1

I have a Toy poodle who just turned 2 on October 5th. I will admit that, as pet owners, we have been relatively just spoiling him and not giving him anything for a while. In the past couple of months, he's learned new things. Now, he knows how to stay, come when called, and sit. He has a problem with barking at people, but that is currently being redirected and changed. However, the only thing that hasn't been changing is his peeing habit.

I decided once during those 2 months that I would try and take him out hourly so that he can go around the house more freely (I normally have to make barriers for the carpets) so that he can become a dog who can just stay and do things. So this went well at first. However, no more than 40 minutes after the last hourly take-out, he pees on the plant in one of our rooms.

Just recently, a few hours ago, he had recently been taken out a couple of hours ago. However, for some reason, he peed a LOT on our wooden floor upstairs.

I'm living under my parent's roof, and I'm a teenager. My parents don't do my dog being out in general. He almost always stays in his puppy pen or on a bed. He isn't allowed in the kitchen (which is fair), but it's the only place without a rug. Most of our rugs are light, and he's peed on our black rug a few times.

Basically, he has a HUGE peeing problem. Everything else is getting under control besides this, and I would love some help on how to train an adult dog. He's really peeing whenever he can, and it's a problem.

5
  • Welcome to Pets! Do you know how often and how much your dog drinks water? This could be a medical problem like diabetes which makes him thirsty all the time, so he drinks a lot of water and has to pee all the time.
    – Elmy
    Nov 24, 2020 at 5:59
  • Maybe connected with this (unanswered) question: pets.stackexchange.com/questions/27624/… Nov 24, 2020 at 11:28
  • @Elmy normally we let him drink water while he eats and whenever he asks for it by rattling his bowl. I'm not sure how good that is for him. Is that ideal? Nov 24, 2020 at 13:17
  • @SisterStudent: Yes, your dog should always have water to drink. My question is: how much does he drink? Like half a liter a day or more like three liters a day? And how often does he drink? Four times a day or 20 times a day? You don't have to measure the exact values, but you should get a rough estimate. And for those values to make any sense, we need to know the weight of your dog. If he's 20 kg and drinks one liter a day, that sounds normal, but if he's only 5 kg and drinks one liter a day, that's A LOT.
    – Elmy
    Nov 24, 2020 at 13:41
  • @Elmy Normally we let it go to the rim of this bowl (which is probably 1/6-1/4 of a cup). We give him more water maybe 5-8 times a day. He's 10-11 pounds. Nov 24, 2020 at 14:18

1 Answer 1

1

Here are a few thoughts, but I cannot give you a definite answer:

Water consumption

According to Halifax Humane Society a dog should drink about 0.5 - 1 ounces of water per 1 pound of body weight.

If your dog is 11 pounds, he should drink 5.5 - 11 ounces of water.
If the water bowl holds 1/6 cup, he drinks 6 - 10 ounces of water.
If the water bowl holds 1/4 cup, he drinks 10 - 16 ounces of water.

You see that a tiny difference (is it 1/6 of a cup or 1/4?) can add up. WebMD agrees that a 10 pounds dog should drink a bit over one cup a day. If he truely drinks more than 11 or 12 ounces, you should get him checked by a vet. Tell the vet that he drinks more water than usual, the vet will then looks for symptoms of different illnesses like diabetes, cushings disease or others.

Repeat offender

Dogs have a very fine nose and can smell things humans cannot. That means he can smell that the places where he peed in the past still smell of urine. What ususally smells of urine? The toilet.

As long as the smell is still there, he might think that this is actually the right place to pee. There are special cleaners and detergents with enzymes that destroy the chemicals that smell like pee. Clean all the surfaces and carpets where he peed in the past with such an enzyme cleaner. Since urine glows in UV light, you can find his old spots with a UV flashlight.

Puberty

At 2 years he's now a dog-teenager, and he acts accordingly. Maybe he wants to be the strong man in the family, maybe he wants to be a bad boy, maybe he just doesn't care. What he needs now is very strict rules, a strict daily schedule (or maybe a ritual) and probably some manners.

Go out to let him pee at the same time every day. Teach him a new command like "go potty" by saying it every time he pees. When you catch him soiling the house, tell him "No!" in a stern voice, but no more than that (don't talk to him). Then immediately go outside with him (it's best to grab him by the collar so he cannot run away) and tell him to "go potty" outside. When he does pee outside, tell him how good he is with a very happy voice.

You could also try not allowing him to sit on the bed. In dog language, the one who sits on the highest spot is the highest ranking dog. By not allowing him on the bed, you tell him that he's not the boss here and isn't allowed to do as he pleases.

Marking

Another reason might be that he's marking his territory. Desexig him (castrating or sterializing) might solve the problem, but there is no guarantee that it suddenly vanishes. You'll probably have to teach him that he's not allowed to pee in the house nontheless.

Personally, I would always desex male dogs, because they become slightly less dominant and more balanced. Their natural mating instinct causes them some stress every spring. In my personal oppinion a one-time medical procedure is less stressful than feeling the need to find a mate every year and not having the chance to find one.

Family structure

I might have gotten the wrong impression, but it reads like the dog spends all his time in your room and your parents don't really interact much with him. He's also banned from carpeted rooms, which I assume are the rooms you or your parents spend most of your time in.

If this is the case, you could try a very different approach: supervise him at all times. You can put him on a leash and fasten the other end onto your belt loop. That way he's always close by and can be in rooms where he wasn't allowed, but you can always have an eye on him. If he makes a move to pee, tell him immediately "No!" and go out with him to pee.

Don't rub it in

Some people think that if they scold the dog in front of his puddle of pee or even push his face into the puddle, the dog will understand that he shouldn't pee in the house. This is completely wrong and doesn't work at all. Please don't even start this.

If you catch him right in the act of peeing, this is the only time scolding him will be effective. When he's finished and you find the puddle, no amout of scolding will change a thing. Dogs cannot connect the result of an action (puddle of pee) with their own past action (peeing in the house). So you must scold him for the action, not for the result.

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.