House breaking an old dog

[TRUNG DUONG]

Hello! I was given an 8 year-old dog from my brother, and immediately bought this online resource. Should I follow the “Potty Training,” guide from the puppy training section? 
 

This dog specifically urinates indoors, and has been doing so for years. He pees a little outside, but doesn’t empty his bladder, and then sometimes pees the remainder inside. 
 

Also he seems to pee quickly after he drinks water, so should I still leave water out all day? The dog is a Weimaraner if that is important information.
 

My brother got the dog as a puppy, but did not train it one bit. He seems smart, having learned some basic commands through clicker training in a couple of days. 
 

Please help. House breaking seems to be the most important thing I need to teach this dog.

Thank you all 🙂

[JMFS]

I feel your pain!  We have a rescue dog with a pelvic bladder, and she is highly insecure.  Not a good combination!  The first day we had her home she had 21 accidents.  I'm going to go through the initial list we all check, and ask some questions that might help Adrienne with her response.

1. Is he neutered?
2. Have you, or your brother, taken him to the vet to ensure there's not a medical reason?
3. Is he in a crate during the day, or does he get to roam?
   1. Limiting his space when you're not around to take him out could help him hold it
      1. I don't promise - Esther will have accidents regardless, but that's just a medical thing.  I leave a pee pad in her kennel and she's learning how to hit it with about a 95% accuracy these days, and she's stopped eating them
4. If he goes in the same general area, try putting pee pads in those areas.  Then you can move them closer and closer to the door over time.
   1. I bought reusable pads from Chewy because we're in for a lifetime of this.  Between washes I spray them down with Febreeze because as they dry they can get to be quite potent
   2. https://www.chewy.com/green-lifestyle-reusable-dog-pee-pads/dp/323446
   3. I bought the 34 x 36 because she tends to walk while she's watering our floor so it catches more
   4. At under $32 (autoship discount) it has been well worth the investment, saving money And the environment.  They're also more durable than the paper variety.  Esther used to pee on them, then proceed to rip them up so the mess was far worse than no pad
5. Rescue Remedy is another item I rely on to keep the flow under control.  Approximately 1 drop per 10 oz of water seems to work for us.
   1. https://www.chewy.com/rescue-remedy-stress-relief-pet/dp/135502
   2. You may even be able to find this at a local store if you can't wait to get started
6. An enzyme cleaner will be needed to get the uric acid out of your flooring to reduce repeat offenses.  I haven't found one more effective than another so Nature's Miracle or some such will do the trick
7. For puppies it's about 20 minutes for water to work through their system.  Taking him out Right after water won't give him enough time to cycle it through so you might want to keep your eye on the time, then take him out a minute or two before that.  I went so far as to set a timer for Esther.
8. This one is said with a major caution, and it's important to check with a Veterinarian before implementation.  I do meter Esther's water.  She is offered 8 - 10 oz every time she's peed, and after each meal.  This is because I know in the summer she needs 50 - 70 oz per day, a little less in the winter (based on a number I arrived at with our vet after doing a water test and ruling out things like diabetes, kidney stones, and spay incontinence).  Restricting water can be dangerous for their health, which is why it's important to come up with a number with the assistance of a veterinarian.  It could also be a temporary solution for y'all, where it's another lifetime thing with us.

That's all I have off the top of my head.

Welcome to the forums!

[TRUNG DUONG]

Thank you for responding JMFS! To answer:
 

1. Yes, neutered.

2. My brother claims to have taken him to the vet, but I am unsure, so I set up an appointment next week.

3. He roams freely in the living room and den with bedroom doors shut.

4. I just noticed he actually squirts a little bit of pee in lots of places indoors, and occasionally lets a lot out.

5. I will check that out!

6. I will also get some of those!

7. Okay, I’m going to get some hard data on this.

8. Ah, I see I see.

 

One thing I have noticed since I started to walk him, especially today, is that he pees a little bit several time throughout the walk, similar to how he pees around the house. I don’t know if this info helps.

 

[JMFS]

Well, if they can't rule something out right away (diabetes, kidney stones, infection) then just be prepared for about a month's worth of unknowns.  If they Can rule in one of those things right away then sure, it stinks to have an issue, but it's nice to have it known and be able to treat it.  Adrienne likes to say, "When you hear hoofbeats, think horses and not zebras."  We found ourselves a zebra.  🦓

Interesting that he goes in spurts.  Gertie, our 4-yr old, is a two-pee per trip pup.  After seeing the veterinarian it was determined that's just how she's wired.  For whatever reason she doesn't eliminate all at once.  Esther is like a clogged sprinkler, lol.  It was not uncommon for there to be squiggly little trails along our path as we were headed outside.  With the Rescue Remedy it's much improved.  It's really an item for nervousness, but there are three ingredients in it that are also effective against incontinence so it's a win-win for us.

