1 1/2 year old JRT - can't house train

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    • Gold Top Dog

    1 1/2 year old JRT - can't house train

    I've posted concerning my boyfriend's new JRT before.  He is still having problems house training this dog.  He is doing everything right.  The dog gets lots and lots of excersize.  Every morning Brian either runs or rides his bike with the dog in tow to a park and then plays ball with him until he is worn out.  He is gone for 8 -9 hours during the work day.  The dog is crated when he is gone.  The worst part is he usually pees on himself in the crate, even when he's left in the crate for just and hour.  When Brian comes home from work, the dog goes for another run or bike ride to the park and plays ball until he's worn out again.  Sometimes he'll take him to the dog park.  I shouldn't say sometimes; usually everyday the dog goes to the dog park. 

    Still he pees in the house like it's no big deal.  He gives no signal that he has to go out.  He is let out at least 5 times a day, more if Brian thinks he looks like he has to go.  He'll go pee outside for what looks like to me an extended period of peeing, and then a couple minutes after comming back in side in he'll pee in the house.  This dog pees an amazing amount.  He is actually peeing, not just squating.  He stopped pooping in the house, but the peeing is an everyday occurance.  Brian lives in a condo, so he is walked on a leash, not let out in the back yard.

    We have started to think that him peeing in the house is his signal that he needs to go outside because he used to run him out right after he went pee in the house.  Obviously crate training is not working (yes I  understand this could be from a bad puppy hood).  Unfortunatly the crate doesn't stop him from peeing, it just prevents him from peeing anywhere else.  Oh and the crate has just enough room for him to get up and turn around, like it's supposed to.

     I've suggested restricting his water.  Brian's afraid this will dehydrate the dog.  If anyone's tried this with luck and without hurting the dog please post. 

    He does not want to use a diaper or band.

    I don't know if puppy pads will work in this situation.  I know how they work with pharmones and all, but this dog doesn't really seem to be interested in marking territory when he's outside.  He's weird.  He'll be running and then just pee - no sniffing involved.

     I've wondered about a UTI, but there doesn't seem to be any pain or licking in the area.

     Any suggestions?

    • Gold Top Dog

    A belly band would solve the marking in the house. It's not something he'll have to wear forever - just until he realizes that inside is NOT the place to go! Checking for a UTI never hurts - sometimes you wont see the symptoms like you do in humans. Dogs pain tolerance is much higher than ours (example of why they will run on a broken leg). I would rule that out first - before trying anything else. Is he drinking a lot of water?

    I would NOT use puppy pads - that will only reinforce his inside bathroom habits. I would not restrict the water - I see too many dogs not do well with this - but that is my personal preferance, others will have other ideas.

    • Gold Top Dog

    Unfortunately I know JRT's that no matter what the owner did they could not stop them "going" in the house. My girlfriend's dog actually jumped on her bed one morning and pee'd on her HEAD!!!! 

    • Gold Top Dog

    Frequent urination, in and of itself, is a symptom. I'd go beyond a regular UTI check. I'd have a culture and sensitivity done, to kick whatever's there OUT, once and for all. Dogs who have UTIs will often drink WAY too much, because it doesn't hurt when you drink too much. It dilutes the urine enough that you don't burn (trust me, I drink GALLONS of water a day, if I have one, it makes things much more comfortable).

     

    It almost sounds like he may have some separation anxiety, as well. If the UTI is ruled out, that's the next think I'd look into. Peeing in the crate, consistently, is what makes me think that. It sounds like he may be stressing when he's left alone.

    • Gold Top Dog

    I've never heard of jacks being hard to housetrain....maintain because of energy levels - Yes. I know many jacks, and jack mixes (my dog is one) and they have all been well trained. Being that he knows to poop outside - and it's just the pee, leads me to believe it's more of a medical (UTI) or behavioral (SA)

    • Gold Top Dog

    He does drink alot of water.  He was in a foster home before Brian adopted him about a month and a half ago. They did a check up on him and didn't notice that he had a UTI.  May I also mention that the foster home he was in was also a jack russell breeder.  this dog has gone fox and racoon hunting with her dogs. 

    He's always had this pee problem.  I would think that his foster mom as experienced as she was with JRT's would have noticed this problem.  We'll have to take him in.

