Category: Puppy Stuff, Common Problems ¤
  Author: Shirley Chong ¤
   Title: Teaching 'Potty' on Cue ¤
 
Jackie, I read your second post in which Sarah did manage to pee on
your little yard. So I'm answering your first post, but keeping in mind
that the problem is probably largely resolved.
   Bitches can be harder to travel with than males precisely because of
what you wrote: they get fixated on one spot fairly easily. This is good
if everything is going the way you want--but let there be a change in
routine and oh my--it's a world of grief. That's why I urge puppy owners
to teach their puppy bitches to go anywhere and on many different
surfaces (grass, sand, cedar shavings, dirt, asphalt, concrete, gravel,
etc).
   I also tell people to teach their dogs to potty on cue. I've
travelled all over the US with dogs, up to seven at a time. If I had to
walk each dog until they felt like going, rest area stops would take an
hour or more! So I teach the dogs to go on cue and I teach them to go
BEFORE they walk.
   Getting it on cue is fairly easy--keep a close eye on the dog and
every time they start to pee, just as they start to squat say the cue.
When they're just about done, click and treat. It takes me about 2 weeks
to get a dog pottying reliably on cue (and I've done it with over 50
dogs).
   Marking is very common in bitches--my first GSD, Sheba, was a
dedicated marker and Chamois does her share of it (all outside, of
course!). My rule, for males and bitches that mark, is that they get two
chances to pee and THAT IS IT. They can learn to relieve themselves in
two chances, believe me. Plus, if I'm dealing with a pushy young male
who tends to mark in the house, I make a special effort to control how
much marking goes on outside. Control the pee-mail to control the dog!
<LOLOLOL>
   Housetraining is like any other skill you teach a dog--you have to
remove as many of the contextual cues as possible until they figure out
what the real skill is. I've fostered so many dogs whose previous owners
swore were housetrained that peed in my house that I no longer take
anyone's word for it (BTW, the best stuff I've discovered for clean up
is SIMPLE SOLUTION--easy to use and totally effective). Dogs need to
visit many different houses to generalize from "never in Mom's house" to
"never in a building."
   And unfortunately, what too many people teach their dogs is "never
pee when there's a human being nearby paying attention." They punish the
dogs for having accidents inside, thinking that they are teaching the
dog not to eliminate inside--but all the dog ever learned was "it's
dangerous to eliminate near a human being."
   If you've followed the thread on teaching dogs to ring a bell to go
out, that's an excellent adjunct to housetraining (after all, you might
have the occasional accident, too, if the bathroom door were always
locked and someone else had the key!).
   However, when she goes to another house and pees, it's probably
marking rather than a true need to urinate. So when you go to a new
house, keep an eye on her, and if she starts sniffing the floors, scoop
her up (most dogs will not pee on you if they can possibly help it) and
take her outside, then give her the cue to pee.
   Sarah is tiny enough that you might consider teaching her to use a
litterbox. I built my dogs a giant litterbox outside (8 feet by 8 feet)
and it wasn't difficult to teach them to use it. I know many toy owners
whose dogs are trained to use litterboxes. I suggest getting an el
cheapo plastic cat litterbox and cutting a notch in one side to make it
easier to get into. Fill with a thin layer of cedar shavings or sand (or
kitty litter) and put it outside. Don't go for having her pee in it
right away. Clicker train her to enter it and leave it on cue (get in
then wait for your okay to leave). When you've got good control of that
(and have peeing on cue), then chain the two things together--have her
get in, then cue her to pee. Once she's using the box easily outside,
move it inside.
   I have two reasons for suggesting a cat litterbox. For one thing, the
raised sides help confine the litter and urine better than the
traditional newspaper on the floor. The other reason is that most dogs
are not very conscious of what they're stepping on, so having to get
into a box helps them learn the boundaries of the area better. Plus, you
can take it outside periodically to scrub out and sanitize!
   Aaaaah, and last words of wisdom: it's fairly common for spayed
bitches to develop a type of incontinence related to a lowered hormone
level. What typically happens is that the bitch "leaks" a little where
she sleeps (and then may progress to dripping a little all the time).
They truly can't control it! There are two types of medical treatment.
One is giving an estrogen supplement and the other is giving a very
common decongestant (phenylpropanolamine). The pros to giving estrogen
is that once the right level has been reached, it usually doesn't have
to be given every day (sometimes as infrequently as once a week). The
con is that bitches occasionally develop aplastic anemia while on
estrogen supplementation, so a bitch taking it should be getting a blood
test every couple months. Phenylpropanolomine works by irritating the
urethra ever so slightly, which makes it easier for the sphincters at
the top and bottom of the urethra to tighten. The pro is that there are
very few complications (sometimes the bitch is drowsy for the first
several days). The con is that it must be given daily (1-3 times a day,
depending on the bitch).
   It's possible that Sarah is borderline for spayed bitch incontinence
and when her bladder is fuller than usual, she leaks. Basically, I'd say
wait and see--if you notice that she's continuing to pee where she
sleeps, then consider asking your vet for a trial of medical treatment
(and a better description of the pros and cons than I gave you!).

M. Shirley Chong
The Well Mannered Dog