[stacey_sharon]

Hello All,

We have a 2 year old Mini Daschund called Archie, who we have had since he was a puppy.

He is a well behaved dog, very loving. When he is left of his own (for no more that 3 / 4 hours), we never allow him to have free reign on the house. He is gated in the kitchen which is a good size for him to play about in.

About 3 / 4 times a week there will be a small pee in the kitchen, We tried using a crate for about 8 months but he would just pee in his bed.

When we are in the house, he will sit at the back door asking to go out and if we do not see him, he will come and find us (giving us a look to say I need out)

He goes on daily walks and we feed him Science Plan Chicken Light

Sometimes when he relieves himself we have noticed that he will stop and start peeing while turning in a circular motion (like he is checking he is actually peeing)

Is the Normal ?

About a year ago, Archie had the Op because he was humping all small cushions, Before the Op he would cock his leg to pee but since the Op he crouches. I questioned this at the vets but they said some dogs choose to crouch (that it is not wrong)

Is there any thing more we can do or is there something we are missing ?

We would love to get another mini daschund, so Archie has a friend but we don't think it would be right if we cannot cure Archie peeing

Any advice would be much appreciated

Kind Regards

Stacey x

[shazamataz]

How long has he been doing this?

Has he been checked for any urinary problems like a recurring infection?

Does he mind being left alone, does he cry when you leave or is he happy to just go in the kitchen and play with his toys?

I ask because firstly, some dogs can get constant bladder infection, same as people do.
They can also suffer from separation anxiety, which is a common cause for the peeing in the house when you are not there.

On a side note though, I have a male here that will pee for about 2 minutes straight, standing on 3 legs and he just looks around the backyard while he is standing there like he is bored with weeing, they do have some quirky habits.

[stacey_sharon]

He understands the term wee wee

I don't think he cries, When we are out we check through the window and he looks happy enough, He is always just laying on his blankets that he always pulls out of his bed or playing with his toys. We have asked the neighbours if they hear any thing and they said no (they are in all day too because they have small children)

Before we leave the house we say wee wee's and he goes striaght out, 9/10 he aways wee's and we have taught him from a young age to go to the back door when we return.

This weeing has been happening since a young age.

We are just lost at what to try next, We are going to the vets tomorrow so I will ask there too

Kind Regards

Stacey x

[shazamataz]

It wouldn't hurt to get the vet to check him out just to make sure.

The odd accident would be acceptable but for it to be happening 3-4 times a week there must be an underlying problem, whether it be medical or behavioral.

If you can come back after you have talkd to the vet then we can start ruling out some behavioral problems such as anxiety, dominance etc.

[stacey_sharon]

Hello Shazamataz,

We took Archie to the vets this morning and had his urine tested, They have given us some antibiotics because there was some crystrals in his urine but they told us they do not think there is any thing to worry about.

They are happy with his diet and weight so maybe it is just a behavioural problem, that we have to over come. Hopefully sooner rather that later.

Any other advice would be welcome

Kind Regards

Stacey x

[shazamataz]

I hope the antibiotics kick in soon so he feels better.

It might be contirbuting to it but it would more than likely be behavioral like your vet said.

Have you thought about the possibility of trying puppy training pads?
I know a lot of people are against them because it encourages the dog to urinate in the house but if you can't overcome the problem it might be worth looking into.
At least that way all you have to do is pick the pad up and throw it in the trash.

Also have you thought about resticting his water as well...
Never leave him without water, but just provide him a small amount before and during your time out.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you so you can get your new pup!

[stacey_sharon]

Hello,

Today we left Archie for 2 hours and before we went out we set up the camcorder. On our return there was no mess but he had whined for 4 minutes and then just retired to his bed.

We were shocked and upset because he was whineing but what could we do,

So we are thinking his weeing could be behavioural, but he doesn't do this all the time so we haven't a clue what the next steps are going to be.

Any advice welcome

[shazamataz]

What a great idea setting up the camcorder.
He could actually be having some degree of separation anxiety, even if it only is minor.

Below I will post my tip for separation anxiety, just have a read through and see whether you think it would benefit you.
It covers both extreme and minor anxiety.

------

Does your dog cry when you leave the room? Urinate only when you leave the house?
These are a few signs that your dog may be suffering from Separation Anxiety.

Some dogs do not like being left alone and some will think you are leaving them permanently and not coming back. Here are a few tips to help fix this problem.

When you leave, no matter how long for always have fresh water available. Toys are also a wonderful training tool as it will keep the dog distracted, I use kong toys stuffed with yummy food as a cure for boredom, having special toys or treats that the dog gets only when you go out are also a wonderful idea.

When training my own dogs for separation anxiety I first distract my dogs with their favourite toy and then exit my house through the front door.
I only leave for a minute or two, just long enough so that the dog does not bark or cry.
I then re-enter the house and give them praise for not crying.

Next time I go out I leave for a few more minutes, again only entering the house if the dog is not crying and giving praise.

Increase the amount of time you leave for and always come back before the dog starts crying (you will learn how long that threshold is pretty quickly)

This teaches the dog that you are going to come back and they are not being left alone forever.


Another technique is to not "baby" the dog.
Some dogs become overly attached to their owner and don't even like their owner being out of their line of sight, in this case the training needs to begin before you start going out

Start paying less attention to the dog, when he pushes for attention, don't give it to him
If he wants to be petted, make him wait.
As harsh as it sounds it is the only way to get the dog to start becoming less dependent on you.

After you have trained the dog to be less clingy you can move onto things like leaving the dog in the living room while you have a shower, or leaving him inside while you are out hanging up washing on the clothesline.

[stacey_sharon]

Hello,

Just to let you know, we started leaving archie for a few minutes (leaving the window open so we could hear if he whined). Every time we came in we would give him a treat. (only if he did not whine). Also we have not been given him so much attention, and we are seeing changes already, we are going to stick with this tough programme for a good few weeks, so fingers crossed everything will become good.

Thank you for your advice

Stacey xx

[shazamataz]

I hope it works for you!
That method had been around for quite a long time (I heard about it years ago) I have just rewritten it and adapted it to what worked for me.
It can take a bit of time to do, you have to spend quite a bit of time in the training, and it can also take a while to see results but it is definitely worth it.

Good luck!