5 months and still not potty trained.

[Zumie05]

I have never had a dog slower to potty train than Gary! I have successfully potty trained my first two dogs (first dog was 1yr when we got her, 2nd was 4 months) but the difference is that I got them when they were older, so I am wondering that since I got Gary when he was only 8 weeks that I must have done something wrong!

Every day lately Gary will dribble in the house. He doesn't full on just start peeing on the floor, but he lets out drips and sometimes big sprays, but still not like how he empties himself when he goes outside.

So what is happening when he has his accidents? He is in the same room as me so I can keep an eye on him and he just leaks. He doesn't show any signs of needing to go either. I catch him, tell him NO!!! and then take him outside to let him finish. He gets praise for finishing outside, and I am thinking about giving treats again. (We stopped giving him treats for pottying outside at about 16 weeks because we thought he was potty trained by then, but lately he has been bad.) He doesn't seem to care about walking in his pee either. He will walk in it, lay in it, and will even pee right next to his food dishes or on his beds.

I KNOW that he can hold his bladder. Two weeks ago I boarded him for 3 days and they only let him out to potty twice a day and they told me he had no accidents there. At home we let him out 4 - 5 times a day. He never poops in the house either, he only pees.

When no one is home Gary is in his crate. He has never soiled his crate, except for this one random time when I was preparing his kong and he did an excited tinkle...grr! He also sleeps in his crate and has never, even when he was a baby pup, had an accident over night.

Gary does have a problem though; he pees when he is excited. Sometimes I think that may be why he "leaks" all the time, just because he is happy. Someone walks by and doesn't even have to look at him, and maybe he will tinkle. He LOVES stuff that goes on around the house and observes everything, but these things make him too excited. Maybe this is the root of the problem? I don't want to have to confine him all the time though.

Please help me, Gary's family is getting really frusterated and want to help him understand things better!

[Anne]

How old is the dog now? Have you had him to the vet to make sure there is no UTI problem?

Oops...sorry I just noticed the dog is 5 months old. I would be taking a specimen of his urine to the vet just to make sure all is well

[hokisteph5]

After you've had him checked out by a vet, I would go back to the basics of housetraining. I thought the rule of thumb was puppies can hold their bladders for how old they are + 1 in # of hours. For example, it would be a reasonable expectation (provided he doesn't have a UTI) for Gary to be able to hold his bladder for 6 hours (5 mos + 1).

It wasn't until Gretchen was 6-7 months old that I realized one day she had learned self-control. I didn't get Samson until he was 4 months old and he was 99% housetrained within 3 weeks. The only time he would have an accident is if he didn't feel well.

[Zumie05]

Originally Posted by hokisteph5

I thought the rule of thumb was puppies can hold their bladders for how old they are + 1 in # of hours. For example, it would be a reasonable expectation (provided he doesn't have a UTI) for Gary to be able to hold his bladder for 6 hours (5 mos + 1).

Exactly. I know he can hold it I just really don't think that he understands. Sometimes I don't know if he realizes that he is peeing in the house, because like I said he doesn't go into his little "potty stance".

This could be a UTI, but if that is the problem then that means he has had one for nearly a month now! Wouldn't there be other more severe signs if he did have one festering for this long?

[Anne]

Originally Posted by Zumie05

Exactly. I know he can hold it I just really don't think that he understands. Sometimes I don't know if he realizes that he is peeing in the house, because like I said he doesn't go into his little "potty stance".

This could be a UTI, but if that is the problem then that means he has had one for nearly a month now! Wouldn't there be other more severe signs if he did have one festering for this long?

Then why not take him to the vet to find out? UTI's are painful.

[Zumie05]

Yes I will take him to the vet no doubt about it.

Do some dogs just take this much longer than others? Or do males take longer to catch on? All my previous dogs were females.

[alice's mommy]

Zumie05: our dogs are the same age....Arthur holds it from 9pm until 7am easily. Plus he holds it for hours at a time during the day. I'd be worried about poor Gary having a UTI (as mentioned by others) or possibly a weak bladder?

[Zumie05]

I called the vet and made Gary an appointment, they cannot get him in until next thursday. I also told the vet that he is very itchy above his tail. He loves being scratchted there like all normal dogs, but he also uncontrollably knaws at himself there too and that is another symptom of a uti. Gary has also developed really bad breath, and I brush his teeth and add breath freshener to his water yet his breath persists. Is this another possible symptom?

At this point I am kindof hoping that he has one because if he doesn't then my potty training thing is just going horribly.

Is a week too long to wait to get him in?

[brunie's mom]

Yes.. a week is too long. See if you can get a fresh morning sample of urine yourself and drop it off at the vet's office. You don't have to bring him in for that. Use an old soup laddle or a pie tin to put under him when he piddles outside..pour it into a clean jar...and take asap to the vets.
I can't imagine my vet making me wait a week to bring a sick dog in,, I would be going to another vet.

The bad breath that you describe could be because he is teething. Their breath often smells like blood.

Gina

[harleychik66]

I realize Gary is young, but have them check his BUN and creatinine levels. When my husky was diagnosed her breath was terrible. The vet told me that sometimes the kidneys failing causes the bad breath.

[Zumie05]

Ok so I have been calling around to see if any place would just take a urine sample, and everywhere says if they haven't seen my dog before that we have to go in for an appointment anyways, and everywhere around me seems to be busy! What I am thinking I will have to do is go to the walk in clinic....which means I get to wait for 5 hours before my turn, and I will have to go on Monday before work because I work all day tomorrow and Sunday.

And just as an update, today Gary has peed in the house twice already, both times without any one passing by or anything fun happening. He really is just leaking.

[brunie's mom]

Drop the urine sample at your own vet! They should take the urine sample and then by the time they can see him on Thursday (which is way too long for a regular customer)...they should be able to tell you.

You would never leave yourself sick for a week if you had a bladder infection...not sure why the puppy should? If you own vet will not take the urine sample dropped off...then make an appointment with another vet office that can take you sooner for a check up.

Something is wrong when a 5 month old pup is still peeing in the house.

Gina

[Anne]

Originally Posted by Zumie05

Ok so I have been calling around to see if any place would just take a urine sample, and everywhere says if they haven't seen my dog before that we have to go in for an appointment anyways, and everywhere around me seems to be busy! What I am thinking I will have to do is go to the walk in clinic....which means I get to wait for 5 hours before my turn, and I will have to go on Monday before work because I work all day tomorrow and Sunday.

Surely you have had this dog to a vet in its 5 months of life? I would ringing around to find a vet that will see you asap. If this dog has a UTI then it's in pain and needs to see a vet urgently.

[Zumie05]

My normal vet is the one that can't get me in until next thursday, which is why I have been calling around to try to get him in sooner. The only one I know I can get into asap is the walk in clinic as you don't need to make an appointment.

[alice's mommy]

Aaargh, you poor thing...how frustrating! Let us know what happens, for sure! :(