Big setback with the Cockapoo

    • Gold Top Dog

    Big setback with the Cockapoo

    Hi all--  haven't posted in a while as things have been going pretty smoothly with my pup Lucy-- until today.  Twice she peed inside, near the front door (we never use it!).  As some of you may know we've had a really bad time with excited and submissive piddling and we've delt with that as we know she has to mature more and get over it.  We've also taken to not making our comings and goings exciting at all.  And I find tha if eye contact is made with me-- that is when it'll happen.  So I don't make eye contact at all, have her sit and things work out ok.
     
    But the peeing today-- out of hand.  Earlier today, after her bath, I found a mess by the front door.  It didn't look like much but definitely more than a piddle!!!  Then, an hour or so after I cleaned it up-- I got out the steam cleaner to make it more clean as it didn't look good enough to me.  And while I'm down on the ground cleaning (little green clean machine rocks if you have a puppy!) I look over at her and she's going to town relieving herself in a big way.  HUGE spot on the carpet.  I promptly grabbed her and took her outside, shut the door and did damage control.  What is happening?  Why is she suddenly peeing inside?  She has a doggie door and for a good two months now she has used it with great success with regards to her bathroom habits.
     
    I should also mention that Lucy is a big wimp.  I'm not kidding.  When I took her outside she cried like I was torturing her.  All I was doing was holding her and putting her outside-- but she wailed on and on.  I know yelling is bad-- it makes me seem unpredictable-- so I don't.  But honestly-- what is going on with her? 
     
    *sigh*
     
    Ok-- lemme have it. 
    • Gold Top Dog
    How old is Lucy now?  This may simply be that she's still too young to be 100% reliable. 
     
    Usually when one of my dogs has an accident, I promptly take a newspaper, roll it up, and smash myself on the side of my head yelling, "Bad dog owner, bad dog owner," because once you have a dog trained or nearly trained, it's still very up to you to get the dog out.  The owner will get to a point where he/she knows when and how often each day the dog needs to go out.  Although Lucy has been using her doggie door, you still need to pay attention and notice if she hasn't gone through it for a while.  Also, where she has had some separation issues, she may not like going through that scary door to the outside without you.  Give her a break and take her out to pee.  As for two pees in the house in one day being classified as "out of control," with a puppy in your house you need to change your definition of outta control. 
     
     It's also good to look at health concerns--have you recently changed her food?  If this continues, you may have her urine checked for an infection. 
     
    I'm concerned that you say that you "grabbed" her and that she whined and cried when you took her outside, and that you considered this to be because she is a wimp.  It doesn't matter what you think she is, what matters is what she's thinking, and that is that for some reason, you are scaring her with what you are doing, and you need to change the way to handle her.  She needs more gentle treatment and understanding, although you think you are treating her gently enough, she doesn't, and so you need to adjust. 
     
    That you cannot look her in the eye without a pee taking place is not a great situation.  You want to be able to look into those beautiful little eyes and show her your love and feel her love for you come right back at you.  It may be beneficial to see a trainer in order to heal some of this. 
    • Gold Top Dog
    I've always found that after baths, my dogs are REALLY excited, and usually need to go right away.  Dogs, like children, will have accidents even after they're supposedly potty trained.  This doesn't mean you're a bad owner, or she's a bad dog.  She just needs some leniency. 

    I dont really like doggy doors because I would rather know when my dogs have gone, or when they haven't, to spot potential health problems.  But if you have used the doggy door for 2 months and found it very useful, then it's up to you to keep using it.

    My dogs still have accidents in the house.. once in a blue moon.. but they do.  So I just put them outside, pinch my nose, and get cleaning.

    • Gold Top Dog
    Nervous or wimpy dogs often pee/poop inappropriately after their baths.  It's stressful for them.  Unless you notice this behavior continuing, chalk it up to that.