One of the downsides to owning a dog is cleaning up after occasional potty accidents. Here are some tips based on my own personal experience.
Cleaning up accidents on hard surfaces (hardwood, laminate, or tile) is the easiest. I usually soak up the pee or pick up poop with a paper towel, wipe the surface with plain water, and lastly spray with Nature’s Miracle.
Cleaning up accidents on carpet is more difficult. Soak up the pee with paper towels by pressing down. Do not rub, scrub, or move side to side, as this will set the pee in more. Simply press down and get the paper towel to absorb the moisture. This process usually takes many paper towels and a bit of time. Generously dribble more water on the area and repeat. Finally, after all the moisture is out, spray down the area with Nature’s Miracle.
I usually do not do anything else, unless it’s a bad stain or there is poop. In this case, you can steam clean your carpets, which we have done before with a rented Rug Doctor. Or you can try the following method:
I learned of this method from Suki & Maximus who recommended it as a way to remove dog stains from carpet. I used this method to clean dried dog pee stains that were on my mattress (I know… eww… gross!). Start with some carpet cleaner (I used some from Rug Doctor, although others say Resolve works great too). Generously apply the cleaning solution to the stain. Then put a clean washcloth over the stain and weigh it down with something heavy. (I used a large laundry basket full of clothes. You might want something heavier for carpet.) Leave it there for a few hours (I waited 4-5 hours). Lastly, remove the cloth and weight, and let the mattress or carpet completely air dry with nothing on it. I found that this method of cleaner, cloth, and weight worked very well for my mattress.
Do not scrub. I attempted to scrub my mattress. This ruined part of the top of my mattress (I wasn’t smart enough to not scrub at all, but was smart enough to stop after I saw some damage).
Do not use ammonia based cleaners. They will attract your dog to have more accidents at the same spot.
Use a solution like Nature’s Miracle that will eliminate all pet odors. This part is critical. The pet specialty solutions will break down the odor causing enzymes that other regular cleaners won’t.
Use cold water. Warm or hot water will set protein stains (urine is a protein stain) into fibers.
Happy Cleaning!
Showing posts with label potty training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label potty training. Show all posts
Potty training regression
Grr... I'm so frustrated! Our potty training has taken a huge step backward ever since we got back from vacation. The dogs (probably just Jujube) were not used to the new schedule of the pet sitter. We had the sitter come three times a day, but her schedule was still different from ours. We found accidents in our home in a low traffic area. No one ever seems to check that spot.
I'm not actually frustrated over the accidents themselves, but rather frustrated because the behavior has continued this past week. I thought once we resumed our regular schedule things would be fine, but unfortunately not. The peeing is continuing in the same spot. I had cleaned it as well as I could and sprayed it down with Nature's Miracle, but we're still getting accidents there.
On top of that, after I had cleaned that spot down, I tossed the soiled paper towels into the low and open wastebasket in the bathroom. A few days later, Yun tells me that Loki marked the wastebasket. It couldn't have been Jujube; she's a girl. And even though we're having a handful of potty problems, we both think it's really funny that Loki marked the wastebasket in the bathroom.
The dogs were doing so well for such a long time too. Our last accident was in mid-June. Now, I think we have to re-potty train them, especially Jujube. Her peeing habits have also changed. She used to always pee very quickly as soon as we let her out into the backyard. Now, she's adopted Loki's behavior of sitting outside and not doing anything. She also pees on walks much more regularly nowadays. She used to never pee during walks, preferring to go in the backyard. Actually, I guess the more I think about it, her potty habits are slowly changing into Loki's.
I'm not actually frustrated over the accidents themselves, but rather frustrated because the behavior has continued this past week. I thought once we resumed our regular schedule things would be fine, but unfortunately not. The peeing is continuing in the same spot. I had cleaned it as well as I could and sprayed it down with Nature's Miracle, but we're still getting accidents there.
On top of that, after I had cleaned that spot down, I tossed the soiled paper towels into the low and open wastebasket in the bathroom. A few days later, Yun tells me that Loki marked the wastebasket. It couldn't have been Jujube; she's a girl. And even though we're having a handful of potty problems, we both think it's really funny that Loki marked the wastebasket in the bathroom.
Can you see the yellow dribble?
The dogs were doing so well for such a long time too. Our last accident was in mid-June. Now, I think we have to re-potty train them, especially Jujube. Her peeing habits have also changed. She used to always pee very quickly as soon as we let her out into the backyard. Now, she's adopted Loki's behavior of sitting outside and not doing anything. She also pees on walks much more regularly nowadays. She used to never pee during walks, preferring to go in the backyard. Actually, I guess the more I think about it, her potty habits are slowly changing into Loki's.
A Frantic Juju
This morning began as usual. Fed the dogs. Let Juju into the backyard to do her business, because she goes really quickly. Loki doesn't get to be let out into the backyard, because he will sit outside for hours and not do a thing. (Loki must wait until Yun wakes up to take him out on leash.)
I see Juju pooping, so I grab my shoes from the garage so that I can go pick up after her. (We used to have flip flops conveniently set out in the backyard, but they got chewed up.) She frantically pushes open the door and runs around our basement like a frantic lunatic.
"What's wrong? Juju, what's wrong?" I ask her as if she could respond.
