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Olliepollywog
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28-01-2016, 10:26 PM

8-month-old "puppy" peeing and pooping inside-please help!

Hi, I have an 8-month-old "puppy" who seems to be regressing in his housebreaking. My sister and I also have 4 cats in our apartment, and all animals are only allowed on the bottom floor of our unit. This is because we had serious damage in our previous apartment due to our cats preferring to pee on our carpets rather than in the 6+ litter boxes we provided them. We are now in a new apartment and we decided to fence off (baby gate) the upstairs, and leave the animals downstairs since it's hardwood. However, some of the stairs and the landing are still accessible to the animals (because of where the baby gate had to fit) and we found a couple of our cats starting to pee on those stairs. I always keep a puppy pad down for my dog and he was consistently using it, pooping and peeing on it during the time I was at work. Then probably starting a couple of months ago, I'd come back from work and notice several piles of poop on several different stairs, along with pee sometimes on the stairs (sometimes on the risers so I think he is marking?) and absolutely nothing on his pad. My sister and I ripped up the carpet on the landing that the cats kept peeing on and now they've stopped, but the carpet on the stairs is still there and this is where he's going-so it's weird to me that he's peeing there because I don't think the cats have ever gone there. But what's most puzzling to me is that I or my sister will take him out and then sometimes he will come right back inside and pee in a completely different area across the room near the back door on the hardwood! The cats don't pee there, but their litter boxes are near there, so maybe he thinks that's OK? I'm debating whether this is behavioral or some sort of bladder or other infection? Peeing on the hardwood after going outside is completely throwing me. If anyone has any ideas, please please share! Thank you!
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tawneywolf
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29-01-2016, 12:07 AM
Well I would say he is taking his cue from the cats, they go inside, so he will too. Probably the smell of six litter trays and cats not always using them but also the floor and carpets is a little overwhelming. Could the cats not go outside to do their business instead, although I doubt your neighbours would welcome it to be honest
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muddymoodymoo
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29-01-2016, 01:43 PM
You say your puppy is regressing - was he perfectly clean previously? If not, maybe his house training isn't quite finished and you need to go back to the beginning, as if he just joined you and you had no idea about his cleanliness in the house. So no unsupervised time in the house, reward him when he toilets in the right place, and mostly importantly, clean all areas thouroughly with an enzymatic cleaner or get a professional firm to steam clean your house to remove all traces of odour.

Also find out why your cats are toiletting where they like. Move trays to different places, add trays if necessary, clean the trays every time they're used. You may also find plugging in Feliway or Pet Remedy to ease any tension that may be in the house.

Hard work but should pay off.
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Azz
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30-01-2016, 02:52 PM
This is a great article on house training your puppy.
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Trouble
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30-01-2016, 03:22 PM
Originally Posted by tawneywolf View Post
Well I would say he is taking his cue from the cats, they go inside, so he will too. Probably the smell of six litter trays and cats not always using them but also the floor and carpets is a little overwhelming. Could the cats not go outside to do their business instead, although I doubt your neighbours would welcome it to be honest
I've never known a cat to toilet elsewhere unless the litter tray isn't clean or the cat is unwell. I doubt you'll ever get rid of the smell of cat urine from the carpets. The tenants in my son's flat were told no animals and they took on a sick cat regardless and lost their deposit and received a quite large bill when they left as the carpet still smelt after being thoroughly shampoo'd 6 times and the rug was thrown out.
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Olliepollywog
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01-02-2016, 10:16 PM
We've found someone who will board 3 of our 4 cats (the problem cats) for several months while we work on resolving this issue. We've done everything we can, including what you have suggested, in order to entice the cats to use the litter box. They use them, but it's just not consistent.

Then I think I'm going to start housebreaking him through crate training. I kept him confined in our first apartment, but not in a crate. I blocked off my bathroom vanity area with a baby gate as it was a pretty large area, and covered the carpet with plastic tarp. I also put a couple of pee pads down in a corner, but instead of using them he'd shred them. I hated to crate him all day while I was at work. But maybe this has set me up for failure?
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tawneywolf
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01-02-2016, 10:23 PM
He has no idea what they are for, may have been bored shut in there all the time and shredding the pads gave him something to do. I pad/paper train my puppies from the time I start weaning which is about 3 weeks, if I see them squatting, straight away I lift them up and put them on the pad,when they do something on the pad they get told how wonderful they are and are left in no doubt it is a good thing to go on the pad. It does take a lot of time of course, but you've only got one older puppy, so you need to catch him ready to go (circling and sniffing, or actually squatting) lift him up straight away and put him on the pad, there maybe fallout here by the way, once he has actually done something on there, lots of praise from you so he knows it pleases you.
I am pretty sure the smell the cats leave when not using their trays is part of the problem, getting rid of that smell is not going to be easy, cat urine and faeces smell lingers like nothing else.
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Olliepollywog
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01-02-2016, 10:47 PM
I know it does. We had $1300 worth of damage at our last apartment, which is why we're boarding them until we can figure things out
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Olliepollywog
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01-02-2016, 10:50 PM
But how do you deal with incorrect behavior when you can't be there? I'd love to be able to redirect him when he starts going in the wrong place, but I can't since he's doing it when I'm away. This is why I feel crating him is the only way.
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tawneywolf
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01-02-2016, 10:59 PM
You're firefighting this problem thats the trouble. How many hours is this puppy left alone. The only thing I can suggest is that when are there then try and implement the routine. Does he have a walk round before you leave him, although he may well not do anything whilst you are out, it takes time for some puppies to feel secure enough to do their business outside, so if he doesn't show any interest in going, don't stress about it, that comes with time. One of my girls is just 8 months and never goes when we're out, despite the fact her mum and grandma go in front of her and she watches, she waits till she gets home and feels safe to do it. One of my other girls, was quite happy to go when we were out from about 4 months old, each dog is different.
He needs to recognise that the pads are there for that purpose, the cat's using the place as a toilet is confusing the issue for him as obviously he thinks that is what happens at the moment, and it could be that he won't get past that whilst the smell is still there and he has that as a trigger
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