We are having a huge problem with pee and poop messes in the house. Meka is 4 years old. I asked the "friend" that gave her to us and she has insisted more than once that she never had a problem with her doing anything in her house. Yes, my husband and I both work full time and right now we don't have the money to build an outdoor kennel. I don't really trust any of my neighbors to let her out during the way. Her former mom said that she left her alone all the time and just didn't give her any food or water while she was gone. I usually give her food and water when I get up and sometimes she has food left over and I leave it but usually don't leave her water, even though I feel bad about her not having any all day. Neither one of us are close enough to home to, say , run home on alunch break. And besides all that, it's only maybe a third of the time I come home to a mess after work. Most of the time, it's times like today, where she woke me up at 6am and I let her out, then I let her out again at 8:30 when my husband got up for work. At 9:30 I go to take a shower and a half hour later when I'm showered, dressed, and ready to go for the day, there is fresh poop and pee on my living room floor! This has been going on for over a month now and I'm at my wit's end. I have a sensitive stomach and every time I clean up poop I'm running for the bathroom because I'm about to vomit but I can't leave it for my husband all the time especially when he won't be home for hours.

Is there any solution to this? I can understand during the week when she's been in the house all day but I cannot comprehend the times she does it right after she's been out. I can't keep her in my home if we can't get this resolved. I don't have the time or quite frankly the desire to constantly be cleaning my carpets all the time, not to mention I don't think my stomach can handle it.

I know Meka is 4 years old, but some of these tips might help:
Potty Training

There's also another link in that post with more training tips on housebreaking your pet.

Hopefully between the 2 references, you'll find some helpful tips.

Also keep in mind, Meka may still be trying to figure out her new environment. It can take up to 6 months for Meka to fully settle in.

In the meantime, you'll need to get an enzyme cleaner to remove the scent where there has been accidents to prevent Meka from going again in the same spot. I've used Natural Solution (or is it called Nature's Solution), which comes in a greenish/bluish bottle to clean up messes. In any case, any pet cleaner with enzymes to break down the proteins and scent will help to prevent from 're-marking'.

I have a couple different pet cleaners, and a steam cleaner. I do the pet cleaner right away at least and if I have time steam clean too, or if I don't have the time to steam clean right then I'll do it as soon as I have time. Her solution to this is to pick another spot lol. I don't like the thought of her being in a crate for 8 hours a day so we'll try everything else first.

I'd really suggest crating her while you're away or penning her up in the house in a room that is husky proof. Something with tile floor and nothing for her to get into.

I'm sure it has a lot to do with the stress of being in a new home and having you gone all day. I'm she will adjust in time. Before you go out in the morning i'd try to get her as tired as possible. I know you don't like the idea of crating her for the duration of the day, but I think i'd prefer that to cleaning up pee/poo everyday when I come home

arooroomom wrote:

I'd really suggest crating her while you're away or penning her up in the house in a room that is husky proof. Something with tile floor and nothing for her to get into.

They really do soon learn to love their crate and will eventually find it to be their own special "den" or secure place. Our first husky used to love going to her crate when she was tired of interacting (putting up with, really) our two kids.

I can certainly understand your hesitance to crate her, but I think you should take a few days and read everything you can about crate-training to see if it could be something that would work for both you and Meka!

Good Luck!!

I had this problem with jacob too, not so much poo as pee, he did both in the house till he was 1 and then just random pee till he was almost 2. mind u, this happened while i was at home! and we were on a strict every hour, 15 min outside schedule! i think he just liked doing it! and he always did it next to the dinning room table, i even moved the table .... and so moved the pee to the table! lol. when i started kenneling him again it stopped, now i dont put him in his crate while im gone, but he's in my room, in bed while im at work, he knows this is our space, and wont do any business in here, he doesnt really do it in the house anymore but we've had some accidents once in a blue.

the whole point of this was actually just to tell u that jacob loves his crate, i tell him to go 'home' and he goes right in and lays down, he likes it, but will only go in if i tell him to.