Ah, she had poop dangling from her butt. Luckily, this happened to Jujube and not Loki, since Loki would probably have biten me if I tried to help him. As soon as I could catch her (which isn't an easy feat), I wiped her with a tissue and let her back outside, where she finished her business.
All this craziness and I still made my morning train on time.
I see Juju pooping, so I grab my shoes from the garage so that I can go pick up after her. (We used to have flip flops conveniently set out in the backyard, but they got chewed up.) She frantically pushes open the door and runs around our basement like a frantic lunatic.
"What's wrong? Juju, what's wrong?" I ask her as if she could respond.
Ah, she had poop dangling from her butt. Luckily, this happened to Jujube and not Loki, since Loki would probably have biten me if I tried to help him. As soon as I could catch her (which isn't an easy feat), I wiped her with a tissue and let her back outside, where she finished her business.
All this craziness and I still made my morning train on time.
Impossible to find poop
Autumn + rain = many falling leaves
So it's really, really, really hard to find poop to pick up in our little backyard.
So it's really, really, really hard to find poop to pick up in our little backyard.
In better dog training news
I hope I don't jinx myself for posting this...
In better dog training news, Jujube has gone a whole month without a potty accident. Yay! I wrote previously about our difficulties in potty training her in this post and that post. She had come to us from her breeder, who said that she was house trained. When she first arrived, she whined incessantly at the door. It drove us nuts! So we mostly ignored it, because it was super annoying. Unfortunately, she whined to let her people know that she wanted to go out. So, we sort of trained that out of her when we ignored her whines. Really, it was insanely annoying. But also, when she lived at the breeder's, there was always someone at home to let her out. Here, we are not always home. To some extent, she had to learn to live on our schedule, and not have the freedom of going anytime she wanted to.
Now, we have a pretty set schedule that we are all happy with. And if necessary, she sits by the door to let us know that she has to go out.
Yes, I know it took awhile, but maybe we've finally succeeded. Though I hope I'm not speaking too soon.
In better dog training news, Jujube has gone a whole month without a potty accident. Yay! I wrote previously about our difficulties in potty training her in this post and that post. She had come to us from her breeder, who said that she was house trained. When she first arrived, she whined incessantly at the door. It drove us nuts! So we mostly ignored it, because it was super annoying. Unfortunately, she whined to let her people know that she wanted to go out. So, we sort of trained that out of her when we ignored her whines. Really, it was insanely annoying. But also, when she lived at the breeder's, there was always someone at home to let her out. Here, we are not always home. To some extent, she had to learn to live on our schedule, and not have the freedom of going anytime she wanted to.
Now, we have a pretty set schedule that we are all happy with. And if necessary, she sits by the door to let us know that she has to go out.
Yes, I know it took awhile, but maybe we've finally succeeded. Though I hope I'm not speaking too soon.
Dogs are creatures of habit
It’s April and we are still having problems with Jujube’s potty training. Rate is about one peeing accident a week. No pooping accidents. I’ve returned to my theory that it’s Jujube, and not Loki. Accidents usually occur on the front door mat. At least it is easy to clean and easy to discard of if necessary.
Our usual work day schedule:
6:45 am Breakfast for the dogs; Potty break immediately after breakfast (This is before I leave for work.)
9:30 am Potty break (This is before Yun leaves for work.)
6:30 pm Daily Walk, includes both exercise and potty break
7:30 pm Dinner for the dogs
8:00 pm Potty Break; And then two or three more potty breaks depending on how often Jujube whines at the door.
11:00 pm Last Potty Break
Things are good when we stick to this schedule. Dogs are creatures of habit. But our lives are not so rigid. Changes in work schedules or dining out break this daily pattern and dogs don’t understand.
Yesterday, Yun had to leave for work early, so the dogs only had one potty break in the morning right after breakfast. And since Yun had to leave so early, we hired a dog walker to come in the middle of the day. Unfortunately, she called and told me that there was an accident on the front door mat when she arrived at noon. Our guess is that Jujube went because she was used to going twice in the morning, and yesterday she only got to go once. So the dog walker rolled up the door mat and put it outside. I have yet to clean it; I’ve been so busy.
We also happened to have dinner plans yesterday evening. Knowing that Jujube seems to go like four times between 7:30 and 11pm, I was anticipating an accident. As a side note, I don’t know why she goes so often in the evenings. She can hold it fine during the day when we are gone at work, but she constantly whines at the door to be let outside in the evenings. Maybe she just likes to see how many times she can make me open and close the back door.
When we arrived home, lo and behold, no accident! Maybe this is because there was no door mat available for her to go on. I don’t know.
Potty training is frustrating. I don’t know if we are training her or if she is training us. Actually, I think she’s training us; I just don’t want to admit it. I want to say that potty training Loki was easier, but maybe that’s because everything looks rosier in retrospect.
Our usual work day schedule:
6:45 am Breakfast for the dogs; Potty break immediately after breakfast (This is before I leave for work.)
9:30 am Potty break (This is before Yun leaves for work.)
6:30 pm Daily Walk, includes both exercise and potty break
7:30 pm Dinner for the dogs
8:00 pm Potty Break; And then two or three more potty breaks depending on how often Jujube whines at the door.
