[Cowgirlmethis]

So Stella, our 6 month old pug, is potty trained on the training pads. She can be left alone all day, with water etc and a potty pad, roaming the whole house, and she ONLY goes on the pad. However, a couple days ago, she began to pee in weird areas (not on the pad). I chalked it up to an accident or two, or possibly a UTI. The UTI has been ruled out. But then she pooped, a big SOLID (not sickening diarrhea or anything) poo in the same spot that she had just peed (she did them simultaneously I guess because I didn't find the huge puddle of warm pee until I smelt the warm poo). She would sneakily pee in these weird area's. So, she of course got a spankin and her nose rubbed in her pee every time I caught her in the act, so then we started putting her in her crate at night and whenever we left, even though she didn't have accidents when she was out at night or when we would leave. Only when we are home. So, after 3 days of the crate again, she stopped wetting in the wrong spots and she was back to being completely (at least I thought) potty trained. It's been 2 nights since she's been out of the crate, and tonight, my husband and I were watching a movie on the bed, and Stella, who was facing the TV and laying down like she usually does, turned and looked at me, staring, and peeing (emptying her entire bladder WHILE she was lying down) onto the bed as we watched in horror. She was starring at me like "Ha, ha ha-ha Ha, I'm peeing and you can't do anything about it!!" She always stares at us as she's doing it, and actually, now that I think about it, all of her recent 'accidents' are not performed very stealth like...she does them wherever we are! AAHHH!! I'm going crazy with this! Please help! Why could she be doing this?

[cigwyllt]

I'm sorry but your understanding of dog behaviour is completely wrong.

First of all, at 6 months she could be heading towards her first season and that can cause all sorts of behavioural issues.

Spanking her and rubbing her nose in her wee will do nothing but teach her going to the toilet is wrong.

Are you aware that she could be urinating simply out of fear? Especially if she is looking you in the eye at the time?

[Fergies_2012]

Poor little Stella,

In my oppinion i think you need to go back to basics and take time to learn your dog that it has to go outside to do the toilet. This could be a jealousy thing when you and your partner are together so she feels the need to do this to get some attention. If she was doing this when you were out i would suggest that she is protesting to being left alone for such lengths of time but this isn't the case.


Hope this helps x

[Cowgirlmethis]

Thank you both for your opinions. Nonetheless, just because I think something different than you doesn't make me "wrong".

Cigwyllt, I had no idea about her coming into season so soon, and for it cause behavior problems is also new to me! I would be interested to know more about it if you're able, as my husband is now keen to lock her up in her crate all the time now...

With all do respect however, I don't think she randomly pee's while staring at me simply out of fear, however, I do believe that maybe if she realizes too late that she is urinating in the wrong spot, looks at me as if saying "Crap, I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry, but I can't stop" kind of thing. But then I think, "Why has her potty training previously been so perfect??" Even earlier today, she uses her training pads (as we live in a high rise apartment complex and don't always have the option to take her outside) for all of her duties and is constantly praised every time she eliminates in the correct spot. I'm truly hoping that her coming into heat is the issue...

Fergies_2012- You may be right! Although she always tends to snuggle up to me as I pet her, etc. But this time, she wasn't snuggled, and I wasn't petting. That's definitely something to consider! Thank you!:mrgreen:

[Fergies_2012]

i would say around the 6month mark is when one of my female dogs went into heat but she never pee'd in the house, it could be differant for every dog though. Have you checked if she maybe has a urine infection, this could possibly mean that she can't hold it for as long as normal.

Has Stella always used puppy training pads, at 6months your dog should know that she does not do the toilet in the house but outside, maybe having traingin pads about the house instead of taking her outside is confusing her, she could be in a panic thinking where do i go.

We also have taught everyone of our dogs the 'speak' sign, they all know to 'speak' as such when they want out and if we ask them, do youw ant out? speak then, they will bark if they do and walk away if they don't, you should try something like this and she might catch on and start telling you when she needs

[reeskujo]

First let me say that as a professional trainer I can tell you that Cig is right as far as your potty training method..Dogs do not have the capability of generalizing. Therefore when you spank your dog and rub her nose in it the only thing your teaching the dog is that going to the bathroom is bad..They do not understand that it's because they went potty on the floor..They will then in turn sneak off and do it somewhere that you can't see. Secondly the only thing you teach a dog by "spanking" it or rubbing it's nose in it is to fear you.

What you should be doing is taking her outside right away if you catch her in the act and if you don't simply clean it up and move on..Anytime she does go potty where she's supposed to give her a treat and lots of praise so she knows she did right and that that is the behavior you want.I also agree that when she does have an accident and she's looking at you when she does it it's out of fear. She is conditioned now that when she goes to the bathroom she gets "spanked" so naturally when she does it in front of you she's fearful that's what's going to happen. Do you have her on a feeding and bathroom schedule.If not you might want to start as it make potty training much easier.

