puppy pee-help

[thankfulheart]

I'm truly at the end of my rope. We got a new puppy in February. She was 13 weeks old. Not potty trained. We started crate training her right away, she was doing really good and seemed to be getting it...but not quite. So we started leashing her to us so we didn't miss her cues. She did better. We'd go several weeks without an accident and then she'd pee on the floor. So we'd go back to leashing her and of course continuing the praise for going in the right place. She is still having accidents. She'll be 9 months old in a couple days...so I know she's still young. I've just NEVER had a dog so hard to train. Plus, the other day something fell over and she got scared and sprayed pee on the floor and wall near her. I wouldn't have known it unless I'd seen it. I clean up all her messes I DO see with Nature's Miracle Urine Destroyer...follow the instructions to the T. When the house heats up or gets humid it STINKS in here like dog pee. I black lit the floor the other day and it still lit up some in the areas that were supposedly clean. We just moved here 3 years ago, and put this carpet in the week we moved in. It's a big room....and it's got puppy pee all over it. I literally am sitting here crying because I feel like my house stinks especially when I turn the air off and the humidity rises, I can't train the puppy and dh is very unhappy about the carpet and expense to replace it if and when the dog is ever trained.

I know this problem isn't the end of the world. I'm just in a bad place, dealing with health issues with my little one, ptsd flare ups for me and everything is overwhelming me right now.

Is there a way to clean the carpet better? Any advice on the puppy? Am I doing something wrong? Or is it just her age?

---------- Post added at 01:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:53 PM ----------

Also, I think part of the reason she's been hard to train is she was kept mostly in a basement and went when she pleased.

She doesn't pee in her kennel at night and that's about 6-8 hours. So if it were a UTI or something she'd not be able to hold it that long I'd think.

I've read that steam cleaning is bad and that it will just set the smell in. Is there another way to do it professionally?

---------- Post added at 01:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:03 PM ----------

UGH!! And since typing all this she just peed in her kennel!! She's never done that. It was quite a bit too.

[Rivendell Raven]

To me, it sounds like it could be an axiety issue on top of her adjusting to being potty trained. Submissive urination or excitement urination could be part of the problem. Is she a high energy pup or does she startle easily? Is it a lot of urine as if she is emptying her bladder or are you finding random small puddles?

When I had dogs, I used a white vinegar/ water solution to soak the spot for a few hours, used a towel to soak it up, repeated then steam cleaned and it worked pretty well.

[thankfulheart]

Thank you! She is a high energy puppy. She's an Australian Cattle Dog. We have two others the same breed. One almost 10, one 4 and the puppy. The other two were housebroken in a matter of a few weeks.

The puppy came to us pretty jumpy. I think there was a lot of yelling in her old home. She does startle easy but nothing like when she came to us.
We don't yell at her for making a mess or getting into stuff. Over all she's a great puppy, sweet and loving...she just pees. And yes, it seems like she pees randomly. Like the little puddle that sparked the first post, it was only about 5 inches in diameter. Then the amount she peed in her kennel ( I still can't believe she did that) was a huge amount...like a full bladder. I don't know when she did the little amount though. It was cold when it was stepped in. But I had let her out several times in just the last couple hours and she'd go each time.

Do you think if I go back over the floor in the areas I already have cleaned (old spots) with white vinegar it would work? I know there is tons of that enzyme cleaner all over...I don't know if it will interact.

---------- Post added at 01:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:48 PM ----------

I went ahead and called the vet and they said it was possible she has a UTI.
They can't see her til Wednesday.

I'd still love all the advice I can get on training her and cleaning the carpet!

---------- Post added at 01:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:51 PM ----------

The jumpiness usually happens with loud noises. She plays and runs around with the other dogs and doesn't seem timid at all...but when something bangs she is very jumpy.

[MrsHutch]

I don't have any advice, but LOTS of and commiseration because our puppy we got in December still isn't housebroken either. Fortunately he spends most of his time outside, but it often seems like he holds his bowels until he can run inside to pee on something or poop in a hidden spot.

[Rivendell Raven]

Its good that you will take her to the vet just to rule out uti. She is young and may hide the symptoms well so its best to rule it out. FWIW it sounds like you are doing a great job with her and that she has come a long way. Sorry this is happening at a time when you have so much going on!

Usually submissive or excitement urination happens with human interaction more than with other dogs. You can try talking to her in a lower voice ( high excited kid voices and baby talk usually make it worse), try petting her under the chin/throat area rather than on top of her head. Don't hug her or grab her, even playfully. Try to be calm and reassuring. Try it for a couple of days and see if it changes anything. If you notice a difference ask the vet for some tips on submissive or excitement urination. I was in the veterinary field for a long time, but I've been out of it for a while now so my info could be out dated.

[Soliloquy]

How large is the puppy expected to get? Breed? Smaller dogs take a lot longer to housetrain.

[thankfulheart]

Mrs. Hutch, what do you use to clean the urine out of the carpet? I'm going to try vinegar next time because the Urine Destroyer isn't working.
I'm afraid the smell is worse than I realize because I live here and don't notice it.


Soliloquy, She's an Australian Cattle dog. She's probably around 30 pounds right now. Tall and skinny. She'll be a medium sized dog. My other two are between 50 and 60 pounds.

Rivendell, Thanks for the info. I'm not sure hers is a submissive thing. I I don't allow baby talking to the animals because it drives me crazy. But I will make sure dd and everyone else tries the suggestions about petting and playing to see. We had a dog when I was growing up that would pee every time my dad looked at her or a new person got her too excited. My dad is a gentle soul and she had no reason to be afraid of him but she'd dribble anyway. This one doesn't do that. She will cower a little bit sometimes, but usually only when there is a loud noise or my mom is around. She doesn't like her cane because it makes noise on the floor. Thunder doesn't seem to bother her though.

[Amber]

I am a fan of the plain Nature's Miracle. There have been times where it has taken more than one application to get the smell out. I have had pee spots still glow under a black light even when the smell is gone.

Taking her in to the vet to get checked for a UTI would be my first suggestion. I'm glad you already have that scheduled.

[MrsHutch]

Sorry, I have all hard floors. My heart really goes out to you over the carpet. I'd be going bonkers, too.

[thankfulheart]

I just told dh that if we have to pull this carpet up I want to replace it with hard floors. I'm SO over having pets with carpet. He then reminded me that we live in an old house and a lot of the walls are paneling..so we'd have wood floors and walls. lol So we paint the walls!

[Rivendell Raven]

How's it going with your pup?

[thankfulheart]

I wanted to give an update. We ended up having to cancel the puppy appointment for the day we had it and I moved it to the following week. During that week I really watched her and I really, really didn't think she had a UTI. So when it came time for the appointment I cancelled it. Very shortly after that she started whining at the door!!! No more accidents!! She whines or jumps at the door every time she wants to go out. Something must have clicked with her...I cannot tell you all how HAPPY I am!

Tonight is our 3rd week of puppy classes and she's doing great. It is helping her not be so timid and jumpy. She's such a sweetheart...I know she's going to grow into a wonderful adult dog.

[Rivendell Raven]

Oh, yay! I'm happy things are better!