Hi guys, I have a bit of a weird question. So my 5mo lab lives outside on my covered deck majority of the time but he's inside whenever we are home, he's max left alone 4 hours any one day and he is pretty well house trained, he maybe has a wee accident once every couple of weeks if we aren't watching well enough. So we are still proofing that. However he keeps peeing on his rugs that are on his day bed outside and in his kennel randomly even if we're out there with him but at other times he'll go to the toilet in his spot and he never ever poo's in there. I knew he had a few accidents in these places every now and then but today i noticed that he has been peeing a lot in his kennel (lined with a mat and has a few rugs for him to cuddle up to) so I washed it all today, sprayed with dog pee scent killer and dried it all and put it back in, within minutes he peed on it again. Then I did it all again and it happened again. He gave me no indication that he was going to do it so I couldn't move him elsewhere. I just find it very odd. He's a beautiful boy, gets a walk a day, we play chasey and ball and do some basic sit shake stay training and then down time on his mat watching TV etc. I'm just looking for some advice about how to train him out of this as I think he then lays in it and sleeps in it which I'd like him to avoid?
What is the arrangement on the deck? And what kind of kennel is it? I mean is he free to roam around the deck and get to a toilet place whenever he chooses or is he confined to his sleeping area of a kennel?
Oh he's not confined at all. He's free to roam around the deck is like 5m x 5m with his kennel in the corner, he is also able to go down the steps in to a big grassed backyard where he loves playing and where he goes to poo etc. The only time he's confined is if I'm out and I shut the gate as I'm still nervous about him digging and getting out of the grassed yard but even then he has a big area 5m x 5m.
Ok. Well, first rule out a medical reason, an infection or some such that means he isn't controlling his bladder. If not that then it is either that at some point, for whatever reason, his instinct to keep his den clean (his kennel) has broken down. Or, given the set up, he doesn't see his bedding as his den. This is a bit tricky to deal with, since you depend on a dog's "clean den" instinct to toilet train them, but you certainly can't have him with urine soaked bedding, that's not right at all. I think I'd start thinking alone the lines of moving him into the house, using a new crate, and start over with toilet training as though he were an 8 week old puppy.
Ah this sucks because we went to the vet last week and they said he's fine ruled out any urinary issues. I tried a different crate inside and he took to it really quickly then the same thing, peed in it aswell! It was almost like he sought it out to pee in it. Then an hour later he'll go there to sleep! I'm at a loss of what to do! Thanks for trying to help me!
blacklabby it's good there is no infection, it is a tricky one. I think I'd do as Julie T has suggested start again as if he is an 8 week old puppy. Is it possible that you can get a new crate and bedding (something completely different from the type he has now) and bring him in the house. My neighbour had a similar problem she moved her puppy into the utility room, bought a stair gate and got rid of the crate and that worked really quickly. Her puppy isn't destructive so that was fine. Hope that helps you a little, good luck.
Perhaps remove all the bedding from the crate so it is just the metal tray - I read somewhere that it's not essential for a pup to have "bedding" in their crate and they'll curl up to sleep without. It could be that he's not bothered about damp bedding but that's not the same as lying in his wee on a metal tray. Apart from that I think you need to go back to square 1 and re-train to wee outside as you would an 8 week old puppy.
Thanks everyone for your help. He actually won't go in the crate without something in there, no amount of luring will get him in. I guess I'll try go back to scratch with toilet training it's just going to be really hard as I can never tell when he is going to go, never goes straight after drinking or eating or exercise. So hard for me to predict it all. But I guess I just try. And I don't have anywhere inside that he can be especially during the day I don't want to lock him in a room he loves it on the deck, chooses to be out there more then inside and has so much more room out there to play. Anyway thanks for your help will try again!
Good luck with it ,I bet you feel disheartened but you've had some good suggestions.I'm sure you will sort it if you go back to puppy training and take it carefully x
