Messing in House at Night Only

• 11-08-2007 12:46 AM

  Brandeek1 Joined on 11-08-2007 Posts 1 Points 0

  Messing in House at Night Only Reply Contact Hi. I have an Arkansas Giant named Czul.  He will be 2 in March of 2008.  I love the dog.  I got him last March because my husband works out of state a lot and leaves me adn my 4 kids at home.  I just did not feel very safe.  I do now.  I love this huge dog.  He weighs 162 pounds now.  He is such a baby though.  My house cat beats him up.  Well, enough backgound.  Now to my problem.  Czul has gotten into the bad habit of messing in the house every night.  Just one time.  If I kennel him, he does not go in his kennel.  He is able to hold it while in his kennel, but not when he is out.  Any suggestions??  I have cleaned the area with clorox water,clorox cleanup, sprayed it with housetraining aid, and just cannot come up with any ideas on how to stop this behavior.  I really need to leave him out at night.  I just cannot sleep with him in the kennel because I just donot feel safe.  Please help. I am desperate. Thanx   Brandee   brandeek1@yahoo.com

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• 11-08-2007 5:50 AM

  In reply to Brandeek1

  Chuffy Joined on 12-17-2006 UK Posts 7,886 Points 245

  Re: Messing in House at Night Only Reply Contact Has he been checked by a vet to rule out something medical?  Has anything changed recently which may have stressed him out?  What can you do to increase his feeling of security and relieve any anxiety?  I have a similar issue with one of my dogs.  I just crate him at night.  But if you wanted to have him out of his kennel at night you have a couple of options.. 1: Confine him at night for the time being and give him the highest value reward you can think of for doing his business in the morning.  Done for long enough, this might just be enough to break the habit, especially if he has not been doing this long. 2:  Treat him as if he were a puppy and unable to hold it through the night.  Get up in the night to take him out, well before he is likely to have had an accident.  Get up at intervals through the night, 2 or 3 times, or even more at first to play it safe.  Again - super duper rewards for doing it outside.  Phase out the nighttime wee breaks after a few nights, gradually leaving it longer and longer between trips, until he is just going the once at bedtime and waiting till morning.  This sounds like the longer way of doing it and I know its a horrible prospect having to face getting up at night again (my 6mo son just started teething!) but this will probably give you the best results and wont take as long as you think.  HOW long depends on the individual dog... for example, how long has he been doing this?  What do you do when you find a mistake? "Give a man a fire and he is warm for a day, but set fire to him and he is warm for the rest of his life." - Pratchett, "Jingo"

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• 11-08-2007 6:16 AM

  In reply to Brandeek1

  FourIsCompany Joined on 07-30-2007 Posts 4,738 Points 1,035

  Re: Messing in House at Night Only Reply Contact Hi Brandee. Great advice from Chuffy. I would get up and take him out in the night. Sort of a potty training refresher course. Another thought I had  was to get a doggie door so he can let himself out. That's what we have here. And you say messing in the house... Depending on whether it's liquid or solid "mess", you could take up his water at 6 PM and/or feed him earlier to try to get his business taken care of before you go to bed. And let him out as late as possible to do business. What are you feeding him?  Any vegetables? LSTM (Laughing Silently to Myself) Click Daily to Give Free Food and Care to Animals: http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=3

