Hey all. I'm hoping some of you may have some advice for me. I have a 4 month old Hound/Lab mix. He's doing well in the potty training arena. He'll wander off to the door when he needs to go out, and only has accidents when I miss him wandering to the door, or am not paying attention. That's my fault, so no biggie.

I work 40hrs a week like most people, and am not able to go home during lunch. Luckily, my x-girlfriend lets him out during lunch, and takes him on a walk more often than not. He spends his days in a crate and at most if left alone for 4 hours at a time.

I let him sleep with me at night, our bedtime is usually around 10-11 and we wake up at 6 every morning. He's been sleeping with me at night since the x left, and has yet to have one single accident during the night! So, he's shown that while sleeping at night he can hold his bladder for 7-8 hours at a time! Wow!

Here's the problem... I leave for work at 8am, which gives us 2 hours to hang out in the morning, wear off some energy, and take him outside to relieve himself before he goes in the crate. I leave the radio on for him during the day, hoping/assuming this will comfort him in some way. When my X arrives at 11-12 he has peed in his crate! My X will leave the towel lining the crate, forcing him to deal with it, in hopes that he'll soon grow tired of laying in his urine.. Not the case, he continues to pee in the crate, despite knowing that like clockwork, one of us will be around to let him out every 4 hours.

Question: How can he hold his bladder for 7-8 hours a night, but during the day he can't hold it for 4 hours??

I'm beginning to think he has separation anxiety or something? I'm not up to speed on diagnosing that (nor would I be qualified to do so) but have to wonder what gives?

Is there something I'm doing wrong? Should I not leave a towel for him? I've read about lining the crate with a grid.. But.. I want him to stop peeing in the crate, rather than making it easier/more pleasant for him to urinate in it..

Help, I'm doing laundry every day!

Thanks in advance for any advice!

When you have your 2 hrs with him in the morning, do you take him for a good walk or run to release his energy? Do you have chew toys in his crate? A kong or something that will keep him busy for a long period until your ex comes?

It does sound like he is peeing in his crate to be defiant because he knows you are going to leave. When you come home, do you go to the crate right away and praise him? I know it's hard to come home and not do that, :(, but maybe try letting him out of his crate, and without all of the "hey buddy how ya doin" things, just open the crate and take out his pad, and say, lets go outside.

Take the pad or towel out with you and set it on the ground, in the same spot every time. Praise him once outside while putting the towel down, and even more if he goes on or near the towel outside. In other words, show him that he doesn't get any attention from you at all if he has pee'd on his towel inside, but he gets hugs and treats when the towel is outside.

I hope that helps you a bit. I have never had a dog that I've had to crate, but this has worked for me with paper training.

Hey all. I'm hoping some of you may have some advice for me. I have a 4 month old Hound/Lab mix. He's doing well in the potty training arena. He'll wander off to the door when he needs to go out, and only has accidents when I miss him wandering to the door, or am not paying attention. That's my fault, so no biggie.

I work 40hrs a week like most people, and am not able to go home during lunch. Luckily, my x-girlfriend lets him out during lunch, and takes him on a walk more often than not. He spends his days in a crate and at most if left alone for 4 hours at a time.

I let him sleep with me at night, our bedtime is usually around 10-11 and we wake up at 6 every morning. He's been sleeping with me at night since the x left, and has yet to have one single accident during the night!! So, he's shown that while sleeping at night he can hold his bladder for 7-8 hours at a time!! Wow!

Here's the problem.... I leave for work at 8am, which gives us 2 hours to hang out in the morning, wear off some energy, and take him outside to relieve himself before he goes in the crate. I leave the radio on for him during the day, hoping/assuming this will comfort him in some way. When my X arrives at 11-12 he has peed in his crate! My X will leave the towel lining the crate, forcing him to deal with it, in hopes that he'll soon grow tired of laying in his urine.. Not the case, he continues to pee in the crate, despite knowing that like clockwork, one of us will be around to let him out every 4 hours.

Question: How can he hold his bladder for 7-8 hours a night, but during the day he can't hold it for 4 hours?????

I'm beginning to think he has separation anxiety or something?? I'm not up to speed on diagnosing that (nor would I be qualified to do so) but have to wonder what gives?

Is there something I'm doing wrong? Should I not leave a towel for him? I've read about lining the crate with a grid.. But.. I want him to stop peeing in the crate, rather than making it easier/more pleasant for him to urinate in it..

Help, I'm doing laundry every day!!

Thanks in advance for any advice!!
Have you had any luck with this? I have the same problem... and I have no idea what to do.

He's stopped soiling his crate.. THANK GOD! In the end, he grew out of it...

I Made sure I walked him in the morning for an hour or so. More importantly, that he was up for at least 2 hours before I headed out to work.

I know that doesn't help you much.. But, look at it this way.. I was once at my rope's end with him and the problem, thinking there was no way he'd ever stop.. He did, just give it some time!

Duuoohhh... One more thing..

For a while I made him stay in his crate with no lining, no towel, no nothing.. This made him a little more reluctant to pee in the crate, cause he'd have to lay in it all day.. The first week he had a few accidents, but soon after he caught on..

Also, when I say nothing at all in the crate, I mean it.. No toys, or *ANYTHING* that will soak up urine! Boone was taking advantage of that, pissing directly on anything that would soak it up, then he'd push it to one side of the crate and sit on the other side... :)

I'm glad that he grew out of that. Horray! ;) That must not have been a lot of fun for awhile there for you!

Good luck, and I hope he keeps it up! :)

Ahhhhh... good call then!