potty in the bathroom?
My 2 year old papillon tends to go potty in my bathtub with I am at work during the day. I never taught her to do this. This is not the only apartment that she has done this in. She did this in my last apartment too! I don’t want to punish her because if she needs to go I would prefer that she did her business in the tub where it can be easily cleaned up! Does anyone have an idea why she would do this?
dolci
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Don’t feel bad about your pet eliminating in the bathroom. I have an 8 month old Jack Russell Terrier, though I have my hands ful most of the time because she is so playful and a joy as well. Her humor amazed me while training her. The signs you are getting is that your pet needs to go out. Take it out more often and the training will come natural. My Dixe would go outside first thing in the morning when she woke up, she would pee, but no poop…apparently she loves to stay outside and I wasn’t waiting long enough, so..while getting ready for work, she pooped in the tub! Yes, I’d rather have her poop in the tub than on my carpet, and your pet is letting you know they have to go out. Mine as well…has pee’d on my leg, pee’d right next to me…that’s her telling me I waited too long to let her know. Now she will jump on my lap…paw me and talk to me in “dog talk”…that’s how I know she need to go out. As well as her normal times to go out…sometimes she just has to go…ex: more water than normal…extra play…excitement….etc, etc….Good luck and hope this helps!! Remember…they are sometimes like people….only they can’t talk!
dixiesmom
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Thanks for the response. I take her out 1 to 2 times before I leave for work. I make sure that she goes #1 and #2! Yet, some days this still happens. I have even been coming home on my lunch break to let her outside. Could she be eating too much? Her weight is normal, but she gets diarrhea very easily and has allergies to alot of different foods.
dolce
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Dolci,
Are you crating the dog while you’re at work? Most Wal-Marts have crates for as little as $34.00 for the smallest size one. I travel and leave my pet in her crate for up to 11 hours a day..which seems long, but..she doesn’t pee or poop in her crate. For being 8 months old, she has been trained to hold it while in her crate. Most pups won’t eliminate in their crates, it’s a safe haven for them and they feel protected and most usually will not eliminate while in them. When I let my pup out in the morning….1st things 1st..to the door for her pee…I praise her once she goes, clapped hands and all….and once she comes in the house, she gets a treat. If she won’t go…she doesn’t get a treat. This will help her with learning that she needs to go outside…Sometimes they can be confusing…Dixie will sometimes act like she wants/needs to go outside….she just wants to play and chase the birds..but…I stay out with her a good 10 minutes each time to make sure she’s had plenty of time to eliminate and tell her most the time to do her pee…it’s a coaching thing, but..so far it’s working…I let her out about every hour and 1/2 or when she tells me…she goes right before I go to bed, and once back inside…she gets a treat for peeing, and it’s right in her crate to bed…and she’s now going in her crate by herself (sometimes she wants to stay out), but most all nights…it’s right to bed!! Good Luck!
dixiesmom
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My year old Poo-Pom-Chi enjoys urinating in the bathroom also…only on the bathmat (good thing I can throw it in the washer!). I can get Pépé to pee outside, as long as the bathmat is not down, but I can’t get him to stop pooping in the house when I am home. He will hold everything all day, but as soon as we come in from outside he poops in the house…Any ideas?
Thanks for your thoughts!
Wendy
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Please do not crate your dog unless it is absolutely necessary. Crates are not a permanent solution but only to be used as a temporary training tool and never, ever for as long as 11 hours a day. Only very timid dogs or ones with trust issues actually like crates, normal dogs don’t. They accept them and use them in good cheer because they have no choice and they are usually to good to protest.
Small breeds have a faster metabolism than larger breeds and cannot and should not be expected to hold their needs for many hours at a time. It is just not healthy for them. You might as well resign yourself to the fact that such a small dog will not always be able to ‘hold’ it until you come home from work, but you can work around it by timing her meals so as to make her want to go No. 2 in the morning. Give her a good dinner at night and only a snack in the morning after she comes back from a good, long walk (20 to 30 minutes min). Another good walk in the afternoon when you get home from work, and a shorter one at night after her dinner. Praise her a lot (make a real big deal of it but no treats -never start a habit that you will not continue in the future) every time she goes No. 2 outside (dogs react better to positive reinforcement than anything else). Get a wee-wee pad and put it inside the tub until she gets used to it, you can then move it to another, more accessible location (she won’t be able to jump in the tub when she is old).
Good luck!