11:00 pm Last Potty Break
Things are good when we stick to this schedule. Dogs are creatures of habit. But our lives are not so rigid. Changes in work schedules or dining out break this daily pattern and dogs don’t understand.
Yesterday, Yun had to leave for work early, so the dogs only had one potty break in the morning right after breakfast. And since Yun had to leave so early, we hired a dog walker to come in the middle of the day. Unfortunately, she called and told me that there was an accident on the front door mat when she arrived at noon. Our guess is that Jujube went because she was used to going twice in the morning, and yesterday she only got to go once. So the dog walker rolled up the door mat and put it outside. I have yet to clean it; I’ve been so busy.
We also happened to have dinner plans yesterday evening. Knowing that Jujube seems to go like four times between 7:30 and 11pm, I was anticipating an accident. As a side note, I don’t know why she goes so often in the evenings. She can hold it fine during the day when we are gone at work, but she constantly whines at the door to be let outside in the evenings. Maybe she just likes to see how many times she can make me open and close the back door.
When we arrived home, lo and behold, no accident! Maybe this is because there was no door mat available for her to go on. I don’t know.
Potty training is frustrating. I don’t know if we are training her or if she is training us. Actually, I think she’s training us; I just don’t want to admit it. I want to say that potty training Loki was easier, but maybe that’s because everything looks rosier in retrospect.
Accidents
We’ve had significantly more accidents since getting Jujube. Actually, during the first month or so of having her, there were not many accidents, but in this past month, the number of accidents has become intolerable.
With more than one dog, it’s hard to tell who had the accident. At first we always assumed the culprit was Jujube, because she was the new dog and Loki was very well potty trained before her arrival. But we think that some of the accidents may have been Loki’s fault. The key difference is that we now use the backyard for their potty breaks. Prior to Juju, we always took Loki on walks to go to the bathroom; he had refused the backyard. Jujube, on the other hand, does not usually go during walks; she much prefers to go in the backyard. When we first got her, Loki would go in the backyard because she did. Now, I think this novelty has worn off on him. He’s reverted to being very stubborn about not going in the backyard. He just sits there, looks out, and does not at all respond to the “pee-pee” command. So, it’s possible that the accidents are Loki’s fault. After all, he’s the one who refuses to go in the backyard, while we see her go in the backyard all the time. Sometimes, I wonder if he holds all of his pee to go once a day when I take them on their daily walk, which is primarily for exercise rather than bathroom purposes.
The accidents had an odd pattern to them. There were never ever any accidents while we were away at work. The 8 to 9 hour stretches of time were never a problem. Instead, the accidents almost always occurred when we were home or away for very short periods of time.
Since last Thursday, I’ve ramped up my vigilance, closely watching them at home and trying my best to block off areas. I’m using chairs, which are not foolproof, but I don’t want to spend the money on baby gates. I’m also diligently watching Loki so that I can treat him when he goes in the backyard. This is probably the most difficult task, because he refuses to go. You have to be very patient. Luckily, he did go this morning, so I was able to treat him. Yay!
Lesson learned: When you get a new dog, whether it be a puppy or adult, you should expect to do some potty training.
P.S. My friend tells me that one way to figure out who caused a peeing accident is by its pattern. If it’s sort of a line, then it’s caused by a boy. If it’s just a circle, then it’s caused by a girl. Seems like a good hypothesis to me. We've seen both kinds in the past. What do you think?
With more than one dog, it’s hard to tell who had the accident. At first we always assumed the culprit was Jujube, because she was the new dog and Loki was very well potty trained before her arrival. But we think that some of the accidents may have been Loki’s fault. The key difference is that we now use the backyard for their potty breaks. Prior to Juju, we always took Loki on walks to go to the bathroom; he had refused the backyard. Jujube, on the other hand, does not usually go during walks; she much prefers to go in the backyard. When we first got her, Loki would go in the backyard because she did. Now, I think this novelty has worn off on him. He’s reverted to being very stubborn about not going in the backyard. He just sits there, looks out, and does not at all respond to the “pee-pee” command. So, it’s possible that the accidents are Loki’s fault. After all, he’s the one who refuses to go in the backyard, while we see her go in the backyard all the time. Sometimes, I wonder if he holds all of his pee to go once a day when I take them on their daily walk, which is primarily for exercise rather than bathroom purposes.
The accidents had an odd pattern to them. There were never ever any accidents while we were away at work. The 8 to 9 hour stretches of time were never a problem. Instead, the accidents almost always occurred when we were home or away for very short periods of time.
Since last Thursday, I’ve ramped up my vigilance, closely watching them at home and trying my best to block off areas. I’m using chairs, which are not foolproof, but I don’t want to spend the money on baby gates. I’m also diligently watching Loki so that I can treat him when he goes in the backyard. This is probably the most difficult task, because he refuses to go. You have to be very patient. Luckily, he did go this morning, so I was able to treat him. Yay!
Lesson learned: When you get a new dog, whether it be a puppy or adult, you should expect to do some potty training.
P.S. My friend tells me that one way to figure out who caused a peeing accident is by its pattern. If it’s sort of a line, then it’s caused by a boy. If it’s just a circle, then it’s caused by a girl. Seems like a good hypothesis to me. We've seen both kinds in the past. What do you think?