Is Meka fixed, some dogs even females that aren't will mark territory. Is a dog door an option? I have two of my own and have fostered 10 or so more, once they learn the dog door there has never been a mess in the house.

No, she is not fixed. We can't do the doggy door because if she is not on a leash or tie-out she will run away. I do believe that according to our local ordinances all dogs outside must be on leash, tied up, or in a kennel anyway.

Anyway, other than the bathroom I have no way of keeping her in a non-carpeted area. We did gate off the hallway to keep her in the living room/kitchen/dining area and it seems to have helped. She was peeing or pooping I'd say about 2/3 of the time in the hallway. I must have the cleanest hallway around lol it's been enzyme-cleaned and steam cleaned I don't know how many times.

Every time I let her outside and she pees or poops, I give her lots of praise and treats when I let her back in. Only 1 mess since my first post 4 days ago instead of daily, so keeping my fingers crossed the trend continues.

Sorry, didn't realize you didn't have a fence, a dog door won't work without one. Glad to hear she is making progress.

I wish we had a fence. We weren't planning on having a dog, she was kind of a surprise. We were trying to save up money for some home repairs anyway so improvements for Meka are going on the list

Unfortunately, we had this same issue with Mya and we had to crate her while we were at work. She was crated until she was about 3yrs old and now like Jackie's Jacob she stays in our room sleeping like a spoiled princess all day..LOL. I know that Meka is 4yrs old, but maybe crating her for a few months and then attempting to leave her out again might work. Kody stays in his crate while we're at work and he even goes in there by himself. Even when he doesn't go in on his own we tell him "go to your casita (little home)" and he goes right in and lays down.

The crate is in our room next to the bed so they do spend the day together =)

I'm another advocate of crate training. My dog *loves* his crate and actually spends most of his day there (with the door open). Having free roam of your house (or any part of it) while you're away is a privilege, not a right. Meka needs to earn her freedom by proving she can not mess for the time you're away... ;-)

Good luck.

wow she is 4 and has never been fixed? do you plan on doing that soon? i say get a crate and work on having her like it. we adopted sierra at 6 and jack around 1-1.5yrs. they were both crated for a year and some before we left them alone in the husky proof down stairs of the home. i feel its not some much of a hey she is 4 and should know better is hey shes 4 and in a new home with people she is not sure of yet and is feeling things out. you need to let her know it is not ok to pee/poo inside. praising her for going out side is a good thing. we still keep our crates up and they are feed in there as well as if one is bad they might get put in the crate or if we have people over working on the home the crate it good as well. there are many uses for the metal crate then just holding them while your gone. sierra goes in hers when she is unsure of new people, its a safety place for her. there are some great threads on there about making the crate a nice place and training them to be ok with it.
good luck!

You're going to get another vote for crate training from me. Most people don't realize that dogs don't generally DO anything when we are away anyway I work from home and you'd think that would energize my two... nope. They sleep all day. I'd have no qualms leaving them in their crates!

With proper crate training, that space is their safe and happy place. They are discouraged from messing, feel safe, secure and comfortable while you are away. You can save special treats for it and it just becomes their "everything good" home.

Last thing that I will add that I haven't seen mentioned is that rescues will VERY often regress in their training, especially house training when they first start out. Koda moved with us three times and almost every time we've had to RE-housetrain him. It's caused by their anxiety. It means you have to start over at step 1. Take her out more often, praise her when she goes, etc etc.

You said that she goes potty after you shower... is that about an hour after she eats? Each dog is different, but I would say between 30 mins to an hour after they have their mealtimes, mine have to go #1 or #2. If I left everyday, I would have to feed them first thing in the morning, do my thing, and then make sure they are going out AT LEAST 30 mins after they ate to allow the food that has digested to evacuate. To compensate for this, you could try adjusting her feeding schedule. I am assuming she is on a feeding schedule from your post? If not, I would DEFINITELY get her on one as that is the most likely cause of your problem.

