I've a real pee problem Yikes!

[sweethearts]

Oh my poor carpets. I take her out several times a day and she usually goes. She's 5 months old now.We have a couple pee pads in the house which were working very well up until the last couple days. I tried my best to have the pee pads for "just in case" and was using them since we got her. We also live in a condo unit so we have to get out the bldg. to the grassy area and that takes a couple extra minutes getting there.Anyway...she will not use the pee pads AT ALL in the last 2 days and has even started peeing in areas that were not her regular pee areas. What am I doing wrong? Its this a normal phase of devolpment? I've always watched for a sign to let me know she has to go like a bark at the door, or standing near her leash. Just something. Anything! My eyes are always open for this. But nothing. We've not had any thing out the ordinary happen in out home lately so I'm wondering what's going on. PLEASE HELP! She's doing so great otherwise. The housebreaking is such a challenge. Should she completely broken by this point. Why going in different areas and NOT even using the pads. She's gets a good bablance of play, solicization, and rest each day. Most of my time is devoted to her. I think I jusr need some advice with these trickier parts. Anything would be appreciated. I love my girl. She's made me a better person.

[tara]

Don't worry, this too shall pass! Holly is a year and a half and still doesn't give me a "sign." I'm probably just housetrained, not Holly. I'm a stay at home mom, so this was easier for me, but I took Holly out to potty at least every 30 minutes when she was young. I took her out the second she woke up from a nap, after she played, etc. Even today, I still take her out at least every hour and a half. For serious house training, it takes a very consistent schedule and a lot of going out to potty.

She'll get there -- she's really still just a baby! Hang in there and keep focusing on all the reasons she's made your life happier. You've got it harder than some as you can't go out immediately into a yard. It's kind of like a baby and sleeping through the night -- you think it will never happen, but then you look back and realize that baby is in kindergarten!

Good luck and know that you're not alone!

[Nicki]

5 months is still very much a baby - you can't expect them to be completely reliable until at least a year.

Please buy Shirlee Kalstone's book on housetraining as it will give you a better idea how to proceed. You can get it easily on Amazon.co.uk/com

There are also a lot of threads that will give an outline on housetraining as well as a thread in the Library. They all say pretty much the same thing. There are no special circumstances -- housetraining always follows a basic pattern and problems are always due to the same mistakes or misunderstandings.

I think maybe you need to be going out more often - by this age, every 2 hours. Rewarding and praising for going outside. Never, ever punish for going inside.

Sometimes wee wee pads confuse them - it teaches them that it is ok to go inside. It sounds like she is very confused and that is why she has stopped using them - I would lift them completely.

You need 100% supervision 100% of the time and there are NO shortcuts to avoiding this. Most dogs cannot be left to come and go as they please without constant supervision til they are closer to a year old.

Every single time she goes inside is like regressing two steps back as it further imprints going inside is OK in her mind. It means it will take longer to get to the end goal.

Finally every single accident must be cleaned up with an enzymatic cleaner that can break down the scent for the dog. Normal housecleaning items *will not do this* and she will just keep returning to wheres he has gone before.

I would also feed her in the places where she has peed - most dogs don't soil where they eat.

It will get better, you'll suddenly realise you've not had any accidents for days - but it does just take perseverance.

[Justine]

My boys still revert backwards,perhaps its a wee wee infection,have a smell of her pee,if its smells strong it could be that.

[Karlin]

Good advice above BUT: I would start be getting her to a vet right away. peeing like this, especially when she is suddenly no longer using the pads, sounds very possibly to be a urinary infection and she would need medication to treat this or it will get worse.

If that is eliminated as a problem, then I'd really use a good guidebook. Pads are IMHO always a terrible approach (though ingrained in books and trainers as a 'normal approach, unfortunately!) simply because you are still training her to pee in the house, and then have to train all over to go outside. Pee pads are generally discontinued as well much earlier than 5 months so she is really going to be forming a permanent habit of going inside.

The other issue is simply, management. Why does she have so many opportunities to get to carpets and relieve herself? She needs to be more closely watched and limited in where she can go if she is having regular chances to go on carpets and around the house. I suspect you like many of us guessed she was much further along in training based on a few good days or even weeks of few to no accidents whereas housetraining as Nicki notes takes months and needs constant supervision and control at that time. Shut doors, confine her to the room where you are, and have her in arm's reach at all times or crate her. Given the frequency of accidents I would start at the beginning again and proceed carefully. Dogs can take a year to be fully housetrained and even then the odd accident often happens. I think she is really too young to be doing behaviours to signal she wants to go out. Mostly it is circling around, sniffing the ground. If she isn't doing this then I think she may well have a UTI. Most cavaliers in my experience do NOT give signs like barking, to let owners know they wan to go out - unless you specifically train them to do this. Of my five only ONE will bark and then only sometimes.I take them al out 4 times a day on average, on a regular schedule. Dogs love schedules and it really helps them to know when pee-time happens.

Have you downloaded the free Dr Ian Dunbar book I have linked to before? I think I recommended this already to you and gave you the link? This has great advice on housetraining and all care and training issues with puppies and is highly recommended. These are the months when you will shape the adult dog you want to end up with and the same opportunities won't be there, and won't be as easy, once she reaches a year old. So it is great to have a helping hand like Dr Dunbar within reach! It sounds like you have a lot of time with her, which is great, so using a book like Dr Dunbar's will let you use that time most effectively in her formative stages to end up with a great, well-behaved dog.