Please update us after the vet visit - I'll be curious to know what they have to say.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi there, 

Welcome to the forums!

Please see some of my observations in non- bold:

Hello! I was given an 8 year-old dog from my brother, and immediately bought this online resource. This dog specifically urinates indoors, and has been doing so for years. He pees a little outside, but doesn’t empty his bladder, and then sometimes pees the remainder inside. 

It's always good ruling out medical issues when it comes to inappropriate urination in the home so to be on the safe side, although since he has been doing this for years, it likely isn't something particularly urgent to worry about, unless you see some worrisome signs (drinking excessively, straining to pee, blood in the urine, urine that smells, lethargy, acting sick. )

I am glad that you booked an appointment with the vet. The first step should be making sure that there is no underlying medical reasons for the inappropriate urination. This can include, urinary tract infections, bladder stones, congenital malformations (as it likely happened to Jennifer's pup), kidney problems. 

 Should I follow the “Potty Training,” guide from the puppy training section? 

Once medical conditions have been ruled out, we may tentatively assume that he is urine marking. Your dog's modus operandi for urinating matches that, since you mention that "he pees a little bit several time throughout the walk, similar to how he pees around the house'." Basically, when dogs urine mark, they purposely lift the leg to leave little traces of urine around for the purpose of "leaving a mark." The underlying reasons for this may be several.

You can read more about this here:

 https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/urine-marking/

 

Also he seems to pee quickly after he drinks water, so should I still leave water out all day? The dog is a Weimaraner if that is important information.

I would not restrict water until knowing what the lab work says and the vet making this specific recommendation. After your vet checks for medical conditions and nothing turns up, you can ask him/her his/her opinion on restricting water. Is he drinking excessively? Is he on any medications? 

 I just noticed he actually squirts a little bit of pee in lots of places indoors, and occasionally lets a lot out.

It sounds like he is urine marking when he squirts a little and then emptying the bladder for physiological reasons when he lets a lot out. 

He pees a little outside, but doesn’t empty his bladder, and then sometimes pees the remainder inside. 

 

We see this sometimes when dogs are distracted by something outside, or dogs who are multiple "pee-ers" like Jennifer's dog.  More about this is covered here:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/puppy-peeing-after-coming-inside/

 

Some extra tips once medical issues have been ruled out:

-Use a Black Light

Sometimes, dogs may have accidents in places that we may not be aware of. This is more likely to happen if we get upset for them having accidents  in the home and consequently they start to hide. 

To identify these previous accidents, you can use a black light. The black light used at night in a dark room will cause the urine stains to become fluorescent. It's pretty cool. Once you identify them, clean them up with your enzyme-based cleaner (Nature's Miracle) and test the black light again to ensure you cleaned up all traces. 

-Management:

Basically, prevent access to the areas your dog has shown a preference for marking in the past. Erect a baby gate or place bulky items to make the area inaccessible, especially when you cannot supervise. Once your dog gets better, gradually allow him more freedom, but always actively supervising closely.

 

-Supervise Carefully and Watch for Early "Pre-Mark Signs"

Quickly redirect your dog if you notice any signs of him about to urine mark (sniffing intently a spot, intent to raise a leg). Recording his behavior when he is outdoors and marking and then watching it in slow-motion can give you hints on his pre-marking behavior so you can intervene at earliest sign and redirect him to going outdoors. I like to rush towards the door saying in a fun tone of voice "let's go outside! " When you cannot supervise, your dog should be in his den area (hopefully he has never peed there, has he?)

-Establish Legit Marking Areas

Provide outdoor vertical objects (I like to use fake fire hydrants for dogs as pee posts) where you allow your dog to urine mark and praise and reward him for using those.

-Practice Walking By

Basically, before letting him free indoors, walk your dog on a leash indoors around the commonly marked areas, and then take him outside prompting him to pee in the established legit marking areas, praising and rewarding for using them. 

-What to do if you catch him in the act?

Ideally, you should intervene *before* your dog has raised his leg, by carefully watching his body language. So if you catch your dog urine marking, redirect him promptly by calling him away and taking him outside immediately, prompting him to urinate in the appropriate place (legit marking area if available) and praising and rewarding for going. 

-Train to potty on command:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/potty-on-command/

-Belly bands

Belly bands can be used for some challenging cases to keep the home free from urine. You need to make sure that it is wide enough and secure enough to stay in place so make sure of finding the correct size. 

 

I hope your dog has a clean bill of health! Keep us posted!

Best,

Adrienne