I'm messing up his potty training :(

So the vet just called me, no UTI in Hugo's wee, everything looks perfectly normal which is really good news.

I have stopped using the crate as no matter how small I make it he will mess it and sit in it. Yesterday I came down to puppy covered in poo and wee. I don't want him to get used to lying in his mess so he's now in an x-pen for room to go if he needs to away from his bed. He even messed in the little carrier I use for the car when he had just been out to potty. I think he's getting so worked up about being stuck in such a small area that he voids from stress. He is happier in the x-pen and will probably have a fair few accidents in the coming weeks but I think this is the best solution for him.
 
I'm so glad that Hugo doesn't have a UTI. I hope the X-pen does the trick. Please keep us posted! PS- How are you feeling?
 
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kagzigian said:
I'm so glad that Hugo doesn't have a UTI. I hope the X-pen does the trick. Please keep us posted! PS- How are you feeling?
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Much better thanks, up and about and almost back to normal. Thanks for asking :smile2:

Today the x-pen has been working really well. No accidents, all wees and poos outside with treats and praise. All good until my fiancé and I went out for an hour. We came back to find Hugo had weed on his bed even though he has plenty of room to go on the floor away from the bed, and Darla had chewed my brand new soggy doggy door mat that I had forgotten to pick up before I left :no: She has full run of the house and doesn't normally chew things that aren't hers so this was a little surprising and very disappointing. Her access to the lounge has been denied now whilst we aren't in there, too many chewable things for her in there!
 
I've noticed that Hugo will only wee on his bed when we leave the house, so I set up a video camera to see his activities whilst alone. I was expecting him to be crying and howling, but his behaviour didn't seem to be as distressed as I had imagined. He wimpered a little, but it's hundreds times better than Darla was at that age.

He has only developed this habit of weeing on bedding since being crated. Thinking he probably doesn't have anywhere else to pee and if the distress is causing him to pee, I set him up in an x-pen to give him space to relieve himself away from the bed. Well, I got home after leaving him for an hour and looked at the video. Looks like he is ACTIVELY seeking out his bed to wee and poo on. Everything I have read online suggests 'normal' dogs don't do this. Has the crate somehow screwed him up then?

He peed 5 mins after we left the house, even though he had a wee and a treat and a praise 5 mins before we left the house. He pooed 14 mins after we left the house after having several opportunities to go. I understand it's probably the stress of being left alone that is making him wee and poo, that's fine, I can deal with that and work on it. It's the fact that he is seeking out his bed to do these things that really worries me. According to online sources, this is not normal at all!

Here are the vids, showing one wee and one eaten poo. http://www.flickr.com/photos/92852798@N02/
 
When my girl was a puppy, I threw her bed out and didn't buy her a new one until she was house broken. She also had a habit of peeing on her bed. In her crate, I bought a bunch of cheap baby blankets, so I could easily toss them in the wash.

Your puppy may smell his urine on the bed and will keep peeing on it. I'd get rid if it and I'd buy some Nature's Miracle and do a really thorough cleaning of the areas he like to pee and deficate. You have to get rid of the smell as much as possible.
 
I concur - toss the bed and buy some cheap washable throws (that's what I did with Holly).

As for the poo eating vid - Darla seemed highly entertained :smile2:
 
take4roll10 said:
When my girl was a puppy, I threw her bed out and didn't buy her a new one until she was house broken. She also had a habit of peeing on her bed. In her crate, I bought a bunch of cheap baby blankets, so I could easily toss them in the wash.

Your puppy may smell his urine on the bed and will keep peeing on it. I'd get rid if it and I'd buy some Nature's Miracle and do a really thorough cleaning of the areas he like to pee and deficate. You have to get rid of the smell as much as possible.
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I take it washing in detergent isn't enough to get rid of the smell then? Can I put natures miracle in the washing machine or should I hand wash the towels in the basin?
 
Chinchi said:
I take it washing in detergent isn't enough to get rid of the smell then? Can I put natures miracle in the washing machine or should I hand wash the towels in the basin?
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No, standard cleaners, like washing detergent will not get rid of the enzymes in the urine and/or poo. Those enzymes leave an order behind that other animals, with their enhanced sense of smell, can detect. It's why dogs sniff trees even when there is no sign a dog urinated on it recently.

You need to clean EVERYTHING Hugo peed or pooed on with a cleaning agent that will remove the enzymes left behind. This could also be why he continued to pee/poo in his crate. The smell was there and that's like a signal that 'this is an OK spot to pee/poo'.

I do agree with the others who said to toss the bed and don't buy another until he's over a year old and fully house trained. Inexpensive towels/blankets you can wash easily are the way to go. I bought used baby blankets at thrift stores for Edan.
 
Silaria said:
You need to clean EVERYTHING Hugo peed or pooed on with a cleaning agent that will remove the enzymes left behind. This could also be why he continued to pee/poo in his crate. The smell was there and that's like a signal that 'this is an OK spot to pee/poo'.
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Ok, I will give that a go.

And IF that doesn't work, what would the next step be?
 
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