# Peeing on the carpet and her bed



## saraandginger (Sep 7, 2012)

Please, I need some advice. We don't have the money to get our carpet cleaned on a daily basis and we don't know how to teach Ginger not to pee on the carpet. She has a great schedule with a breakfast, lunch, and dinnner, where we keep a good eye on her and take her out to pee after every meal. The only times we let her out in the living room are when she has recently peed and is wanting to play or lounge. She gets at least a two hour walk/exercise session a day, not to mention random play throughout. She gets a treat every time she pees outside and we scold her when she pees inside. I have a hard time catching her doing it, and the worst part is she will pee in her crate at random times during the day or night when we aren't paying attention to her. She has a closed off area with hard floors, but she will choose to pee in bed to avoid getting a scolding for the puddle on the floor. We change her bed cushion to towels, and remove and replace towels and even take them out alltogether. I thought she was done peeing in the living room, but she I just caught her doing it under a low table to hide what she was doing. I didn't realize she had peed until I felt the spot so it was too late to scold her while she did it. I don't know how many times she has gone under there, since it is one of her favorite hidey holes in the house with the table cloth coming down to the floor. We have caught her pooping under there a few times and each time we scold her but she will just do it again if she gets a chance! We don't know how to get her to tell us when she needs to go, which if she could, I don't know if she would. Perhaps she prefers to not have to travel the three flights down just to pee for a treat when she could skip the treat and pee now. Please HELP!


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## MilesMom (Jun 21, 2012)

We didn't leave Miles unattended at all for at least a month after we got him to ensure we would catch him if he tried to pee. If we were making dinner, or on the phone, etc any situation one of us was not focused on him he was in his crate. This helped us a lot, we were really lucky and he only had 2 or 3 accidents in the house. If not in his crate, we took him out every 30 min to pee and praised him after like you do. 

Does your crate have a divider to make it very small? Are you cleaning the pee with an enzyme cleaner to take away the scent so they won't go back to the same spot?


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## threefsh (Apr 25, 2011)

saraandginger said:


> ...we *scold* her when she pees inside... she will choose to pee in bed to avoid getting a *scolding* for the puddle on the floor... I just caught her doing it under a low table to hide what she was doing... it was too late to *scold* her while she did it... each time we *scold* her but she will just do it again if she gets a chance!


I sense a theme here. Why are you scolding her for relieving herself? Next time she pees on the floor, roll up a newspaper and smack YOURSELF on the head.  She should be able to start letting you know when she has to go potty, but instead she is hiding from you because all she knows is that if she loses it on the floor you are going to be upset with her.

She is a *baby*. At this age, she should be taken outside every 15-20 minutes to go potty unless she is in the crate. It's good to take her out after she eats, but you have to take her out on a regular basis even in between meals. Also, if she can't hold her bladder in her crate there is a chance she might even have a urinary tract infection. I would recommend taking her to the vet in that case.


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## Kdwyer915 (Oct 23, 2012)

We have a bell hanging on the door that we would have Milo touch with his nose every time we went outside regardless if it was to go play or to go potty. We wouldn't open the door until he rang the bell. took about a week for him to get the concept. This seemed to help a lot with him giving us warning that he needed to go outside. A downside- he is now a year and a half and not only rings the bell if he wants to go outside to pee, but he also rings it if he's bored and wants attention


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

I never scolded mine for accidents but always praised them for going outside. They were pretty well house broke within a week. Even now that they are older if I ask them " You need to potty" they will all run to the back door. I think she has started to associate going to potty with being in trouble. That's why she is hiding to do her business.


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## saraandginger (Sep 7, 2012)

Ok, I realize the scolding was a bad idea, and we actually didn't scold her at all until this last month. (She is 17 weeks now) She wasn't getting it that we cared if she peed inside or outside, so we started telling her "no" (that's what I mean by scolding) if we caught her, and if we didn't catch her, we would just put her in the crate while we cleaned up. I am at home with her constantly, so it's not a problem watching her. I just don't understand why she would still do it in the house when she knows she can have a treat for going out. Maybe I'll try the hitting myself on the head and see if that works. We haven't been taking her out as often to just pee, but we have gone out more often for walks and playtime, so I don't know why she still has water in her bladder after we come back in. 