[Lunareclipse]

If my husband wanted to leave my dogs in the crate all the time rather than help with an issue we were having with them, I would pack up my dogs and my things and leave his inhumane butt.

[CorkyMax]

Well said, Luna!!

[Cowgirlmethis]

Alright, so Rees, thank you for answering to my post in a respectful manner. However she has no issue whatsoever eliminating on the potty pads, looking at us or not, and she is ALWAYS, excessively praised whenever we see her eliminating in the correct areas. Like I said, she was (we thought) completely potty trained 2 weeks ago, no matter what the circumstance.

Yes, she has been trained since day one to either eliminate outside or on a potty pad in between times. For the past 2 months, since we have moved to South Korea via my husbands military orders, she only gets the potty pads as we live in a high rise apartment building and taking her down 16 floors whenever she starts to potty in the wrong spot is not only ridiculous but irrelevant as she wouldn't be able to hold it long enough to get down there anyways.

If we do not see her in the act and just find the puddles by accident, of course she does not get any reprimanding, we just clean it up and move on. She only does this when we are home and around her. If she is home all day with no one else, all her eliminating is done on the pads, NEVER and I mean I DO look, is there a stray elimination.

As for Lunareclipse- I don't see how leaving her in her "comfort crate" for a period of time is hardly inhumane. I don't appreciate your comment, it's quite offensive, as I would never put anything before my husband and daughter. I will not be the cooky, old lady who only has her rat dogs to accompany her because she's too nuts to live a normal life with other human beings. Just saying. We all can say offensive things, I think it would just be better to keep them to ourselves when civilly discussing puppy matters, don't you?

[reeskujo]

I understand your dilemma about living in a high rise so my suggestion is if you catch her in the act take her over to where you have her pee pads set up,place her on it and tell her "you potty here"..Now the other issue of her peeing on the floor only when your home...I don't mean to offend you but I truly feel it is fear based..Being she's been spanked and had her nose rubbed in it she fears you..That fear alone will cause her to pee and since she's under the impression that going potty is a bad thing she's not letting you know when she has to go..Eventually she can't hold it anymore and she just goes and she's looking at you to try and figure out if she's going to get spanked again.

As for her being in her crate I don't know how long your husband would keep her in there but with the exception of sleep time a dog should never be left in a crate longer then 4 hr.s at a time.I agree that you'll probably have to go back to the basics and retrain her.

[piratekitty]

Originally Posted by reeskujo

I understand your dilemma about living in a high rise so my suggestion is if you catch her in the act take her over to where you have her pee pads set up,place her on it and tell her "you potty here"..Now the other issue of her peeing on the floor only when your home...I don't mean to offend you but I truly feel it is fear based..Being she's been spanked and had her nose rubbed in it she fears you..That fear alone will cause her to pee and since she's under the impression that going potty is a bad thing she's not letting you know when she has to go..Eventually she can't hold it anymore and she just goes and she's looking at you to try and figure out if she's going to get spanked again.

As for her being in her crate I don't know how long your husband would keep her in there but with the exception of sleep time a dog should never be left in a crate longer then 4 hr.s at a time.I agree that you'll probably have to go back to the basics and retrain her.

I do have to agree. Shes young and she cant hold it that long. Take her out more often, even if you have to go down 16 floors. If you are going to have a dog and live where you live you need to take the extra time it takes to properly take them out often while they are young and learning.

[Fergies_2012]

As for her being in her crate I don't know how long your husband would keep her in there but with the exception of sleep time a dog should never be left in a crate longer then 4 hr.s at a time.I agree that you'll probably have to go back to the basics and retrain her.[/QUOT

4 hours??

i think some peoples comments on here are outrageous and very offensive, this is meant to be a site to receive help about your dogs not abuse.

[cigwyllt]

Would you be happy to be confined to a desk for 4 hours with no work, no human interaction, no amusements, no entertainment, no refreshment and no toilet break?

I see nothing offensive in giving people advice based on the welfare requirements of their dogs. As Luna, I believe, pointed out: the dog's welfare is the number one priority of this forum. Most people come here knowing nothing about dog ownership and are happy to learn, even if what they are told is contrary to what they have been doing. After all, people ask questions here because what they are already doing is not working! Where is the offence in that?

[Cowgirlmethis]

Originally Posted by cigwyllt

As Luna, I believe, pointed out: the dog's welfare is the number one priority of this forum. Most people come here knowing nothing about dog ownership and are happy to learn, even if what they are told is contrary to what they have been doing. After all, people ask questions here because what they are already doing is not working! Where is the offence in that?