Good luck!

Another thought came to me reading Tori's post: if she has any sort of anxiety, you might want to get a DAP (Dog Appeasing Pheromone) collar or use something like Rescue Remedy or Homeopet to help her calm down and feel more at ease.

Ugh sorry, been a busy few days. Here's my update:

As far as feeding schedule, yes, I feed her when I get up and at night right before I cook our dinner I give her hers.

She was not fixed because the lady that had her before bred her for puppies a couple of times. Apparently my husband and her agreed that Meka would have 1 more litter of puppies before we did anything to have her fixed b/c apparently she promised a friend of hers a puppy. I am pissed about that. One that he didn't bring this up when we talked about taking Meka, two, neither one of us know the first thing about pregnant dogs and newborn puppies, and three, god forbid if something went wrong we don't have any savings to pay pricey vet bills. I personally think it's rather ballsy to not only ask someone to take your pet but to ask them to produce puppies for you afterwards. I am half-tempted to forget I know anything about that arrangement and have her fixed anyway. >

But anyway, between my original post and yesterday, we only had 2 incidents. Which is a far cry from dang near daily. Keeping her confined to the living room/dining room/kitchen was a definate improvement.

Saturday we were out and about and stopped at a few yard sales, and found the perfect sized crate for only $10! Not only was the size perfect, but Meka went right in and stood happily. Enough to convince me to take it home. Of course, once we got the crate set up in the house she no longer had any interest LOL and had to be coaxed inside with treats. The first time we got her in and shut the door to test it she gave me the saddest puppy dog look, just broke my heart! But through the evening and Sunday we left the door open and put her in for maybe an hour then let her back out.

I wasn't planning on leaving her in the crate all day already but my husband texted me and said that he got her settled in the crate with her doggy pillow for the day. So I hope she does ok and isn't stressed out about it by the time I get home. I'm almost wondering if I should make up some reason I have to run home and let her out for the afternoon. Probably not. I KNOW she sleeps all day, that's all she does when we are at home doing nothing, so I know it's not really hurting her. I am probably having more anxiety about it at this point than she is LOL.

indigobluestarz wrote:

She was not fixed because the lady that had her before bred her for puppies a couple of times. Apparently my husband and her agreed that Meka would have 1 more litter of puppies before we did anything to have her fixed b/c apparently she promised a friend of hers a puppy. I am pissed about that. One that he didn't bring this up when we talked about taking Meka, two, neither one of us know the first thing about pregnant dogs and newborn puppies, and three, god forbid if something went wrong we don't have any savings to pay pricey vet bills. I personally think it's rather ballsy to not only ask someone to take your pet but to ask them to produce puppies for you afterwards. I am half-tempted to forget I know anything about that arrangement and have her fixed anyway. >

im sorry but if it were me HAVE HER FIXED NOW!!!!! that is bull shit to ask that of you, even if the lady was willing to sign a contract that she will cover all medical cost of having the puppies and supply a helper for you to care for the puppies i would still have her fixed!. no need to bring in 1-6 or more puppies so one lady can have a puppy.... there are reputability breeders out there to get a puppy from. you can say you took her in for a vet check and they found a lump and while checking it out you had her spayed at the same time as the vet told you it was for her safety....


oh and great news on the crate and less accidents

Truthfully I would do just as Jenn said and have her fixed and totally forget about such an "agreement." If there was nothing signed, you owe her nothing on the side of favors... IMO.

Glad to see that things are improving but I really would urge you to get her spayed.

I agree with Jenn. I'd just get her fixed and play dumb. Not like he signed anything, and even if he did, I'd still play dumb. That's AWFUL that she was bred and neglected in the first place, let alone that the woman ABSURDLY asked you if you would breed her. NO WAY.

