I think I need a crate or pen
...or both!
Kuma is peeing a bit more than I would say normal. Tomorrow when we go to the vet to check his sneezing, I have to ask her to check out for a bladder infection or something. The little guy pees every 10minutes when he's awake. And at first he was doing well on the newspaper/peepad, but now he's just messy. I put him on the pad after he wakes up, he just stays there or sits. He gets off of it and after a bit he's peeing on the floor. Whenever I catch him in the act I reprimand him and put him on the pad, but he always seems to time it to happen when I take my eyes of him. I'm starting to feel to much of the bad guy, and even that my dog is starting to fear me a bit. It's very frustrating.
Since after April 1st he'll start spending time alone at home, I'm thinking a pen might be a good solution, probably with a crate too, so he can have his shelter, and a play area, plus a bathroom area. What say you, people that have tried this? Am I loosing my mind? Cause sometimes it feels like it...I've been cleaning so much pee lately.
Comments
Ryu has been doing great since we put him in a crate during the day/night. I felt horrible putting him in there at first but he really is a much happier dog now that he has some boundaries (and we are much happier and therefore more pleasant to him). At first, we let him stay in there for 1-2 hours and then took him out straight to pee. Then at 3 months, we left him in there for 3-4 hours; at 4 months, for 5-6 hours... etc. Each time we took him out, it was straight to pee and then play. This really got him a good schedule and now at 5 months, he can hold it for as long as he needs to. Surprisingly he holds it for about 9 hours while we're at work. Even then, he isn't bursting at the seams to pee; he usually walks around for a bit and then unloads. He hasn't had an accident in over a month and even when he did have them, it was undoubtedly our fault for not adhering to his schedule. I read this great booklet about crating and the "confinement area" that you're referring to is highly recommended. They suggested having a large ex-pen and put his crate, some pee pads and his food/water bowls in separate corners. Normally, they'll sleep inside their crate, come out to the pee pad to eliminate if they have to...just make sure the actual crate isn't so large that they can get away with peeing inside and sleeping at the other end. We started putting Ryu in the kitchen sometime and even with the large area, he still manages to hold it until I get home from work. (Note: Most of time, Ryu stays in his crate during the day and I'll peek inside before I open the door and he's sleeping soundly. Generally, when he's out of his crate, he is wild but as soon as he gets inside, he passes out)
About the pee thing, if you have carpet, I've used gallon after gallon of Nature's Miracle Odor and Stain Remover and I noticed that he wasn't returning to the same spots again.