Ok, So I'm a huge Philadelphia Eagles fan for as long as I can remember. So naturally, I'm focusing on our opening game today.

Well, we go through Amber's normal routine this morning. She does all her business, eats breakfast and everything is good.

Around 12:30 my wife is in the kitchen and I go upstairs to change into some Eagles gear. I come down and Amber is under the table and I'm thinking, "what did you do?" I go by my chair and there is som wetness. I call my wife and she looks at our couch, she pissed all over it then must have heard me coming and hauled husky ass under the table.

She knows better than to do potty in the house, and on the couch no less! I mean its been a month or more easily since an accident in the house. She just went hours ago outside. I can't figure it out. It was alot too. I take her by the collar and walk her out the back door while my wife and I begin clean up. We get the bulk of it contained and spray everything with the Natures miracle. Then I go outside and this is usually where she makes me more mad by running around like its play time when she knows she was bad. I was happy that today she didn't. I called her in and she came right in. She must know she messed up. I took her into her timeout spot and she's been there for the last 3 hours. My wife and I are pretty mad at her.

I'm hoping that the Natures Miracle stuff was able to soak in and take care of the urine in the couch cushions. I'm also hoping that Amber is taking this time to realize that behavior will NOT be tolerated. Funny thing is due to rain she couldn't run around this morning and my wife commented that she looked like she was throwing a temper tantrum prior to doing this. Well, when I feel like letting her out of timeout her couch priveledges are revoked.

We are having the same issues with Taylor. Two days ago, she was outside for approx. two hours. We let her in, she milled around for less than five minutes. Then she was no longer around, we found her downstairs, where she had just urinated on the carpet.

The most frustrating part is, we can see no motives behind her behavior, I am constantly finding new messes to clean up. Ownership is getting less and less enjoyable.

Even though it can be frustrating you've got to remember they're still young and learning. Sometimes they need a little dose of reality and if I were you i'd take potty training back to square 1 with the dog being kenneled at all times when you aren't physically watching them. Taking them out after they eat or drink as well as when they wake up after a nap. Make a big deal about peeing/pooing appropriately and stick to crating them when you're not watching. Within a few days give them some freedom and usually the message has sank it.

Even though my dogs are still way beyond potty training i'm sure to take them out often just in case.

I have noticed that if Sabaka is free to play in the back yard, he often does not remember to "do his business."

After he has played for a while and is ready to go inside, I will often leash him and take him to his potty spot. These huskies really are a little bit ADD...

I noticed that huskyluvver referred to "spraying" Nature's Miracle... I have had the best success by just buying the pourable bottle and just thoroughly soaking the spot of pee. Perhaps your enzyme cleaner is not soaking all the way to the pads of the carpet and sofa, and so Amber can still smell her old urine.

Good luck!

Eagles fan you say.... are you in PA? my husband is mad cause he cant watch the games here in CO.

you said she went a few hours ago, you should be taking her out at least every hour to go so you don't end up with messes, and crating might have to happen as well. sorry you had to deal with clean up on the sofa:(

I have started using "get serious" (the bottle looks silly and unprofessional) and it's the BEST enzyme/pee cleaner EVER. Much better than Natures Miracle, IMO! Can buy it at petsmart. A couple months ago one of the cats started having issues with going in the pan and if any of yall have cats you know how NASTY that cat pee smell is! And they're just like dogs and will continue to pee on that spot! One cleaning session with Get serious! and the smell is 100% totally GONE. Have not had an incident since!

Chloe is what we call a spiteful pee pee girl. I am serious, if we tick her off, or things do not go her way she will pee on the floor. The little one is so bold, she will actually walk right in front of you and squat and pee. No shame at all in her face. She got so angry at my daughter one day because she took away a toy she was shredding and went ant peed on her bed. We have been lucky lately, no accidents, but you never know.

JO

Well Taylor had her first "day of school" last night. As sort of a last ditch effort to keep her in our home, we enrolled her in a class through the local PetSmart. What the trainer said about the peeing was, to limit her water intake. Something we had not been doing. When she is out on her tether, she has a large bucket, full of water all the time. The same for in the house, a bowl of water next to her food bowl. We came home, and dumped out the water, and will be more predictive as to how much, and when she can drink.

How old is Taylor? I am not an expert, but I don't think taking away water rights is the answer. That can lead to more serious urinary tract infections.

I still think the answer is to take her out on a leash and watch her pee. At young ages, both of my huskies have been too busy enjoying the great out doors to remember to pee without supervision.

Taylor is (2). He did not say to never give her water, just not unlimited water. Treat it like her food, allow her to drink, at certain times. Then mke sure she is taken outside within 30 to 40 minutes afterwards. If we walk her, give her water. If she gets excited while playing with her, give her some water for cool down. Just not unlimited water.

Did you have the vet check her out for a urine sample to rule out infection? That can make them pee constantly and usually not in places you'd like them to.

SabakaMom wrote:

I am not an expert, but I don't think taking away water rights is the answer. That can lead to more serious urinary tract infections.