Peeing & Pooping
When we were house shopping, one of our main criteria was a fenced yard. But after we moved into our townhouse, Loki never used the backyard for peeing or pooping. What the heck?! He refused to go & we had to take him out on a leash around the neighborhood just like when we lived in apartments. We could have tried to train him by never letting him go anywhere else except the backyard, but that would require too much effort. And it would risk accidents in the house, because Loki would have gone on a pooping/peeing strike. So we gave up on using the backyard as his bathroom.
But when we got Jujube, everything changed. She didn't pee or poop on walks, instead she went in the backyard. And surely enough, Loki followed suit. Yay! Now we just let the dogs out in the backyard. It's so convenient! We love it. Thank you, Jujube!
The two of them instinctively divided up the backyard into a "play" area and a "bathroom" area. I'm not sure how they know, but they do. We always find the poop in the same left quadrant of the yard.
Here they are in their "play" area. Loki is the one lying down and Juju is the one standing up.
Here's Jujube. I finally got a shot of her. She is extremely difficult to shoot. She never stays still and she loves to be close. If I kneel down with the camera, she'll come running up to me. She'll lick the camera if I'm not careful. She's very attached to humans. Very.
And here's Loki, who is much easier to shoot. He stays relatively still and remains at a distance.
But when we got Jujube, everything changed. She didn't pee or poop on walks, instead she went in the backyard. And surely enough, Loki followed suit. Yay! Now we just let the dogs out in the backyard. It's so convenient! We love it. Thank you, Jujube!
The two of them instinctively divided up the backyard into a "play" area and a "bathroom" area. I'm not sure how they know, but they do. We always find the poop in the same left quadrant of the yard.
Here they are in their "play" area. Loki is the one lying down and Juju is the one standing up.
Here's Jujube. I finally got a shot of her. She is extremely difficult to shoot. She never stays still and she loves to be close. If I kneel down with the camera, she'll come running up to me. She'll lick the camera if I'm not careful. She's very attached to humans. Very.
And here's Loki, who is much easier to shoot. He stays relatively still and remains at a distance.
Learning more about Jujube
Jujube is definitely a licker. Last night, Loki growled in her face. She just looked at him and then licked him. How cute is that?
She woke both of us up this morning by licking our faces. Hm... I quickly learned to keep my mouth shut.
I dragged myself out of bed at 8am, because I knew I should take the dogs out. While I was getting ready, Jujube had an accident in our bedroom. Aww... I guess I didn't get ready fast enough. Then I took them both out and walked around our neighborhood. Walking two dogs was surprisingly easy. Not much more difficult than walking one. And it definitely put me into a pack leader role much easier than when I was walking only Loki. With one dog, sometimes I give in and let him go where he wants to go. Or let him pee where he wants to pee. With two dogs, it's much more clear that I determine when we walk and when we stop for a potty break. Anyways, Loki marked all over the place like usual, while Juju didn't go once. Not at all. Huh? What gives? Did she empty her entire bladder on our carpet? Maybe.
At 11am, we decided to take both dogs on our long walk for some bonding time. It was well below freezing. Sigh. Our entire family went for a 3.8 mile walk. For the entire walk, Jujube neither peed nor pooped. What gives?
When we arrived home, Yun had an idea. Maybe she would go in our backyard. Sure enough, he let her out and she immediately went to pee. I guess that is how she must have been trained back at her breeders. Makes sense. And she only goes once -- empties her bladder. No marking.
So we have one dog that does not go in our backyard, but goes on walks. And another dog that does not go on walks, but goes in our backyard. This will be fun.
She woke both of us up this morning by licking our faces. Hm... I quickly learned to keep my mouth shut.
I dragged myself out of bed at 8am, because I knew I should take the dogs out. While I was getting ready, Jujube had an accident in our bedroom. Aww... I guess I didn't get ready fast enough. Then I took them both out and walked around our neighborhood. Walking two dogs was surprisingly easy. Not much more difficult than walking one. And it definitely put me into a pack leader role much easier than when I was walking only Loki. With one dog, sometimes I give in and let him go where he wants to go. Or let him pee where he wants to pee. With two dogs, it's much more clear that I determine when we walk and when we stop for a potty break. Anyways, Loki marked all over the place like usual, while Juju didn't go once. Not at all. Huh? What gives? Did she empty her entire bladder on our carpet? Maybe.
At 11am, we decided to take both dogs on our long walk for some bonding time. It was well below freezing. Sigh. Our entire family went for a 3.8 mile walk. For the entire walk, Jujube neither peed nor pooped. What gives?
When we arrived home, Yun had an idea. Maybe she would go in our backyard. Sure enough, he let her out and she immediately went to pee. I guess that is how she must have been trained back at her breeders. Makes sense. And she only goes once -- empties her bladder. No marking.
So we have one dog that does not go in our backyard, but goes on walks. And another dog that does not go on walks, but goes in our backyard. This will be fun.
Potty training never truly ends
Perhaps we became over confident in Loki’s potty training. Perhaps our new house is too big. Perhaps it’s just a fluke. But we found a peeing accident in our basement a few days ago. We found it in the same area that Loki had his pooping accident from when he ate too many almonds.
