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aliceb732

Special Needs Dog potty problem

AliceB732
12 years ago

I have a special needs foster dog which I am probably going to adopt. She is blind. She DOES know what to do when going outside to potty..she immediately goes to the spot designated and goes immediately, however, she seems unable to let us know when she has to go. We take her out every 2 hours (vet thinks shes about 9 years old, she was a stray found wandering streets). As long as we take her out every 2 hours and crate her overnight and when we leave house, theres no problem., but she will pee in the house occasionally if its been longer than 2 hours. She doesn't seem to be able to let us know when she has to go out. Shes capable of barking, however, she doesn't do it much. I think she may have been abused when barking. Ive caught her in the act of peeing in house, scolded her and took her outside immediately, but I dont really think she understands..I love this little stray dearly, I just need to know how to help her learn to let us know in SOME manner that she has to go outside. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance... oh, shes never been spayed and appears to be a long haired doxie/golden retriever mix, small dog, weighs about 20 lbs. Again, thanks.

Comments (5)

  • cynthia_gw
    12 years ago

    Any dog who needs to pee every two hours either has limited bladder control, or has an infection or medical problem of some type. (eg - UTI, Diabetes) Check for medical issues affecting her ability to hold her urine longer than 2 hours. If she's clear medically, start extending her outings from 2 hours to 2.5 hours, then 3 hours, 3.5 hours. You get the idea. Go 3 or 4 days between each extension, and back down if she can't hold it longer when you progress to the next step.

    By the way you are correct that 'scolding' is not a training method for dogs (or people either!). Work with her, continue to reward when she potties outdoors and then keep her on a schedule once it's been extended to a length (6 hours?) that works for you. If she needs to be alone longer than that, get a dog walker to come in and take her out when you're gone. My dogs don't tell me when they need to go out. We are on a schedule for walks and that works for all dogs, not just mine. Also, don't restrict her water, but do keep an eye on how much she is comsuming, and if it seems excessive let your vet know that too.

  • User
    12 years ago

    Our dog isn't blind but because she's a puppy, she's still trying to figure out how to let us know. I'm interested in putting some jingle bells at the door. Bells for your dog at the door may not work but what if you put them in a place where she can find them? Just ring the bell and say go potty every time you take her potty and eventually she will pick up that that's the sign.

    Here is a link that might be useful: some doggie bell ideas

  • AliceB732
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    We take her out every 2 hours not because she necessarly HAS to go, because we're afraid if we dont, she'll pee on the floor....she does GO every time we taker her out at the 2 hour mark. She doesnt seem to drink excessively, I think theproblem is previous abuse and I guess I'll try the rewarding with treats for now, to give her the idea that she MUST let us know when the urge arises, instead of just letting loose on the carpet...thanks for the input.

  • annzgw
    12 years ago

    Watch for other behavior as signals that she needs to go out since they can often be subtle. My dog has several he uses to let me know. They range from nudging me with his nose, pacing back and forth....usually with a toy in his mouth, and then when it's urgent he has recently started jumping around and barking.

    I would definitely try hanging a bell on the door and train her to touch it using treats. You may have to put a dab of something tasty on the bell to get her to touch it, but do this each time you go out with her and she'll probably catch on quickly.

    Try to forget any possible abuse issues and treat her as though you're starting from a clean slate. Some dogs bark, some don't, so what has happened to her in the past probably has nothing to do with her lack of barking.
    I've owned blind dogs and it's amazing what they can do once they become familiar with the house. People would come to my home and have no idea my dog was blind as they watched him walk around the house. Give you're pup time and don't change any furniture placements while he's becoming accustomed to the floor plan.

  • calliope
    12 years ago

    All the blind doggies I've had were sighted when I got them, so they were very familiar with how to find the back door,and that's the signal most of them have used.....just going to the door and waiting. I wonder how long you've had the new doggie, and does she know to find her way to the exit to the outdoors? My son taught one to turn in circles before he opened the door to let him out, and it didn't take long for that dog to do the circle routine when it wanted out. The hilarious thing is that is the ONLY dog he taught to do this, and evidently one dog has passed it on to the newest doggie after them and they all ended up doing the going in circle routines, even though we only taught one.