Bibi
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Gee…must be a different dog I was talking about….Seeing the pup is 8 months old and has ALWAYS been crated for 11 hours…and NEVER has eliminated in her crate…..I guess I have the wrong dog…I never suggested leaving any pup in a crate for more than 11 hours…it was a possible solution if the pup was roaming around free all day and being able to train the pet inside…gee…she gets treats AND praise for eliminating outside….I supposed the puppy book that I read was wrong with how to train a puppy…maybe I’ll go home and scold my dog for being good……….
dixiesmom
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i have had dogs all my life, been training 34 years. any dog will learn to like a crate, if it is the right size, if it is made to be fun,and remember that a puppy should only stay in a crate 1 hour for every month, but try not to leave him in it for more then 8-9 hours. to get you dog to like the crate throw a treat into the crate, when dog goes in leave door open.once dog willingly goes into crate and lies down on his own, then you can shut the door for 30 sec. increase time over several days till dog accepts being shut in.
granny
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I did not mean to offend anybody and apologize if I did. I also have had dogs (and cats, and birds, and fish, and reptiles) all my life (I currently live with 12 cats, 7 dogs, 26 canaries, one turtle and 1 amazon parrot and, because my birthday is coming up, I convinced my poor, extraordinarily patient husband to adopt another neglected parrot as my present). I train, groom, breed (only canaries, though) and rehabilitate them, and have been doing it practically all my life. I also work with abused dogs in two local shelters and train shelter handlers. There are many different schools of methods to train animals and as many books written about them but, as any other form of education, training is a dynamic and constantly evolving discipline. I remember when I was young (quite some time ago -I am a granny, too- LOL) people used to rub the dog’s nose in his own urine and hit the poor animal to housebreak him, something that we now know it only confuses him. But it worked. Until not too many years ago, vets did not routinely prescribe pain killers for animals after surgery, which they do now. But they got better all the same. Just because a practice has worked in the past, it does not mean that it cannot be improved. Crating is a good training tool for animals with special needs (I use them myself when rehabilitating abused dogs -gives them a sense of safety) but there is no need to use it with well-adjusted, emotionally secure puppies or dogs. The fact that a puppy or a small size dog goes to the bathroom very often is a normal and healthy thing which should not be prevented from occurring (would you think of doing it to a toddler?). And, yes, dogs do get used to crates but, if it was something they liked, why would they need to be gradually accustomed to it, as you very sensibly point out, Granny? The answer is simply that been confined for hours is not part of their natural behavior, canines been roamers by nature. Besides, why put the poor dog in a cage for hours and hours when all you have to do is teach him to go on the weewee pad? They are not that expensive and they are very effective, and all it takes is a long weekend of complete dedication.
In my personal opinion and training experience, if there are two ways of achieving the same end result, in the long run, it always pays to use the more natural, kinder method.
Bibi
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Bibi………no offense taken….as well I have had pets all my life. As Dolci’s question was how to help get her dog to stop from pooping in the bathtub. Her post led one to believe the dog was roaming free….albeit, my post was a suggestion to crate the dog until she got home on her lunch hour to let the dog out. Each and every dog is different. Just like it’s been posted..they are very much like humans to a point…they have there own way of telling us what they want. My pup even though crated during the day, doesn’t seem to mind, goes in it when she wants…has lots of toys all day to play with, and the best personality. Now…she’s a Jack Russell Terrier that is supposed to be active and rambunctious…she is the total opposite to say they least!! Though she loves to play…I have never had a more spoiled, joyful and a real “lap” dog though her breed is total opposite of that. Books have stated how they tear up furniture, rugs, cats, other dogs, do not make good house dogs or “lap” dogs…… So much to the fact that she actually tries to talk to me…humorous as it is…she gets her point across…but…human like to no end!! LOL!!! I couldn’t ask for a more behaved dog, or little companion. Crates, pee pads, toys, and lots of love and attention are what makes the dog a good dog and their owners loving them and taking care of them. That’s why we post suggestions and solutions. To help new and old owners with their pets….
dixiesmom
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Thanks for all the responses! I used to crate my papillon for the first year of her life (now 2 years old). When I could trust her outside of her crate I decided to start leaving her out. She was never very good at holding her #2’s for the whole day–even when she was in her crate. She is a very well behaved, trained dog. But I believe that because she is such a tiny dog that it is very hard for her to hold it all day long! I was just curious why she always picked the bathtub to do her thing. Not that I really mind–because if she has to eliminate what better place is there for her?
I think her potty problems had more to do with her diet and being in a new environment. I recently realized that she has an allergy to chicken and soy. Now that she is more settled in her new home and is eating a potato and duck based food everything seems fine.
dolci
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Dolci, that’s real great news. And kudos to you for been so understanding about the problem. I am sure your dog will live a long and happy life with you.
Warm regards, Bibi