Perhaps we became over confident in Loki’s potty training. When we moved into our new home, we did not take precautions to ensure that he didn’t have any bathroom accidents. We were confident that he was well potty trained. He has done very well living in a variety of places (two different apartments, two homes of relatives, and a hotel room). I’ve read material from dog experts saying that dogs do not generalize. Just because a dog is trained to not potty in your house doesn’t mean that it is able to generalize that concept to not go potty in all indoor facilities. But after living in a variety of places and seeing that nothing bad happened, I let my guard down. We didn’t keep a close eye on him while in our new home.
Perhaps our house is too big. We moved from an apartment of about 700 sq ft to a townhouse that is triple that in size. Loki hangs out mostly on the main floor (which has his preferred couch, the kitchen, and dining room) and our bedroom. He spends the least time in the basement. He doesn’t eat there, sleep there, or play much there.
Perhaps it’s just a fluke. We understand that the almond incident was unique and not Loki’s fault. We washed the area down as best we could. We cleaned the carpet by hand, sprayed on Nature’s Miracle, and then even rented a steam cleaner from the grocery store to steam clean the area. Either there was still some smell that lingered even after we washed it, or Loki decided that the basement is still the best place to go because that’s sufficiently far from his living quarters. I don’t know.
The lesson today, pups, is that it’s always possible to have a bathroom accident, even with the best of dogs.
Oh Crap!
I think it began on Sunday night. Loki pooped three times in one outing. He usually goes once or twice a day. Monday morning, he woke me up at 5:30am. Actually, that’s when my alarm normally goes off. But his intense staring was more powerful than the snooze button. No snooze for me. I dragged my feet out of bed and took him out in the freezing cold. He practically ran to the patch of grass up at the front of the townhouse community and immediately went once, then twice, and then a third time. Later that morning, Yun texted me, saying that Loki again pooped twice with him.
Is he sick? Does he have worms? Wait, we don’t even know if excessive pooping is a symptom of worms.
His poop had lots of nuts in it. I know that Yun’s mom had been giving him almonds as a treat. But she only gave him one or two. He’s pooping nuts left and right!
Every time, one of us took him out, he was pooping multiple times. And much to our chagrin, yesterday was the very first time that Loki has had a pooping accident in our house. (Well, technically, he did have one small poop accident on plastic in his exercise pen during his first week with us as a 9-week old. But we don’t count that one. Shh.) He had such an impressive record before. We loved boasting about how he’s never had a pooping accident. Now we can’t say that anymore.
Where in the world were all these nuts coming from? Again, we inquired with Yun’s mom, but she said she only gave him one of two. Finally, it dawned on me to ask if Loki’s getting access to nuts that he’s not supposed to. Yun’s mom didn’t think of it originally, but yes, that must be it! She brought something like 3 lbs of almonds with her. (Leave it to an Chinese mother to bring pounds and pounds of food while she visited over Thanksgiving, as if we were starving children.) And now that she thought of it, she did notice that her supply had suddenly dwindled. That solves the mystery of the excessive poop. Who knows how much he ate?
The morale of the story: Dogs cannot digest almonds.
Don’t try this at home. You’ll get lots of poop.
Is he sick? Does he have worms? Wait, we don’t even know if excessive pooping is a symptom of worms.
His poop had lots of nuts in it. I know that Yun’s mom had been giving him almonds as a treat. But she only gave him one or two. He’s pooping nuts left and right!
Every time, one of us took him out, he was pooping multiple times. And much to our chagrin, yesterday was the very first time that Loki has had a pooping accident in our house. (Well, technically, he did have one small poop accident on plastic in his exercise pen during his first week with us as a 9-week old. But we don’t count that one. Shh.) He had such an impressive record before. We loved boasting about how he’s never had a pooping accident. Now we can’t say that anymore.
Where in the world were all these nuts coming from? Again, we inquired with Yun’s mom, but she said she only gave him one of two. Finally, it dawned on me to ask if Loki’s getting access to nuts that he’s not supposed to. Yun’s mom didn’t think of it originally, but yes, that must be it! She brought something like 3 lbs of almonds with her. (Leave it to an Chinese mother to bring pounds and pounds of food while she visited over Thanksgiving, as if we were starving children.) And now that she thought of it, she did notice that her supply had suddenly dwindled. That solves the mystery of the excessive poop. Who knows how much he ate?
The morale of the story: Dogs cannot digest almonds.
Don’t try this at home. You’ll get lots of poop.
A wet spot!
I came home from work today to find this:
What ?!?
Loki hasn't had an accident of any sort for over a year! Why would he go in our bed? (Don't mind the fact that we are sleeping on an IKEA futon and don't make the bed.)
I sniff it. It doesn't smell like anything. No smell?
I dab at it with a paper towel. Nothing. It's completely clear. Not the slightest hint of yellow.
Hm... I bet it's not an accident. I bet he was just licking his paws there. Silly cat.
What ?!?Loki hasn't had an accident of any sort for over a year! Why would he go in our bed? (Don't mind the fact that we are sleeping on an IKEA futon and don't make the bed.)
I sniff it. It doesn't smell like anything. No smell?
