Nero is still having accidents when we are not at home. When we are here he is fine and always tells us when he needs to go outside for a pee/poo. He is fine in the mornings when we are at work but he usually has an accident in the afternoon and most nights. Here is our routine.... Nero goes out to toilet at 11pm outside then to bed, then we are up for work at 6.30am - during this period he sometimes has accidents We go to work at 8.30am and one of us returns for lunch at 12pm when he goes outside for toilet and stays with him until 1pm - between these hours he never has an accident My mother calls to let him out at 3pm and stays with him until 3.30pm then we return from work at 5pm - between these times he sometimes has accidents What is strange is that last week he went the whole week with only 1 or 2 accidents....we thought great he is improving greatly...now this week he has started to go toilet overnight and in the afternoons again He is not crated and lives in the kitchen where we have a stone floor so cleaning up is not an issue....do you think we should start taking his water away from him at nighttime?
Re: Still having toilet accidents at 7 months Hi He must not be able to hold it and just has to go. Maybe crating him might help or may be using puppy pads? Not really sure. But we crate out pup and at night she goes to bed around 9pn we lift her at 11.30/12.00 and then that is her till 7.30. Maybe if you just crate him at night ? Can I ask why you don't crate him at night. I can understand why you don't durning the day. Sorry not great advice. Hopefully someone else can advice you better.
Re: Still having toilet accidents at 7 months The accidents are wees only? I can understand you feeling at a bit of a loss. He should be able to hold it in for those times - especially the afternoon.... Have you had a chat with your vet about it to rule out any kind of physical problem, like diabetes? Don't panic at that! How often would you say he goes out for a wee when you are home with him? What does your Mum do with him when she comes mid afternoon - just hang out or is he being exercised?
Re: Still having toilet accidents at 7 months No they are pees and poos. I would say when we are here he pees around every 3 to 4 hours. No she just plays with him in the house no exercise. He gets walked in the mornings and a longer walk in the evenings. As he is on dry food he does tend to drink a lot of water
Re: Still having toilet accidents at 7 months I can understand the frustration you must be feeling as I had the same thing with Penny because her housetraining was set back a lot as she kept getting urine infections. The fact that he can hold it whilst you are there makes me think he doesn't have an issues with bladder/bowel control. I wonder whether he's possibly feeling a bit of separation anxiety as messing in the house can often be attributed to this. I would definitely begin with restricting water intake at night. With Penny we used to take it up after 9pm and put it back down with breakfast the next morning. We had a similar routine to you in that I left her at 8am in the morning, home at lunch 12-1 and then home by 5:15. Whilst we were at work she was crated and didn't have access to water, just a small amount if she wanted some when i was home at lunch. Can I ask why you don't use a crate? Is it because you simply have the convenience of confining him in the kitchen, or do you not like the idea of crating? I have found my crate invaluable with housetraining.
Re: Still having toilet accidents at 7 months We don't use a crate as we dont have a lot of room for one in our kitchen and its convenient to keep him confined in the kitchen when we are not there as theres nothing there for him to destroy! Its a little frustrating as for almost a whole week he went with no accidents at all. I think I will start removing his water at night and maybe taking him for a short walk when I call home at lunchtimes
Re: Still having toilet accidents at 7 months Just a thought. You say it. Is a stone floor in the kitchen. Is it possible that it is slightly porous and has absorbed the smell of the wee and the smell (which a human would never pick up) makes him think he's doing it in the right place. You can get special enzyme solutions that neutralise the smell. Would it be worth washing the floor with one of those.
Re: Still having toilet accidents at 7 months is this anxiety peeing maybe? do you take him out immediately when you get up?
Re: Still having toilet accidents at 7 months Yes he goes straight out when we get up We have noticed the pee does seem to soak into the tiles a bit and it does take a bit of scrubbing to get the smell out
Re: Still having toilet accidents at 7 months Update... Took his water away at 9pm last night. He went for pee and poo at 11pm and went straight to bed. Woke this morning to a clean kitchen...so far so good. Lets see how he gets on today
Re: Still having toilet accidents at 7 months I'm too much of a newbie to offer any really useful advice, but we certainly take Pongo's water up at night (from about 30 minutes before his final bedtime pee-trip). He never seems to suffer as a result, not even particularly thirsty in the morning. Good luck, let us know how you get on! Rosie
Re: Still having toilet accidents at 7 months Today..... He went out for a pee before we went to work at 8.30am. I returned for lunch at 12.30 and found a clean kitchen ....he went out again for a pee at 12.45 and i left to go back to work at 1.30pm My mother called in at 3pm and he had peed in the kitchen She left at 3.30pm and when we got home from work at 5.pm he had peed and pood in the kitchen This is a typical day......ok in the morning but not so ok in the afternoon
Re: Still having toilet accidents at 7 months Oh how frustrating. It does seem like he has really not got the inside outside message at all. He is being let out frequently so he has plenty of chances to wee/poo. Can you reduce his space so he sees it as his bed then it will make him hold on? I know you said a crate would not fit in for you but something like short term might just retrain him to think otherwise?
Re: Still having toilet accidents at 7 months I agree that a crate is the way to go.... I know a crate is big and bulky but you wouldn't need it permanently I don't think. Tami mentioned earlier that it might be anxiety. Could be something in that. Something is different about the afternoon.
Re: Still having toilet accidents at 7 months What do you use to clean up his messes? Anything containing bleach or ammonia is a big no no as mimics the smell of urine and will actually encourage him to mark in the house. I was advised to use biological washing powder, unflortunatley it stained my carpets but it seems to do a good job of cleaning up the urine. I agree with Rachael, there's possibly something about the afternoon that's upsetting him. It could be that you coming home and then leaving him again, and then your mother coming in and leaving him again is actually upsetting him and making him suffer from separation anxiety - he's getting all excited someone's finally home, and then they're leaving him on his own again. Do you leave him with a kong or anything so that he sees being left alone as a positive thing? You could make some up in the mornings and have one for you to give him before you leave at lunch, and one for your mother to give him before she leaves. Or is your mother able to stay until you return home from work? At least for a week or so whilst you are working on his problem?
Re: Still having toilet accidents at 7 months My mother starts work at 4.30 so shes only able to stay about 30 mins. Yes we leave him with his kong in the morning but my mother doesnt when she calls so maybe it is upsetting him. We use antibacterial wipes to clean the floor and a liquid disinfectant...maybe these are causing him to go in the same spot. What do you recommend to wash thw floor with?
Re: Still having toilet accidents at 7 months Probably washing powder with an enzyme in it, dissolved in water (which is what Penny+Me mentioned). So, the other day he peed between 1.30pm and 3pm after you left him. And between 3.30 and 5 when your Mum left him. Do you leave him with a Kong or treat when you leave at 1.30pm? Is there room anywhere else in your house for a crate? You can get waterproof floors for them (but I doubt he'd do a wee or poo in a crate).
Re: Still having toilet accidents at 7 months Yeah, biological washing powder, or you can buy enzymatic cleaners from a pet shop. This is the stuff I now use, as you can see they do a massive range of it. I just got the carpet spray for my front room but you can get floor cleaner too. http://www.simplesolution.com/products/stain-odor-solutions.html