Keep it up with the crate If she does well today, just keep up with your positive reinforcement and treats and she'll be a pro in no time

If you get home and the pillow is destroyed, try just leaving her in it without a pillow. Koda hates anything in there with him but his peanut butter kong or a bone.

Try a long-lasting treat to help as well. We like to freeze peanut butter kongs or give them marrow bones to chew on in the crate. These are crate only treats and it really helps them relax because they LOVE THEM.

Oh I know... I totally reamed my husband a new ass when I found out......I was absolutely stunned that he would agree to such a thing with no consideration for the time, cost, etc, and the fact that we know NOTHING about pregnant doggies or puppies!! I had already called our vet to find out how much it would cost to have her spade before I found out about this little arrangement.

The "take no shit" part of me wants to tell write this woman a letter telling her in not so many words, NO WAY IN HELL! She insists she took good care of Meka but sometimes I seriously wonder about that. If he signed anything, I never saw it, and I never signed it. If I take her to the vet, there's not a damn thing she can do about it because I'm not bound by anything. If she wants puppies she can take Meka back -- and good luck on that one because I'll fight her every step of the way if she tries. She's my family now and she is properly cared for and loved!

I will have to try that with the long-lasting treat She loves rawhide too, but it MUST be flavored. My mom bought her a plain one with no flavoring and she wouldn't touch it!

Be careful with the rawhides. Rawhide doesn't break down when dogs eat it: it doesn't digest. If you're observant, it goes out in the same form it went in (eiww). Make sure she only gets small rawhides, or large ones while under direct supervision ONLY. If she breaks off a large enough piece and swallows it, it can cause an intestinal blockage that might mean major surgery.

Like many things, rawhides are fine in moderation and when supervised

indigobluestarz wrote:

The "take no shit" part of me wants to tell write this woman a letter telling her in not so many words, NO WAY IN HELL! She insists she took good care of Meka but sometimes I seriously wonder about that. If he signed anything, I never saw it, and I never signed it.

Good for you! I would not even bother to let her know. The woman doesn't deserve another animal and especially a puppy. We certainly don't need more unwanted puppies in the world either. thanks you for giving Meka a loving home and good luck on the crate training.

I'd play dumb and get her spayed, it's not worth the risk to Meka's life or health, your financial and emotional stability if something goes wrong, or the puppies that result from such a breeding. Without any real health testing or solid knowledge of her lines you can't predict what she will produce. Not only that but, as others have pointed out, there is no legally binding contract as far as we know.

Just as a side note, all my dogs are rescues. Faith and Glory we rescued from a backyard breeder. The BYB got rid of Faith because she was no longer useful for making puppies ($$$$). Faith's last litter before we adopted her resulted in a serious and expensive complication that could have cost Faith her life and the life of her puppies. While Faith was giving birth, we'll just say a puppy got "stuck" (I'll spare you folks the details on that) and neither she nor her puppy was doing well. She had to be rushed to the vet for an emergency c-section to save her life and the life of her puppy. The complications didn't end there. As a result of the c-section her skin fused to her bladder which created a delicate situation when it came time for us to have her spayed. Now years later as a result of all the litters she had her abdominal muscles are weak and have left a little "hole" if you will just inside her rear leg where her insides slide in and out of creating a bulge. She has a very high risk of getting a hernia as a result so we try not to let her do anything too strenuous. *sigh* All this because of a selfish persons greed.

Please keep Faith's story in the back of your mind and I STRONGLY urge you to not let Meka have anymore litters and get her spayed as soon as possible. It is so not worth a lifetime of health problems.

Sierra was also used for breeding before we were able to give her a forever home. she was with an abusive breeder then rescued by other breeders that knew about breeding but not sure if they tested or not but she is AKC and has papers and a line... but on her last litter one of the pups died inside her as well and they had to open her up and then spayed her. she then went to 4 homes before finding us.....