Housebreaking

[alibuch]

I'm having a HORRIBLE time getting my dog that I adopted housebroken. She wakes me up after only getting a couple hours sleep and has either peed in her cage or pees on the floor as soon as I let her out (when I'm putting on my coat to take her out). The vet wants me to train her to use pee pads but I don't see it happening. She was doing fine with going outside when I took her (and no accidents in the house) until I started taking her to the vet more frequently for ear infection. Now she is panting all the time, acting very skittish and having accidents multiple times a day. It's becoming more stress than I can handle as I'm dealing with a lot of things in my personal life that are going on back home.

Does anyone have any ideas to help me? If something doesn't change soon I'm going to have to find a new home for her...

[Karen]

I'm so sorry you're having all this trouble. Housetraining is so stressful! It took me 4 weeks to fully train one of my fosters because she was on a weight gain program and was eating so much, I couldn't keep up with her digestion system. I was really at my wit's end for a while, so I know how you're feeling :(

I wonder, since the problem started after the ear infection, if it has a direct relation to any medication she is taking? Is she on antibiotics or anything? If so, maybe you could ask your vet to change them, or try to stay your patience until the medication series is done. Also, panting sounds like a symptom of something. Is it too warm in your house for her, so maybe she's drinking too much water? (wouldn't that be a nice simple thing to fix, ha!) Has she been tested for a bladder infection? I'm just brainstorming possible causes...

I think first you have to rule out a medical cause for all the sudden mistakes. Once the vet gives her a clear bill of health, then maybe reevaluate your housetraining methods. Erg. Not fun. Like I said, it took me 4 weeks with that one dog for us to sync our schedules.

www.peteducation.com has lots of info on medical, training, and behaviour issues and a very good article on housetraining, here: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1548&articleid=157

Let us how she's doing. Poor both of you! :(

[alibuch]

Well I asked the vet if the medicines were making her thirsty hence the heavy panting. He said it was just stress. He suggested I get a bigger cage for her. So I'm going to try to find one this weekend. I'm going to try leaving her in the bathroom with a pee pad while I'm at work today because it will be easy to clean up if she has an accident on the floor... and she already needs a bath. The vet said she's fine otherwise. She's going to be on these antiobiotics for another month at least because he ear infection is so bad (though it is improving). I know the chances of her going to a good home here are pretty slim so I don't want to get rid of her. Plus, I love her. haha She's my dog.