# Peeing in kennel



## Harley (Jul 26, 2013)

This is my first post to the forum. Harley is our V and he is approaching his first birthday (2/20/14). Thus far, we have had no real issues with kennel training or housebreaking beyond what a person may expect with a new puppy.

However, recently (last couple of weeks) I come home over lunch and at night to let him out and he has soiled his kennel. We have an adjustable kennel and have tried to make it smaller so it is more "den" like for him thinking he wouldn't want to soil his sleeping area. That is not the case. He has been doing it more and more frequently and we have been unable to figure out a way to get him to stop. Also, as soon as I get home, we take him outside immediately to allow him to take care of business.

He is very good at sitting by the back door if he needs to go outside and he does not pee around the house, it is just in his kennel. I am wondering if anyone else has had issues with this before with similar aged Vizslas or if anyone has any tips of how to get him to stop this behavior. The longest stretch we have him stay at home is for ~5 hrs at a time and prior to this most recent behavior issue, he was having no problems holding his bladder.

I appreciate any and all feedback. Thanks!


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## mlwindc (Feb 8, 2013)

Check for uti or other possible health problems? Rule out those and then see what environmental factors might be at play. I agree, sounds odd, so def make sure there's no underlying health issue


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## Ksana (Mar 30, 2013)

Once the UTI is ruled out, the next I would review the activities your V. gets to do. This behavior may also be a cry for attention. Your post says "I come home over lunch and at night to let him out". Does your V. gets enough exercise? Before we are off to work, we take our boy for a long walk in the morning. At lunch, I take my lunch break first and then my husband takes over to walk with our V. during his lunch break (luckily, we both work five minutes drive time form home). Then in the evening our boy gets another good walk and lots of exercises/ plays with us (or when the weather is nice, we take him for a long good off-leash run). On weekends we try to spend every free minute with our V. boy, to tire him out and get him ready for the work week.


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## Harley (Jul 26, 2013)

I will have my vet check him for a UTI. If that is ruled out, we will try to increase our activities with him even more. I know they are very active dogs and between my fiancé and I, we take him for a 20 min walk in the morning and a 10-15 minute walk during lunch. After dinner, he usually gets a run in with both Emily and I. We are both training for a marathon and Emily will usually take him on a long leash and run the streets and I take him on trail runs near our house and cut him loose and let him do a lot more exploring. 

It has been quite cold lately (-10 to 10 degrees) for the last week or so and we have not been taking him out as much because he is not a huge fan of frigid temps. We have booties for him to keep his paws safe but no jacket. Warmer weather is on the horizon, so we will make an active attempt to continue to increase his activity levels and see if he is just crying for attention. 

Thanks again for the suggestions.


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## jld640 (Sep 29, 2010)

Also make sure the kennel is clean, clean, clean. If he can still smell previous accidents, he'll use the same area again.


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