I got a rottweiler pup about 6 months ago, and he’s smart and loyal and all the reasons one would get a rottweiler, but he has two bladder problems:
First, he wets himself whenever he’s home alone. I’m pretty sure the guy who I bought him from used to beat him, so I pretty much “rescued” him, and I think he gets afraid when I’m not home. I hear stories from my roommate how he whines and looks for me for a good 20 minutes. When he’s home with at least one person he’s fine, but alone he freaks out and pisses himself. Hilarious to talk about, not so much to clean up. I’ve had to keep him outside whenever we both need to go somewhere, but I live in the northern portion of the upper peninsula of Michigan, where temperatures and wind chill drop down well below 0*F, and that seems like borderline animal cruelty. Any advice?
Second, 1 out of 2 times he naps, he wets the bed. Not much, I’d say a couple tbsp worth, but I’m curious if it’s anything serious? And any ideas how to stop it? It’s kind of annoying having to keep the 409 nearby whenever I see him asleep.
Have you brought up a possible bladder infection with your vet? also is the dog crate trained? If your dog is kept in an appropriate size crate while you arent at home this will prevent him from relieving himself since he would then have to sleep in his pee. Also as far as him freaking out when you leave, try to leave frequently throughout the day whenever you get a chance for a short period of time (getting the mail, newspaper or just walk outside for a minute or so) this helps your dog understand that youre not abandoning him and you’ll return whenever you leave.
I’m a college student. Between classes (2-3 per weekday) and lifting, I usually leave the house 3-4 times a weekday. I’ll try leaving for shorter periods more often, maybe an hour’s too long right now. Thanks. :]
I agree that you should have him checked for a bladder infection. My sister’s cat was pissing everywhere (and hadn’t historically sprayed or anything) and they figured out he had some UTI issues.
If he is scared, you should look into kennel training. Some dogs have seperation anxiety but if they have a “safe” place (kennel) they will not freak out. I had a lab that did this. He found out he was safe in his kennel and would go to it whenever he was distressed (fireworks and other random things). When I left I would close him in it and give him something to chew on. He never whined once or went to the bathroom in it.
Be patient and you need to set boundries of what he can and cant do. If he pisses himself you need to let him know it is wrong. You need to reward him if he goes to the bathroom outside.
Get him a potty patch it worked great with my bull terrier. He gets walked and shits outside but he pisses only on this potty patch.
Good luck…and remember patience patience patience when it comes to dogs.
He never goes to the bathroom inside when I’m home, and I heard that if you randomly shove his nose in it or punish him, he doesn’t learn, he just gets scared. “If you can’t catch him in the act, don’t bother punishing him” is what all the dog books say. So I can’t really punish him too much for the alone accidents. And I don’t think it’s fair to punish him for going in his sleep, it’s not his fault.
[quote]Xander89 wrote:
He never goes to the bathroom inside when I’m home, and I heard that if you randomly shove his nose in it or punish him, he doesn’t learn, he just gets scared. “If you can’t catch him in the act, don’t bother punishing him” is what all the dog books say. So I can’t really punish him too much for the alone accidents. And I don’t think it’s fair to punish him for going in his sleep, it’s not his fault.[/quote]
+1
I wouldn’t punish him since you arent home when it happens but i would definitely reward him with a treat every time he goes to the bathroom outside
[quote]DOHCrazy wrote:
This is why you don’t get animals when you’re in a rented location in college.
Makes no fucking sense to me.[/quote]
You know, you’re absolutely right. I’m going to put him in a shelter right away. Thanks for the advice!
Way to help, douche. I wouldn’t have bought him if I was in a top of the line apartment. I’m not rich, I’m in a shit hole that I don’t care if he ruins. However, I do plan on eventually graduating, and I think if I could fix the problem before then that’d be great.
And before you get your panties in a bunch over my sarcasm and calling you a “douche,” yes I realize it’s the internet, and everyone has the same amount of credibility in an online argument: none. But if you’re going to post something on a “please help” thread, I think we can all agree that you should either help or keep your opinion to yourself.
Now I wait for the “you’re absolutely right, you just changed my life!” sarcastic reply.
Most of the advice you have so far is pretty sound. Talk to your vet and rule out any physical problems and then proceed from there. Really lay on the positive reinforcement when he pees outside and be sure to let him know that you are unhappy with him when he goes in the house. As you noted, you need to catch him in the act to make it really effective.
I should note that my dogs know when they screw up. I can scold them several hours after they do something wrong and it is effective. Nothing too serious though - just a look of displeasure and they turn their heads with a guilty look on their mugs.
Personally, I would build the dog a house and and keep him outside when you are not home. I grew up in MI and now live in central Illinois. The windchill down here is beyond wicked and my dogs spend my working hours in their kennels. As long as your pup can get out of the wind he will be fine. Do not make the house any bigger than what is necessary to allow pup to stand up and turn around.
No need to insulate it either (odds are he will chew it all down anyway). Fill it with straw and face the door away from the prevailing wind. A dog can take an ounce of heat and a pound of cold. If you go this route, I would also suggest that you get him a heated water bowl (route the cord so that he cannot chew on it).
I should note that my dogs know when they screw up. I can scold them several hours after they do something wrong and it is effective. Nothing too serious though - just a look of displeasure and they turn their heads with a guilty look on their mugs.
[/quote]
This can be true, but I’ve only see it with older, read: already trained dogs, that have an accident or can’t make it outside because they are sick.
My older boxer, would not even make eye contact and would avoid me if he had an accident, until it was cleaned and I was like “it’s ok come here” then he would literally brighten up and get all excited that I wasn’t mad at him.
[quote]DOHCrazy wrote:
This is why you don’t get animals when you’re in a rented location in college.
Makes no fucking sense to me.[/quote]
Your response makes no sense, as the inconvenience that the cleanup entails, not to mention the stress the dog is obviously feeling, would be an issue whether he was renting or owning.
X3 Crate and a chew toy. Don’t just throw him in a crate though, you have to get him going in there on his own. Leave treats in it now and again and make sure he sees you put a treat or two in there so he knows to go looking for them in there.
With my boxer, when I say crate, no matter what he is doing, I say crate and he goes running for it. 90% of the time I reward him with a treat for going in there. I leave one of those real bones for him to chew on else he will get bored. Also don’t put a blanket or a bed or anything in there, he will just get bored and eventually shred it.
[quote]VanderLaan wrote:
I should note that my dogs know when they screw up. I can scold them several hours after they do something wrong and it is effective. Nothing too serious though - just a look of displeasure and they turn their heads with a guilty look on their mugs.[/quote]
It’s called “displacement behaviour”, some people call it a “calming signal” - basically, they know you’re pissed at them, they want you to calm down. That’s how dogs calm other dogs down.
It doesn’t demonstrate any connection between the behaviour you’re pissed about and the punishment. For all you know you could be getting less of “being happy to see you when you get home” for your efforts, and given the proximity between those two particular events, it is far more likely.
Trust me, this stuff has been studied and studied and studied and studied… they just don’t get it when you punish after the event. Two seconds is too long.
When I was getting my dog to pee outside, I would clap, dance and praise her in a singsong voice LOL and dried lambs lung treat - dogs will do anything for that!