Toilet trouble?

Question

I have an 8 month old maltipoo who has gotten into his head he should go to the bathroom on my livingroom carpet!! He was totally clean and always went outside until a week or two ago ... OK, we live in Maine, and it's cold, but so far he has always done his business outside .... We walk him in the mornings, frequently during the day, last thing at night .. he sleeps in the livingroom, and nearly every morning now for the past week we find "surprises" on the carpet! What do we do? I clean the carpet, but suppose he can still smell where he went ... any suggestions other than getting rid of the carpet and/or the dog? Crate him at night? What? This is becoming intolerable ...

Answer 1

Crate train him. Maltese are particularly hard to train. You have to stay on top of him at all times. Leave him out when you are home and can watch and correct the behavor. Bu t if you can't then put him in the crate. I have a similar issue with my Malti-Pek. He hates to go out if it's wet. I give him opportunities and if I don't see him go then he stays in his crate if I'm not around to watch him. They will figure it out that it's better to go when they can then have to wait.

You can also confine him to smaller spaces like your room at night and not give him access to te living room. That might help.

Answer 2

Yes, I'm sure he's smelling where and what he's done previously on your carpet. Just Rite makes a great product that you can buy online. Just go to www.justrite.com and purchase the kit. I've used it and it works great!

You can have your carpet professionally cleaned or you can try some home remedies to overcome the smell.

I've heard that using mouth wash on the pet spots will get the smell out. You can also try cleaning the spots with a quarter cup of liquid laundry detergent and a can of cola mixed together and allow this to sit for about 30 minutes. Rinse well. Just make sure you get all the moisture up out of the carpet once you've used this method.

Otherwise, you've got about four other choices here.

You can "crate" your dog at night, and make sure that when you take him out, that the first place he goes is straight outside to do his business and don't let him back inside until he does.

You can buy and put down puppy pads that have a strong odor of pee on them, to attract the dog to do business on them.

You can cover your entire carpet with newspapers every night before you go to bed and hope he goes on the newspaper and not the spot you forgot to cover.

OR . . .

Last, but not least... if you are so intolerant of the dog, find him a new home and then think twice about getting another puppy. There are many good adult dogs in shelters and rescues that are house-trained that are waiting to be adopted into a good home.

Good luck.
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Answer 3

First of all, your dog is "doing his business" on the carpet because you're not enforcing anything. Also, you're giving the dog too much freedom. I have a couple different ideas on how to stop this behavior:
1. Have you thought about newspaper training this dog?? That way it's easy to just lay down newspaper down every night. If the dog doesn't have "accidents" during the day, this is the perfect oppurtunity to paper train the dog.
2. This is more of a theory of mine than a fact, but I think it would work. Put a crate near your bed at night, and have your dog sleeping there. a crate only has to be big enough for the dog to turn around and lay down. this way, there's no room for the dog to "go", then sleep somewhere else. the dog will whine if he has to "do his business", and you'll get up and take him out. not as appealing, but I think it would be effective.
3. Take your dog outside right before he goes to bed. Put up the water about 20-30 min. before this time. make sure the dog has a couple hours between eating and going to bed. this is also very effective.
Thank you for taking the time for reading this. I wish you the best of luck in this situation.

Answer 4

Lots of people think it's so cruel to crate their dog at night, while out shopping, etc., or for house-training purposes.

However, what's really cruel is getting a dog who'll love becoming a part of your family -- only to be discarded later -- all because the owner never tried the crate in the first place!

When used properly, the crate is an excellent housebreaking tool, a safe haven for your dog while you're out, and a great spot that your dog can retreat to if things are too hectic or tiring.

So, please have your vet advise you on the correct size and how to use it effectively!!

You and your little maltipoo will live happily ever after ...

Answer 5

I would indeed crate him. With a Kong ball of appropriate size, for chewing and busy work while you want to sleep. Also cut the food an water about an hour before bed. If he has nothing to pass that could help alot!