First off, I never said anything about 4 hours in the crate, my husband WANTS to put her in, but I've not allowed it, however if I don't find a solution, or at least attempt to, I am dooming her to her nightimes in her crate.

Secondly, Lunareclipse simply implied that I divorce my husband being that he was "inhumane". That has nothing to do with my puppy issue.

Thirdly, with the exception of a few others, Reese seems to be the only person giving me advice on my dog, to which I have whole heartedly taken. If you have advice on this matter with my puppy I'd love to hear it, and possibly adhere; however I do not need marital advice or rude judgements on a "I love my Dog" forum.


I will attempt to start again from the basics, I do not want to get rid of her. Had we of known 4 months ago we were going to be living in a high rise apt in SKorea I wouldn't have gotten a puppy. But now she's such a part of my life I just want to everything to be back like she was a month ago! Haha potty trained! I'm wondering also if it could be that there has been so much change lately in her atmosphere, that maybe it's just stressing her out? I know I am stressed.

Thank you for all who are giving me puppy advice. Afterall, that's what I'm here for! :-D

[Fergies_2012]

however I do not need marital advice or rude judgements on a "I love my Dog" forum.


^ I don't like this i love it!!

Seems with my questions also people on here are a bit quick to judge and asume.

I am sure little Stella will learn where to go and when it just takes time and it's all about learning

[reeskujo]

Originally Posted by Fergies_2012

As for her being in her crate I don't know how long your husband would keep her in there but with the exception of sleep time a dog should never be left in a crate longer then 4 hr.s at a time.I agree that you'll probably have to go back to the basics and retrain her.[/QUOT

4 hours??

i think some peoples comments on here are outrageous and very offensive, this is meant to be a site to receive help about your dogs not abuse.

Cowgirl didn't have a problem with the statement I made as she had the ability to understand I wasn't insulting her but simply giving her advice which she said herself she appreciated..If you don't like the response people gave you on your thread in the "Breeders Chat" section don't carry it over to another members thread. If you don't like the people or the comments on this forum you're free to leave. The priority of this forum is the welfare of the dogs it's not to make sure we don't hurt anyones feelings..We speak the truth and if you don't like that then maybe you should find another forum..

Cowgirl, I'm glad you're taking heed to my suggestions and feel free to ask any questions you need to and keep me updated!

[Lara's mom]

I don't know if anyone else has experienced this but, when Bailey was around 7 months old, it seemed as if all of a sudden she forgot her toilet training completely. I remember one time when both mom's were setting up the Xmas tree and Bailey walked right up beside us and peed on the rug right in front of us! We were flabbergasted!!! Physical punishment in any form does not work IMO. We went right back to potty training basics and within a couple of weeks, she was perfect. We laughingly said that it was adolescent rebellion.

[lange]

This is directed towards the OP (original poster as I don't want to get into a debate on anything else on this thread); I agree with Ree's train of thought. I don't know if your dogs doing this from fear or something else but there's definitely a correlation to the dogs accidents and the person or people present. Why does this seem to be the reasoning? Because equation by elimination seems to point to the obvious. Your dog is in control and thrives properly when it's alone. The obstacle, than, is someone's presence. You're going to have to start observing your dog without judgement or emotion and try to analyze it's body language through out the day. Eyes alone don't tell you much about what the dog is feeling. You'll need to pick up on all the bodily cue's it gives off and when & what lead up to it. Then you should see some sort of pattern of what might be going on.

If I had to guess though, I'd look into your dog being a little fearful and confused by a specific person or persons. If that turns out to be the case then that person or persons should re-work basic trust ground work between them while also keeping a tighter schedule for the dog (which will give it more confidence & understanding in general) and try a completely knew approach to potty training. You can try clicker training instead or tying/leashing the dog to you whenever you're home so you can correct mistakes by guiding the dog to the proper place verses using touch, voice, direct eye contact.

Hope this makes sense....im kinda rushed but wanted to give my opinion too.

[Cowgirlmethis]

Update:

Stella has been doing fabulous since my original post. I'm not sure what it might have been, not saying that it's cured, however it seems to have subsided for a spell. I have gone back to the basics, and tried putting her in her crate for about an hour or so everyday, just so she can remember that the potty rules are still in use. She seems to be doing much better since I've been putting her in her crate.

Thanks everyone for the puppy advice! I'll continue to monitor her progress and keep y'all informed!

[piratekitty]

My trainer has always said go back to the basics with potty trainning,and reteach. Sounds like she was needing her own quite time space ( crate) Must have been the move to new area that was messing her up. Glad to hear you and she are doing better,
I think you said your husband was in the millitary, please thank him for his service, and may God bless him.