For the crate thing, she likes to stretch out long in her crate so that her front legs and nose poke out, so with her taking up the whole thing, I didn't think I needed the divider anymore so we took it out a few weeks ago. To clean the mess, we use vinegar and bleach (separately, of course), and we take the bedding to the laundry. 

So far what I think you are all telling me to not ever tell the puppy I am displeased with her. Is that correct? Is that a constructive way to teach? We have been teaching her lots of good behaviors and tricks with treats so far and they work when she feels like it (even though we use treats we know she loves, like meat), so when she would do the bad behaviors regardless, we started to tell her no, and give her time-outs. I don't know if that is good or not, and I have heard of people training their dogs with things like shock collars, which I don't like the idea of, but I would love to know a better way. If treats and rewards don't work, then what does? 

Overall, I want you all to know I love Ginger and she is a good puppy most of the time. I just get frustrated with the pee and poo because it is so stinky and I am pregnant and it makes me throw up. Otherwise, I give her lots of hugs and loves and kisses.


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## threefsh (Apr 25, 2011)

A few tips:

1. No more scolding if she pees in the house. Immediately pick her up (without saying a word) and take her outside. Chances are if you catch her mid pee/poo she will stop while you lift her up and have at least some left in her to go outside where you can praise her and give her a treat.

2. Use the same spot outside for her potty time and don't clean up the area for a few days so it really smells like urine/poo. I know this sounds gross, but she needs to realize that this is her spot to potty and the only way she will know is by smell.

3. Take her out every 15-20 minutes to go potty and associate it with a specific phrase like TexasRed suggested such as "you need to potty?" She will quickly learn that the phrase means it's time to go outside to do our business.

4. Buy a good quality enzyme cleaner for the accidents. Vinegar is not going to get the smell out of the carpet. We use "Nature's Miracle" brand and it's always worked really well for us.

Negative reinforcement has its place in training, but not when you are teaching a baby puppy to potty outside.


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## Lincolns Parents (Aug 6, 2011)

You can keep her on a leash and keep her with you when your in the house. If you cant take her with you on her leash for a moment shes in her crate. Outside, same spot every 20 min or so. IMO i would take out all bedding in her bed. We had issues like this and we used the leash/ constant supervision and no bedding and it worked for us. Also.....if her crate is huge put a box in the back half to give her a smaller space.

Good luck


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## hotmischief (Mar 11, 2012)

Actual threefsh a diluted solution of malt vinager and water does remove the smell and the stain as it breaks down the enzymes in the urine. A vet recommended this to me years ago and I have used it for several puppies and it has works fine.

However, as long as you clean thoroughly to remove the smell that is the important thing. If you have not caught her every time she pees in the house, especially under the table there may be areas that have not been cleaned, so I think if you still have a problem after trying the tips that the others have given you, I would get your carpets cleaned to be sure the smell has gone otherwise you may be going around in a circle.

Ozkar has a very good method of potty training which might be worth trying. I hope she doesn't pee inside again, but if she does when you soak it up use a cloth, then take her and the cloth outside to where you want her to go potty and place the cloth down and just keep telling her potty or whatever word you use until she goes - then lots of praise and treats. Ozkar says this works within days. I think CrazyCash used this method to potty train Penny.

Be patient, you will get there.


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## AlmaPup (Sep 18, 2012)

What helped me with Alma (she's almost 5 months now) was also the phrase "do you wanna go outside?"
Then I let her in the garden, she pees and I give her a treat. 

It sound so easy, but I was also really frustrated. Especially when people tell you it just takes time! And it does, you just wonder how much time she needs to figure it out! Alma still has an accident here and there, I just ask her "what did you do??" and she puts her head down in shame...


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## Azeo (Jul 27, 2012)

I agree with all the responses on here and can relate to your frustration. As alma pup mentioned, it will go away and you wouldn't even immediately realise. Just follow advice given along with what you have been doing....keep the faith


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

You'll do fine, saraandginger... Don't be discouraged. The two keys for unlocking this door are (1) constant supervision _(the operant word there is "constant"), and (2) lots of positive reinforcement. 

When Ginger gets it right and goes potty where you want her to, throw a great big party right then and there. 
YAY!! GOOD GIRL, GINGER!! etc., etc. _


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## jld640 (Sep 29, 2010)

Lots of good advice here. A black light will help you find spots on the carpet you might have missed. However, at least the light I have only works well if you look at every square inch of the carpet (and I mean on hands and knees). A whole carpet cleaning might be easier.


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