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• 11-08-2007 7:57 AM

  In reply to Brandeek1

  spiritdogs Joined on 09-10-2007 Posts 12,431 Points 1,045

  Re: Messing in House at Night Only Reply Contact  Did you ever scold him for mistakes when he was being housetrained?  If so, he may have learned that it isn't ok to "go" in front of you, so he may be holding it when you take him out to potty.  I agree with going back to housetraining 101, but I would bite the bullet and crate him for a little while.  In the morning, you can take him out and wait till he goes, then reward him with some praise and a tidbit.  (Be sure to wait until he finishes, some dogs learn that they can get the treat by stopping in midstream or mid-poop LOL).  If, after you go that route, your dog is still defecating in the home at night, it could be that his feeding schedule needs to be adjusted so that he has more urge in the daytime, rather than at night.  Be sure to clean up any areas that he might be tempted to return to with an enzymatic product like Petastic. Regional Director for Massachusetts, International Positive Dog Training Association Director, SeniorCare Pawsitive Connections Program AKC CGC Evaluator #3669 Therapy Dogs, Inc. Tester/Observer Sioux, CGC, TDInc. Maska, CGC, TDInc. Sequoyah, CGC Fergie, Retired Lap Dog, Age 20 1/2 Dancer, CGC, TDInc. (1989-2006) #1 Heart Dog In memory of Mike, please become an organ donor today. "If you talk to the animals they will talk with you and you will know each other. If you do not talk to them you will not know them and what you do not know, you will fear. What one fears, one destroys." - Chief Dan George "The fidelity of a dog is a precious gift demanding no less binding moral responsibilities than the friendship of a human being. The bond with a true dog is as lasting as the ties of this earth can ever be." ~ Konrad Lorenz

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• 11-08-2007 9:40 PM

  In reply to Brandeek1

  espencer Joined on 09-25-2006 St Louis Posts 3,654 Points 300

  Re: Messing in House at Night Only Reply Contact Do you exercise your dog? your dog might been accumulating energy during the day and at night he might be at the highest point, if you go to bed without helping your dog to release his energy he will find his own ways to do it and very often you are not going to like those ways If you exercise your dog, not to a point of him being exhausted, but just normal walks of at least 30 minutes twice a day, you might help the dog to be ready to go to bed with you at night   "There are not bad dogs, only bad owners"

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• 11-09-2007 12:20 AM

  In reply to espencer

  Cita Joined on 12-13-2006 CT Posts 5,903 Points 845

  Re: Messing in House at Night Only Reply Contact How long does he have to "hold it" at night? Maybe he just can't make it quite that long? If "houstraining 101" doesn't work, you might consider as a last resort teaching him to use puppy pee pads or a litterbox during the night... with a dog that big though, I think it would seriously have to be a last resort, because that could get quite messy. But if after a few weeks of really hard work on re-housetraining him it doesn't seem to be working, come back for more tips :)

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• 11-09-2007 12:43 AM

  In reply to Cita

  whtsthfrequency Joined on 09-10-2007 Blacksburg, VA Posts 1,148 Points 100	Re: Messing in House at Night Only Reply Contact Pardon my hijack but what is an Arkansas Giant? 162 lbs, that's a big boy! :)
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• 11-09-2007 9:34 AM

  In reply to whtsthfrequency

  Chuffy Joined on 12-17-2006 UK Posts 7,886 Points 245

  Re: Messing in House at Night Only Reply Contact whtsthfrequency: Pardon my hijack but what is an Arkansas Giant?   I *think* it's a kind of bulldog...??? Very recent, think it is still produced by crossing different dogs and doesn't breed true yet, but I could be wrong.  Mix of bulldog and staffy or pittie. All dogs need exercise, but I don't see how giving the dog more physical exercise is going to help him hold his pee through the night... how does that work?  My dogs toilet in a specific area in our garden and very rarely go when we are out on walks.... When William came along they had less exercise while we adjusted to having a baby in the house and there weren't any house soiling incidents. Oh well. "Give a man a fire and he is warm for a day, but set fire to him and he is warm for the rest of his life." - Pratchett, "Jingo"

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• 11-09-2007 10:05 AM

  In reply to Chuffy

  mudpuppy Joined on 09-10-2007 Posts 5,991 Points 100	Re: Messing in House at Night Only Reply Contact I don't get the exercise = stop peeing in house link either. Oh well. Does he "go" in the same general location?  have you cleaned it up with an enzymatic cleaner? if not, there will be residual smell that will encourage him to go there again. I'd love to see a pic, never heard of a "Arkansas giant".
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