If it's always one spot or one area like a 2 foot circle or so I would say there's a smell there that invites a marking. Clean the spot, soak it, or hire a company to do just the one room. Buy this stuff called Nature's Best animal solution. It eats bacteria that cause odors...

Maybe that will help.

Answer 6

I would suggest first taking him to the vet, to make sure nothing physically is wrong with him. We once had a dog who started urinating on the carpet after never doing so, and he ended up having a urinary tract infection. Next, has there been any changes in routine that he may disapprove of? If nothing is wrong with him physically or mentally, I would crate him. A crate isn't "mean" as some people think. It actually makes them feel safe and secure, when used properly. Some people use a crate for punishment, and of course the animal isn't going to have a good feeling about it. Our dog used to go into his crate by himself when we were getting ready to go somewhere without him.

Answer 7

Most little dogs won't go potty outside in the rain or cold weather. They are princes/princesses in this way!

Purchase some Nature's Mircle or Simple Solution. It breaks down the enzymes so he won't keep going to THAT spot. There's also stuff you can purchase to prevent "accidents" in the house that is safe to spray on the carpet/upholstry. (You can find it at Petsmart or Petco).

Second, think about getting a doggie litter box. It's a clean place for him go and prevents carpet accidents. I house sat for a lady who had 3 chihuahuas that were all litter box trained.

Third you can try a crate. That would be a great option too. Don't feed him 3-4 hours before bedtime. Instead of letting him out, take him for a walk to ensure he goes potty.

You may want to teach him a potty code word. When he does his business repeat "go potty go potty go potty". Once he has learned this, he'll be able to go potty on command.

Good Luck

Answer 8

Before cleaning the carpet either train the dog or get rid of it. Then remove the carpet around the affected area and paint the sub-floor. After the floor dries put the carpet back and shampoo it with a cleaner that extracts the water completly. The odor is in the carpet and the sub-floor. That's why painting the sub-floor is so important. It will seal in the odor.

Answer 9

This is a sign that there is something wrong, he isnt acting disobediant, he is trying to tell you something isnt right, when does he does do it. Are ya'll asleep, gone? Is how is you and your spouses relationship. i know it may sound strange, but it cant greatly effect a dog. A dog is very intune with those around him and in his "pack". You need to discover if any thing has been bothinging him. it could be a dog that moved in next dog, or maybe he is gettong lonely, if ya'll are away from him for along time during the day, concider getting a new dog, but do so with his approval, cocider taling him to an adoption center to let him pick out a freind. After you have tried these things, if he still dose it, i would consult a professional. remember, you dont poop were you play, stand , sleep, eat, and niether does your dog. a dog will poop in one area, unless he is marking his area, establishing dominace( humping is another way of establishign dominace, its not justa sexualy thing with them ), or if something is not right.
i hope this info works for you, just remmeber to be patient and love your dog

Answer 10

You should've crate trained your puppy as that facilitates potty training. You are not being vigilant/consistent enough and your dog has developed a pattern.

Whenever the dog is not in your sight, you should put it in a crate or pen, take it out frequently and go out to the "potty spot" and WAIT until the dog goes- you'll have to suffer in the cold with your dog until it goes and when it goes, say a word like "potty" or "pee" or "poo" or whatever- this helps in voice command and when it goes, make a big deal out of it.

You can spot a sign when your dog has to go when it's in the house and you rush it out before it goes on the rug. Again, when you're not immediately watching it, put it in a crate or pen small enough because dogs don't like to soil their living areas. You just have to make sure you give it enough potty breaks to ensure it doesn't start soiling it's crate.

Answer 11

You need to praise him for going outside and try crating him at night for a few days and see if he can hold it throughout that time. Watch what he eats and how much? Do not leave food for him on the floor or feed him from table scraps. When he gets home and has a successful time outside which you praise him for give him a milk bone after each good walk.