    We know a little about his history. His breader kept him and made him a fly ball champion.  They then sold him to someone else who couldn't handle him and they gave him to Jack Russell Rescue of Colorado where he ended up with the foster mom for almost 6 months before we adopted him.  she said that he was the most energetic JRT she'd ever seen.  She really wanted to adopt him out to someone that would do flyball with him.  I saw this and thought he would be a perfect match for Brian, who was considering a JRT, specifically because of the energy level.  Brian wanted a small dog that was "manly" and tough.  He is crazy hyper and likes to rough house with my older dog who doesn't tolerate it well.  Not to mention this dog is a broken coat, which means he doesn't shed.

    I was thinking that if he was used for flyball by his breeder, maybe he was bred specifically for fly ball and maybe he was kept exclusively in a kennel durring the beginning of his life and wasn't expected to be house trained.  Maybe that's why his second owner got rid of him.  The foster mom did say he marked.  She hunted with him and had a dog door.  So maybe this dog doesn't have good bladder control yet.  Maybe he wasn't offered the opportunity early in his life to learn how to "hold it."  Sometimes V will be a little without even noticing that he did it.  then turn around and go..."oh I peed."  I wonder if he just hasn't had to learn how to hold it and is learning it from scratch now.  Although he does hold his pooh.

     We'll check on the UTI.

    • Gold Top Dog

    jojo the pogo
    He is gone for 8 -9 hours during the work day. 

     

    This is the first thing that stood out to me.  First of all I think you need to figure out if he is peeing because he CAN'T hold it, or is he peeing because it is linked to anxiety?  (What is he like being left alone, what is he like when he is crated and you start leaving in the mornings?)  OR has he been inadvertantly "taught" that the crate is the place to go - in other words, he feels stimulated to go just by being in the crate?

    jojo the pogo
    Still he pees in the house like it's no big deal.  He gives no signal that he has to go out.

     

    This is the next thing that stood out to me.  The dog is being in the house like its no big deal, because, TO HIM, it ISN'T!  Why SHOULD it be?  I mean to US, yeah, yuk, pee on the floor, GROSS!  Dogs don't think like that.  Also, don't expect him to give you signals that he needs to go out.   Some dogs never reach this stage and even the ones that do, the vast majority need to be TAUGHT to "tell" you.

    If he is drinking and/or peeing A LOT then you should get him checked out by a vet to rule out a medical condition (like a UTI).

    What are you cleaning up with?  This is crucial!!!! 

    After you have had him vet checked and done a real thorough clean with an enzymatic cleaner, I would suggest taking a few days off and starting over to house train this dog.  Tether him to you in the house so he CAN'T get away from your watchful eyes and take him out OFTEN.  Often and often!  More often!  When he is outside and he starts to "go" give him a Magic Word ("go potty", "hurry up", "go squat", "be clean";).  Say it ONCE.  Immediately after he finishes, give him a HIGH VALUE TREAT.  The BESTEST treat you can lay your hands on.  His FAVOURITE.  Have a stash of them near the door and take a couple with you when you go outside.  Reserve these for good toileting ONLY.  Good luck!

    • Gold Top Dog

    He is using Resolve.  Not that it matters cause the dog does not remark.  He always pees in a different spot.  Just 5 minutes ago he peed right next to Brian who was laying on the floor.  I really beginning to think this might be a UTI.

    He screams in the crate for a while after Brian leaves.  He gives him his breakfast and some chewies in the crate to keep him quiet and also to show him that the crate is not the place to pee.

    • Gold Top Dog

    any dog that pees in a crate should NEVER be crated again until the problem is solved. The only reason dogs can be housetrained is because of their "cleanliness" instinct to not-potty in their living space. You can destroy this instinct by forcing the dog to potty in a crate by leaving the dog in the crate too long and then you are in trouble. Besides, crating a dog for more than 4 hours on a routine basis is just cruel. If the dog can't be trusted loose in the house confinement in an easily cleaned room with a potty pad or an x-pen with a potty pad is a far better choice- the dog's not-potty-where-you-live instinct can't be broken because of the potty pad. Even better is a noon run. Hire a dog walker if you can't get someone in.

    • Gold Top Dog

    Hmmm, I think an x-pen is a great option as well.  This is what I use for my two and they are both about the size of a JRT.  They both can hold it all day,  I have a wizdog in there just incase I'm delayed for some reason.  Janet_rose recommended the wizdog and I think it's better then a pad because they can't rip it up.  I think pads are ok actually in the house, but I think the important thing about using them is that you have them in ONE place in the house and don't change it.  That way they don't get the idea they can just pee wherever they would like.  People that live in apartments successfully use them on a routine basis because it's not practicle to go out at night in a city enviornment (or safe for that matter).  I would highly recommend a dog walker if you can swing it.  I think that's a nice thing to do for your fur kids if you must leave them for an extended time (like I do as well).