I dab at it with a paper towel. Nothing. It's completely clear. Not the slightest hint of yellow.
Hm... I bet it's not an accident. I bet he was just licking his paws there. Silly cat.
Holding it
Most dog owners have the problem of their dogs peeing and pooping in all the wrong places, especially when visiting new places. I get the opposite problem. Loki just won't go.
At first I thought it was wonderful that my aunt & uncle had a very well-fenced backyard. We could leave Loki there and not worry about taking him out to poop or pee. That's the great benefit of having a yard! Unfortunately, Loki mostly refused to poop or pee in my aunt & uncle's backyard; he just held it in. Once, he claimed ownership of the land, he didn't want to mess it up. He didn't even want to pee in the front yard! He gladly peed in all of the neighbors' yards. Pooping was another story. He just held it in for over a day, until we came across an acceptable pooping spot far, far away.
At first I thought it was wonderful that my aunt & uncle had a very well-fenced backyard. We could leave Loki there and not worry about taking him out to poop or pee. That's the great benefit of having a yard! Unfortunately, Loki mostly refused to poop or pee in my aunt & uncle's backyard; he just held it in. Once, he claimed ownership of the land, he didn't want to mess it up. He didn't even want to pee in the front yard! He gladly peed in all of the neighbors' yards. Pooping was another story. He just held it in for over a day, until we came across an acceptable pooping spot far, far away.
Potty Post
In response to a comment from Dani & Frank, I'll offer my advice on potty training a puppy. It is what I did to potty train Loki. Obviously, it is not the only way, and you have to adjust methods to fit your own situation.
Time
I am a graduate student and spend most of my time at home. This means that I had the luxury of watching a puppy almost all day long. Most people do not have this luxury. If both Yun & I were working full time jobs, I probably would not get a puppy at all. I would adopt an older, already potty trained, dog. Dog experts suggest that if you do get a puppy, that you then take all of your vacation time so that you can potty train your pup. To me, this sounds terrible. If I only have 2 weeks of vacation a year, there's no way that I would take it just to potty train a puppy.
Schedule
Put your puppy on a strict schedule. For example:
7:30 am Morning potty break
8:00 am Breakfast
8:30 am After breakfast potty break
9:00 am Crate time
11:00 am Potty break
12:30 Play time
1:00 pm Lunch
1:30 pm After lunch potty break
2:00 pm Crate time
3:30 pm Potty Break
5:00 pm Play time
6:00 pm Potty Break
6:30 pm Crate time
8:00 pm Dinner
8:30 pm After dinner potty break
9:00 pm Play time
11:30 pm Night potty break
This is just a random schedule I made up. You have to adjust it to your life & your puppy.
To figure out how far apart your potty breaks need to be, the rule of thumb for a puppy is that they can hold it for as many hours as they are months old. So a 2 month old puppy can hold it for 2 hours. A 3 month old puppy can hold it for 3 hours. Etc. Personally, I found that Loki was able to hold it for an hour longer than that rule of thumb. So at 3 months, he could hold it for 4 hours.
Watch your pup like a Hawk
At all times, your dog should be either in his crate or being watched with 100% of someone's attention. This is important, because you must catch your puppy in the act of having an accident. You actually WANT accidents. This is your opportunity to teach your puppy where NOT to go. As soon as you see signs of your puppy wanting to go, or even if your puppy starts to go, immediately pick your dog up and off of the floor. I found this to be the most effective way to get Loki to stop. Yelling, "Nooooooooooooo!" from across the room doesn't actually work. But running over and picking him up always worked in stopping his stream of pee. Don't be mad. Don't yell. Be calm and just give a firm "No", "Uh-uh", or "Shhh". Then put your puppy down where you want him to go.
Praise
When your puppy goes in the correct spot, praise & treat. Personally, I found that Loki didn't care for treats after he pooped. My guess is that there is probably an aversion to eating immediately after pooping. There's a reason why poop jokes are not acceptable at the dinner table.
Patience
I think it took maybe a month or so for Loki to be at an accident rate of 1 accident per week. Then he remained at the rate of 1 accident per week for 2 months. In the end, he wasn't fully potty trained until 5 months of age.
Even the best trained/trainable puppies are still puppies. And puppies sometimes have accidents because they don't have good control of their bladder. Loki peed on a couple of our friends the first time he met them because he was so excited. And well, you just have to hope that your friends are dog friendly and don't mind too much.
Edit: You should never reprimand a puppy if you found the accident after the fact. The puppy will not understand. Dogs only understand associations when the associations are formed at the same time. They do not have memories and cannot associate something in the past (like having an accident) with something in the present (like your reprimand).
Time
I am a graduate student and spend most of my time at home. This means that I had the luxury of watching a puppy almost all day long. Most people do not have this luxury. If both Yun & I were working full time jobs, I probably would not get a puppy at all. I would adopt an older, already potty trained, dog. Dog experts suggest that if you do get a puppy, that you then take all of your vacation time so that you can potty train your pup. To me, this sounds terrible. If I only have 2 weeks of vacation a year, there's no way that I would take it just to potty train a puppy.
