Potty training failure:(. I don't know what else to do, please help.

[Justin]

Potty training failure :(. I'm having the hardest time house training our puppy. I take her out all the time, and I don't leave water out all the time. She is on Royal Canin urinary health dog food to prevent infections. I'm at a loss. She pees on the sofa and the rug. My house smells like pee ALL the time. It's like I can't ever keep it clean before there is another accident. I have never seen her do it, so that's weird to me. Please help! Any suggestions or advice? Belle turns 6 months tomorrow and begins puppy school next week.

[Tracey & Spike]

It seems strange to be on a food like that at such a young age. I'm sure Karen can address this one a bit more. Typically we all stray from the vet foods if at all possible.
If your pup hasn't had an urinary infection has she been tested for them?
If your pup has had an infection I'm wondering if your potty issues are a side effect from whatever treatment you were given? I can't speak to this since it's not a road I've been down. Maybe cross post this in the health group as well?
What I can help with is the pee smell. Get a good enzyme cleaner. This will kill the smell on your nose and will eliminate all traces of it so your pup no longer thinks of those spots as her go to areas.

[Mauricio]

The problem is that you let her be on the sofa and on the rug and have no control over her.

Get a crate. Put her in the crate, wait 2 hrs, take her out to pee. If she does, yay! let her play and be out of the crate for a little bit, then back in the crate for another 2 hrs and so on. If she doesn't, then take her back to the crate and re-try in 20mins.

Puppies should be fully house trained by 4 months.

If you can't supervise her during the day, then I would recommend taking her to a trainer that offers training at their houses; you leave them there for 2-4 weeks and you get them trained.

[Gracie, Jade, & Barkley]

Fully potty trained at 4 months? I've read 6, but not 4.
Although, my pup is doing really well, she still has some accidents waiting at the door. She is just now 4 mo. But, I don't consider her fully potty trained and she really is just a pup.

[Gracie, Jade, & Barkley]

Is she crate trained?
It sounds like you might have to start back at the beginning and keep her in your sight at all times and when you can't she needs to be confined.

If it's just a matter of training and not an infection, this site is a good basic outline and if you scroll down there is a set of questions and answers:
http://www.dogtrainingbasics.com/PottyTraining.htm

PS. She's adorable!

[holly b]

:(  Is she on Royal Canine urinary because she has previously had a UTI?  Are you taking her outside right away after leaving her in her crate for a while?  If the answer to those is yes, then I think I'd probably take her to the vet to rule out another UTI or other issue.  

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Justin, has your puppy been checked for UTIs?  Was she an early spay?  Could the pee be leaking rather than peeing?  Why is she on Royal Canin? Have you tried cranberries?

[Justin]

She was spayed at 5 months per the vets suggestion.  She had a uti and crystals so thats why she is on Royal Canin.  Ive never tried cranberries.  How do I feed them to her?  Ive never heard of using them.

[Becka]

One thing you really need to do is get Nature's Miracle or some other product for cleaning the spots where she goes--if your house smells like pee, you're likely not cleaning thoroughly enough (Nature's Miracle is an enzymatic formula, I believe) and Belle's nose is still telling her it's OK to go in those places. I agree, though, that she probably needs to be kept off the sofa and the rug until she's trained.

[SoSa]

Another enzymatic cleaner I heard is great is Pet Force. I use Nature's Miracle and I've been down on my hands and knees working it into my carpet and I swear I can still smell urine. I've even scrubbed with Nature's Miracle, then with Pine Sol and then again with Nature's Miracle. Perhaps I'm just paranoid because I'm a clean freak. It was recommended that I use Pet force unconcentrated. I was told to pour it over the affected area, saturate it and let it sit so that it soaks down to the padding.

[TYoung]

This what I have used as an enzyme for the smell.  IT works well...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009ET4XQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o...

Hadley is 16 weeks and I would say she's pretty well potty trained.  We used the poochie bells to help her communicate to us.    BUT, she does pee when she gets excited to see each of us.  Perhaps that may be happening with your doodle?  When it happens to Hadley, she doesn't squat how she normally would to pee, so its not as noticeable.  I know what it looks like with her that's why I know when it happens...not to mention the puddle left behind.  It's usually not a full release either but a smaller puddle.  BTW, this happens even if she had JUST went outside prior.

I know you must be frustrated, because even the "happy" pees are frustrating to me.

Good luck!  

 

[Pat Altobell]

Sunny just turned 7 moths old and she still pees when she very excited or nervous. she always pees when she sees my son in law, he does play with her and she loves him. She always pees at the vets, they also make a big fuss over,her, nerves and excitement. I hope she grows out of it but she hasn't had an accident since she was very young, she understands but sometimes she just can't contain herself.

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

It seems there are a few different issues to address here. Potty training do's and don'ts, a possible UTI and feeding a food that's not on the recommended food list here on DoodleKisses. First things first... you need to rule out a UTI with a vet visit. Some UTI symptoms are frequent urination of small amounts, excessive thirst and inappropriate urination. I'm of the camp that believes water should never be restricted. It should be available at all times, and especially if the dog has a UTI.

If its not a UTI, then you need to ramp up potty training by supervising Belle every moment she's not in a crate or pen, and/or tethering her to you while out. Giving her free access to the house (including rugs and sofas) should be restricted until she is 100% potty trained (a good rule of thumb for determining that is going at least 28 days without any accidents). All accident spots should be thoroughly cleaned with an enzyme cleaner to completely eliminate any urine odor. Failure to to do so results in a viscous cycle of recurring accidents.

Finally, as far as Royal Canin goes, its not on the recommended food list in The Food Group here on DK. Please check out the group and their Recommended Foods list. Karen there has a wealth of knowledge regarding just about every dog food out there and can help explain why Royal Canin isn't recommended. Here's a link to the recommended list:

http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/thefoodgroup/forum/topics/recomme...