A house-trained dog who still fouls your floors

Third in a series

What to do if the pee continues

Shouldn’t applying a dog’s behavioral instincts to her house training yield pristine results? Sadly, we humans and our pets are imperfect. If Kiki somehow lets loose on the rug again, fuhgeddaboudit. Literally ignore her mistakes and yours – for loosing track of her. Even mentioning it would reinforce a habit you are desperately hoping she will abandon. Quickly forgive Kiki and yourself. Keep calm and carry on.

After a couple of weeks of close-tether training Kiki (tethered to you by day, crated at night) should be clear on the concept. About 15 minutes after her breakfast you can drop the tether, lurk around a corner, and stalk your dog. You’ll be ready as the little peer moseys off dragging the leash. If she starts to squat you’ll silently pounce on the leash and quickly lead her to the designated outdoor dumping ground. Even if she’s finished when you get there, you’ll reward her anyway with a jaunt off-territory. Then clip the leash to your belt again and return to supervised outdoor opportunities for a few more days. Then you’ll give your student another chance to fly solo and demonstrate her skills.

There could be more going on. If Kiki acts like she’s catching on but she still can’t control her urine she should see her doctor. Dogs can suffer from painful urinary infections or bladder stones. These pupsters have a burning need to urinate often. There could be a bigger problem like kidney disease, even in a 3 year old dog. Diabetes and excess cortisol from the adrenal glands, called Cushing’s syndrome, cause excessive thirst and urine production, filling a dog’s bladder fast. Less often, we see a birth defect called ectopic ureters that drain urine into the vaginal tract instead of the bladder. Surgery is the cure for these dribblers.

Spayed female dogs, having bidden farewell to their ovaries, may carry a different handicap. About 20% of them no longer have quite enough estrogen to maintain control of their bladder’s sphincter muscle. These girls leak only when resting or sleeping. We have safe and reliable medications to make this a non-problem.

Next week: A urine soiler who can’t quite quit can still share a clean life.

For help with behavior problems, you can sign-up for a Zoom Group Conference on my website, drjeffnichol.com.

Dr. Jeff Nichol is a residency-trained veterinary behaviorist in Albuquerque. He provides consultations by Zoom group and individually/in-person. Sign up for his weekly blog or post questions (drjeffnichol.com) or by US Post to 4000 Montgomery Blvd. NE, Albuq, NM 87109.