I agree with this. Withholding water 30 minutes before bed so you don't have to worry about accidents overnight is what I would consider fine but I wouldn't withhold water any other time.

taylor blue wrote:

He did not say to never give her water, just not unlimited water. Treat it like her food, allow her to drink, at certain times. Then mke sure she is taken outside within 30 to 40 minutes afterwards.

That may work for some dogs but not all and some take longer than that to have their bladders fill up. One of my chihuahuas is a prime example of a dog that we had to learn when she normally pees rather than keeping her on a schedule that we put her on. For example in the afternoon after her dinner she gets taken out to potty. Then 50-60 minutes later we have to take her out again. Then another 60 minutes later she goes out again. After that she's generally good for another 90-120 minutes before she needs to go again. I've never seen another dog like her but they're all individuals...just saying, there's no one size fits all formula.

arooroomom wrote:

Did you have the vet check her out for a urine sample to rule out infection? That can make them pee constantly and usually not in places you'd like them to.

Ditto.

Gonna have to agree on the infection. Hailey has had a few and she would urinate right on the bed when she was sleeping next to us. You couldn't get angry with her... even if she showed "no remorse".

How often are you taking the dogs out to pee? I'm not hearing anyone saying they are going out every hour, every half hour when they are home... potty training is a process and doesn't happen overnight. You need to be consistent and praise them when they do well and not give them an opportunity to fail. We had to retrain Koda 3 times because of all the moving we did and he'd regress every time we moved.

Potty training goes out the window with stress, and if your dog is anxious, especially if she thinks mommy and daddy are ready to kick her out on the street (not actually think that, but they can feel your tension) there is a good chance you're exacerbating the issue.

Jo wrote:

Chloe is what we call a spiteful pee pee girl. I am serious, if we tick her off, or things do not go her way she will pee on the floor. The little one is so bold, she will actually walk right in front of you and squat and pee. No shame at all in her face. She got so angry at my daughter one day because she took away a toy she was shredding and went ant peed on her bed. We have been lucky lately, no accidents, but you never know. JO

Sierra will do this to us, but not as bad as Chloe.
we are gone all day for work and sierra is fine with no messes but if we come home from work and feed and walk them then go out for a movie or dinner and are gone maybe 2-3 hrs she will pee on the floor! we started to leave a towel down on the floor in the spot so clean up is a but easier, at least she goes in the same spot right near the back door.

I live in south Jersey.

I thouroughly soaked the spot, she never peed there before. I soaked the entire surrouding area 2 times so it should be fine. Question though, through soaking will it seek out the pee in the cushion and neutralize it? I have noticed I'm a bit weirded out to sit on that spot now.

I'm not sure what caused it. Shes on a routine, she gets rewarded for going outside even to this day and she has been good for some time now. Just did this out of nowhere.

Hopefully she got the message and wont do it again.

No matter how well trained they are, accidents always happen. Don't beat yourself or her up over one incident.

The enzyme cleaner (if that's what you used) should neutralize the mark. I would also steam clean it. You can rent one from the grocery store. But that's just me

I hesitate to respond, because I feel like I am hijacking this thread, but we'll do one more.

arooroomom wrote:

Did you have the vet check her out for a urine sample to rule out infection? That can make them pee constantly and usually not in places you'd like them to.

Yes Taylor has been to the vet twice, in the two months since we took her in. The visits were for two reasons, the first reason was because we knew so little of her history, we wanted the vet to run all the nessasary tests, and give the required shots. The second reason was the one we are speaking of here, what I call "unpredicable urination". All test came back clean, no infection, heartworm, etc. etc. etc.

Koda wrote:

Gonna have to agree on the infection. Hailey has had a few and she would urinate right on the bed when she was sleeping next to us. You couldn't get angry with her... even if she showed "no remorse".

How often are you taking the dogs out to pee? I'm not hearing anyone saying they are going out every hour, every half hour when they are home... potty training is a process and doesn't happen overnight. You need to be consistent and praise them when they do well and not give them an opportunity to fail. We had to retrain Koda 3 times because of all the moving we did and he'd regress every time we moved.

Potty training goes out the window with stress, and if your dog is anxious, especially if she thinks mommy and daddy are ready to kick her out on the street (not actually think that, but they can feel your tension) there is a good chance you're exacerbating the issue.

Now, if you refer to my earlier post, you will see where I stated the last incident was just after she came in the house. She had been out on her tether, for at least two hours, we had been in and out of the house also. It was not like she was just banished to the back yard. I have a shop, in the back of my property, and on this particular day, we were working out there, and in the yard also. (The tether is the only way we can have her outside with us, without the fear of her running away. Our home is only 500 yards from a main road, and our biggest fear is that she would run into traffic, harming herself, or possibly causing a traffic accident, and harming other people.) So, to recap, she had been outside, came inside and within ten minutes peed on the floor.

This activity caused me a lot of frustration, as there was no warning, no indication that she needed to go back outside. She just went downstairs, and peed.