Schedule
Put your puppy on a strict schedule. For example:
7:30 am Morning potty break
8:00 am Breakfast
8:30 am After breakfast potty break
9:00 am Crate time
11:00 am Potty break
12:30 Play time
1:00 pm Lunch
1:30 pm After lunch potty break
2:00 pm Crate time
3:30 pm Potty Break
5:00 pm Play time
6:00 pm Potty Break
6:30 pm Crate time
8:00 pm Dinner
8:30 pm After dinner potty break
9:00 pm Play time
11:30 pm Night potty break
This is just a random schedule I made up. You have to adjust it to your life & your puppy.
To figure out how far apart your potty breaks need to be, the rule of thumb for a puppy is that they can hold it for as many hours as they are months old. So a 2 month old puppy can hold it for 2 hours. A 3 month old puppy can hold it for 3 hours. Etc. Personally, I found that Loki was able to hold it for an hour longer than that rule of thumb. So at 3 months, he could hold it for 4 hours.
Watch your pup like a Hawk
At all times, your dog should be either in his crate or being watched with 100% of someone's attention. This is important, because you must catch your puppy in the act of having an accident. You actually WANT accidents. This is your opportunity to teach your puppy where NOT to go. As soon as you see signs of your puppy wanting to go, or even if your puppy starts to go, immediately pick your dog up and off of the floor. I found this to be the most effective way to get Loki to stop. Yelling, "Nooooooooooooo!" from across the room doesn't actually work. But running over and picking him up always worked in stopping his stream of pee. Don't be mad. Don't yell. Be calm and just give a firm "No", "Uh-uh", or "Shhh". Then put your puppy down where you want him to go.
Praise
When your puppy goes in the correct spot, praise & treat. Personally, I found that Loki didn't care for treats after he pooped. My guess is that there is probably an aversion to eating immediately after pooping. There's a reason why poop jokes are not acceptable at the dinner table.
Patience
I think it took maybe a month or so for Loki to be at an accident rate of 1 accident per week. Then he remained at the rate of 1 accident per week for 2 months. In the end, he wasn't fully potty trained until 5 months of age.
Even the best trained/trainable puppies are still puppies. And puppies sometimes have accidents because they don't have good control of their bladder. Loki peed on a couple of our friends the first time he met them because he was so excited. And well, you just have to hope that your friends are dog friendly and don't mind too much.
Edit: You should never reprimand a puppy if you found the accident after the fact. The puppy will not understand. Dogs only understand associations when the associations are formed at the same time. They do not have memories and cannot associate something in the past (like having an accident) with something in the present (like your reprimand).
What is going on?
I must have jinxed myself for saying that Loki's perfectly potty trained.
We got back from grocery shopping today and then Loki just peed on the carpet right in front of us. I don't understand?!? His last accident was back in June!
He was let outside less than 3 hours ago and he normally can hold it for up to 8 hrs.
I don't get it. I feel like I have an entirely different dog!
We got back from grocery shopping today and then Loki just peed on the carpet right in front of us. I don't understand?!? His last accident was back in June!
He was let outside less than 3 hours ago and he normally can hold it for up to 8 hrs.
I don't get it. I feel like I have an entirely different dog!
Poopy!
By the vet's orders, Loki's supposed to be keep his Elizabethan collar on for 3 days and be on restricted activity for 3-5 days. He doesn't walk very well; he'll take a few steps and then sit down, take another few steps and then sit down. I only take him outside to poop/pee and I don't take him very far.
Unfortunately, this meant that Loki went on a poop strike. What's a poop strike you ask? It's when he refuses to poop, because the locations I take him to do not meet his standards of a proper pooping place. I have no clue what his criteria is, but apparently, it must be very FAR from our apartment. Because he doesn't walk well yet, I only take him to locations right next to our apartment. So after about 2.5 days without pooping, he finally pooped tonight. I was so frustrated. He wouldn't poop where I took him. He did his poop dance, but instead of pooping, he sat down and whined. It's cute the first time, but not cute the second or third time. Since he was just going to sit there and I didn't have all day to wait him out, I let him walk out a bit farther. Finally, he pooped.
Why is he so picky about where he poops? I don't understand. It doesn't have to do with where other dogs poop, because there are plenty of spots right next to our apartment where other dogs poop. And I've tried picking up his poop and putting it down at a spot close to our apartment. That doesn't work either. All I know is that a proper pooping place has to be FAR away.
Unfortunately, this meant that Loki went on a poop strike. What's a poop strike you ask? It's when he refuses to poop, because the locations I take him to do not meet his standards of a proper pooping place. I have no clue what his criteria is, but apparently, it must be very FAR from our apartment. Because he doesn't walk well yet, I only take him to locations right next to our apartment. So after about 2.5 days without pooping, he finally pooped tonight. I was so frustrated. He wouldn't poop where I took him. He did his poop dance, but instead of pooping, he sat down and whined. It's cute the first time, but not cute the second or third time. Since he was just going to sit there and I didn't have all day to wait him out, I let him walk out a bit farther. Finally, he pooped.
Why is he so picky about where he poops? I don't understand. It doesn't have to do with where other dogs poop, because there are plenty of spots right next to our apartment where other dogs poop. And I've tried picking up his poop and putting it down at a spot close to our apartment. That doesn't work either. All I know is that a proper pooping place has to be FAR away.
