bacteria leading to her urine infections. Treatment was treating the infections as they occurred, the structural problem of an inverted vulva cures itself when the bitch has a season. Obviously with a male dog this isn't going to be the cause but I know how frustrating it can be when you're trying to housetrain a pup who keeps weeing everywhere, even if they can't help it!! A couple of things we were advised to do was to add a splash of water to her food, to make sure she's taking in enough water (this might solve the debate of whether or not to take your pups water away at night time if you're making sure he's getting extra with his meals) and we also started her on cranberry tablets as the are supposed to help regulate the acidity of the urine and soothe cystitis related inflammation. Just like it does in humans really! I'm not sure if this would work on a male dog though... I just bought cranberry tablets from Holland and Barrett, nothing special and I started her off with two tablets twice a day, then slowly weaned her off after her season. While she was taking them and having the extra water we had no urine infections and were able to get her housetrained. We went from accidents every 20 minutes to now she can go 8 hours if needed.