Now, as to the "kick her to the street", comment. I find that a little bit offencesive. We have taken her in, provided her with a safe loving environment, and spent a large amount of time and money to try and get her integarted into our home. I mean all of us here, know what just the monatary costs are, correct? I mean the crate, the vet, the food, the licence, the hardware, heck the obedience class at PetSmart is over $100.00. So just kicking her to the street? I do not feel that is what we are doing. What we are doing is trying hard to help her. But yes, if these attempts fail, she will not live with us.

The hard part is what to do with her? She bit our 18 year old son the other day. Two holes on the bridge of his nose, lots of blood, and the whole nine yards. Now, he was laying on the floor with her, and I believe he was "crowding" her. He knows thats something she does not like. But still, is it ok for her to bite someone? He's 6'1" 200lbs, so he shook it off, but we have five grandkids under the age of (7). How responsible of grandparents are we being, keeping a dog that we know bites? But, where else would she go? I can't, in good concience give her away, unless the new oners are informed that she bites, so who would want her?

We are not new to animal ownership, it has been over 15 years since I put our last dog to sleep. We had owned her for 16 years, and she was a member of the family. I told myself when I left the vets office, I would never get another dog, because I got too attached to them. Fast forward to today, we decided to take a chance on Taylor, she was running loose, and in danger. But ?????????

First of all, taking what I said personally is silly. I was responding to three different people giving their experiences. No one comment was directed at anyone in particular. But now I will respond to you.

Taking in a rescue is a risk, just like taking in a puppy, just different. No one is saying that you are not trying, but first of all... read what you wrote. If you explained all of that the first time, no one would even consider telling you that you might be "kicking your dog to the curb." (Not that that was directed towards you, but for argument's sake). All we know if you is what we read on this screen. If a person is misunderstood, that is 90% of the time that person's fault for not explaining the whole situation. It may be a lot to write but background is important.

As I stated, potty traning is frustrating and with an older dog who is used to going wherever she pleases (I'm assuming from what you wrote she was a stray) it's going to be harder than others. What was your reaction when she went inside? It should be a firm, "NO!" and you leash her and bring her right back outside. Hopefully she goes again and you can praise her.

How often does she go like that? Without warning? Does she lick her female area often? Does she normally know when she's going potty? These are signs of a deeper issue like an infection or incontinence. Has the vet done a urine sample analysis?

The other possibility is that she doesn't know that going in the house is wrong, despite the amount of training because the area is not cleaned. Have you used an enzyme cleaner and thoroughly cleaned each spot? This step is essential. Otherwise no amount of praise is going to convince her that going outside is the ONLY place to go because it smells like she is allowed to go inside to her (we not be able to smell it, but they can. That's why an enzyme cleaner is so important).

Get a urinalysis done. Step up the potty training to step 1. Be consistent and stay calm. Accidents WILL happen. It's normal and natural. But the key is to make them happen less often until they don't happen anymore. You can't break down and get frustrated with every accident. You need to look at the bigger picture. Is she getting better? Is she going longer in between accidents? If the answer to that is yes, then you are working on the issue and making progress. Some dogs take years to train. It sucks, but that's the way of it. We never know what we are taking in, puppy or adult.

As for the biting, that's a separate issue. Do you practice NILIF? Biting, especially from a rehomed stray is almost always a sign of insecurity. She needs rules, boundaries, and consistency to build her confidence. They may sound totally unrelated but they are not. She needs to feel safe and something about the way your son was lying with her made her feel unsafe (as you already acknowledged). This ALSO takes time.

However, if you feel unsafe with her in your home and around your grandchildren, you have to do what's best for you. My advice if that is true, would be to get yourself a personal trainer to come into your home. Evaluations are normally free and you can decide from there. But biting, especially in a rescue, is a process. How often has that happened? Was it one time thing or are you in constant fear of it? If it was a one time thing, I would just keep an eye on it and step up the NILIF training.

One other thought is where was he crowding her? If she DOES have an infection, if he was crowding her near her hips, it's possible that she was in pain and afraid that he was going to hurt her. How did she react after she bit him? My guess is that it was a strike and she cowered back after that. Is that correct? Or was she still going at him? These are all helpful things to know.

No one said getting another dog would be easy and no one said it wouldn't be a lot of work. As a previous dog owner you know this. We've had Koda for years and are still working on issues of his that he had because he was a stray. You just have to decide what your limits are. If you do give her up though, please contact a rescue so that they may place her with the best home.

Good luck.

If I remember correctly the snapping is not a new issue.
https://www.itsahuskything.com/t2331-snapping-at-the-grand-kids

Have you been working with her on this? I actually think this and the peeing may be related in terms of her stress, anxiety, and/or fear. I know you had mentioned that it is very frustrating to you. When I get frustrated with Frankie, he senses it and it increases his anxiety which leads to some regression in behaviors we worked so hard to eliminate. This is especially true in rescues. In addition to Frankie having a UTI, he would pee out of fear and had submissive urination. It took a long time to build his confidence and security. I would consider him a secure dog, but the submissive urination still happens occasionally. I try not to make an issue of it because if I get annoyed or aggrevated with him for it, then he starts regressing. It takes a lot of time and patience. But the snapping/biting is something that should be addressed professionally immediately especially when there are children around.