Potty Training
It is with great disappointment that I admit Loki is not yet fully potty trained. He's almost 5 months old.
This is partly due to the fact that Yun & I feel guilty about confining him to his pen when we are home. That's when accidents occur - when we are both home and let him roam freely.
This is also partly due to the fact that we had to potty train him to go on the balcony first. Then after he finished his vaccinations, we had to re-train him to go outdoors.
For the first couple of weeks of re-training I let him pick his spot to go potty, except that he's not allowed to pee on plants or the sidewalk. And I've taught him the commands pee-pee and poo-poo, which he has learned reasonably well.
Today, we're raising our expectations. He's now supposed to go on the patch of green that is right next to our apartment, not the farthest patch of green on the other side of the apartment complex.
Doesn't he looks so sad in his pen?
But if I take him to the patch of green nearest our apartment and say either pee-pee or poo-poo, this is what he does:
Stubborn pup! The only way to get him to go on that patch of green will be to give him no other options and wait him out. That was the only way to get him to go on the balcony - to wait him out.
Poor puppy... his life will consist of his pen and that patch of green until he goes. Ack! Okay, no more feeling sorry for the pup.
This is partly due to the fact that Yun & I feel guilty about confining him to his pen when we are home. That's when accidents occur - when we are both home and let him roam freely.
This is also partly due to the fact that we had to potty train him to go on the balcony first. Then after he finished his vaccinations, we had to re-train him to go outdoors.
For the first couple of weeks of re-training I let him pick his spot to go potty, except that he's not allowed to pee on plants or the sidewalk. And I've taught him the commands pee-pee and poo-poo, which he has learned reasonably well.
Today, we're raising our expectations. He's now supposed to go on the patch of green that is right next to our apartment, not the farthest patch of green on the other side of the apartment complex.
Doesn't he looks so sad in his pen?
But if I take him to the patch of green nearest our apartment and say either pee-pee or poo-poo, this is what he does:
Stubborn pup! The only way to get him to go on that patch of green will be to give him no other options and wait him out. That was the only way to get him to go on the balcony - to wait him out.Poor puppy... his life will consist of his pen and that patch of green until he goes. Ack! Okay, no more feeling sorry for the pup.
Nineteen Weeks Old
Our pup is growing up! He doesn't look much like a little puppy anymore. He's finished all of his vaccinations. We've been taking him outside to poop & pee now. He's been really good about not going in our apartment, but goes in all of the "wrong" places outside. For instance, he likes to water the plants with his pee. Now, if we were intent on killing all of the plants, then I guess this would be a good plan. What a silly puppy!
Poopy!
Today began as a very typical morning. I woke up, took Loki out of his crate, fed him breakfast and then put him outside on the balcony so that he could poop/pee as usual. I sat at my laptop checking my email as he was outside. Then all of a sudden, I hear him scream! I wasn't sure if this was the infamous Shiba scream, but it was a pretty horrifying screech full of panic and terror. He hardly makes a peep when he's given shots! What could cause such a horrific scream?
I ran to open the balcony door and to see what happened.
Is a terrifying scream really necessary for a small clump of poop?
I ran to open the balcony door and to see what happened.
Did he hurt himself?He came inside, but was running in circles, chasing his tail. What?! Finally, I spotted it. There was a small clump of poop hanging off of his butt. After I removed it, he promptly resumed being his perfectly happy self.
Did he get a splinter?
Did he break a bone somehow?
Is a terrifying scream really necessary for a small clump of poop?
A month with us
I just realized that Loki has been with us for an entire month now. He arrived in our home on St. Patty's Day - March 17, 2007. In the past month,
- He's had his first bath with us. Terrifying experience I'm sure, but he survived.
- He's gone to the vet twice. The first time was his initial exam and the second was for shots. He was well-behaved and calm both times.
- He's only ever had one pooping accident. That occurred when I had to leave him home alone for too long, because I had jury duty. Pretty amazing if you ask me.
- It's been well over a week since he last peed on the carpet, but we did have one accident on his blanket this past Sunday. Still, he's been fairly easy to potty train.
- He's peed on Mike when he first met him.
- He's learned to accept the collar and leash, albeit begrudgingly.
- He's learned to stop whining.
- He's met Mr. Vacuum Cleaner twice. The first meeting went better than the second.
- He's fantastic on car rides, since he goes on a car ride almost ever other day.
- Among the dogs that he's met, he's growled at one white fluffy dog, he's growled at another Shiba puppy, been indifferent to a Shih Tzu puppy, and was a bit puzzled by the behavior of a hyperactive Chihuahua.
- He loves meeting people. And people love meeting him! This makes walks with him very time-consuming.
- He's become more comfortable in our den and bedroom, but has yet to be comfortable with the kitchen. He loves to walk underneath our desks in the den.
- He experienced his first taste of off-leash fun in the fenced backyard of my auntie's home.
- He barks in his sleep sometimes. And also wiggles his limbs in his sleep.
- He loves to stretch.
- He really loves to lick our legs after we've showered. Why? We haven't figured it out yet. Maybe it's the soap?
- Most of the time, he understand exactly what you want him to do, he just doesn't want to do it.
- He loves to chase things blowing in the wind.
- He's my funny & silly puppy =)
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