Author Topic: Dog "Accidents"  (Read 2549 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Pookie

  • Charter Member
  • Motor Mouth
  • Join Date: Jul 2011
  • Posts: 5441
  • Country: us
  • Proud member of the Wet Food Club
Dog "Accidents"
« on: December 17, 2014, 10:24:48 AM »
Mom's dog is now having the occasional "oops" in the house.  My sister suggested that when Mom gets up to do her midnight potty visit, she also let the dog out.  Since it's (almost) winter, and the dog has hip issues, I was thinking that perhaps he could be trained to use a pee pad (or litter box?) in the garage.  That way he can stay dry and off of an icy driveway, both of them stay out of the wind and it's not quite as cold.

Does anyone have any experience with an aging dog that's having potty issues?  How hard is it to train a dog to use a pee pad or litter box?  Would kitty litter be better than a pee pad?  My sister did some research and it sounds like most use the pee pads IN the litter box since dogs can "miss the mark."

Any other advice, insights, suggestions, etc. would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!   :-* :-* :-*
2-4-6-8  Please don't over-vaccinate!
"Pass on what you have learned."  -- Yoda, Star Wars:  Return of the Jedi

Offline Middle Child

  • Charter Member
  • Motor Mouth
  • Join Date: Jun 2011
  • Posts: 9556
  • Country: us
  • Just say No to declawing
Re: Dog "Accidents"
« Reply #1 on: December 17, 2014, 05:03:25 PM »
I think setting up a spot in the garage for the dog is a good idea.  Old dog, right?  How big?

They do make those fake grass with drains things for dogs, but they are probably costly.

Here's one, but I think there are more choices

http://www.porchpotty.com/

Oh, here's the result of my search

https://www.google.com/search?q=indoor+dog+grass+box&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

The Amazon one is only $40.  Of course I realize "only" is a relative term.
Be sure to read reviews first.

Offline Lola

  • Global Moderator
  • Motor Mouth
  • Join Date: Jun 2011
  • Posts: 11790
  • Country: us
  • Spay or Neuter
Re: Dog "Accidents"
« Reply #2 on: December 17, 2014, 05:36:19 PM »
All our elderly dogs... it was a part of getting old.  Or so I thought.  ?? 

Two examples, off the top of my head:
One just couldn't make it outside fast enough.  I would GUESS the having to go feeling hit faster, then she could get to the door.  She had hip issues. 
Another one... we would let him out, and he would come back in and go potty.  I'm fairly sure he wasn't all "there" in his later years. 

BUT potty pads and such weren't around, at the time (that I know of)... so, I have no idea if something like that would work.  I think there are doggie diapers.  ??

Maybe (hopefully) DeeDee has some better experiences she could share. 

I think I would try the midnight potty session first... on potty pads.  Except, being a male dog... he probably lifts his leg.  Not sure how that would work on a potty pad, or something similar. 
« Last Edit: December 17, 2014, 05:40:03 PM by Lola »
Everything you NEED to know about caring for your feline. www.catinfo.org

Offline Pookie

  • Charter Member
  • Motor Mouth
  • Join Date: Jul 2011
  • Posts: 5441
  • Country: us
  • Proud member of the Wet Food Club
Re: Dog "Accidents"
« Reply #3 on: December 18, 2014, 09:22:31 AM »
Thanks, Dee, I completely forgot about those grass "pads."  He's a black Lab mix, we're not sure with what.  Maybe Great Dane?  He's a big boy, about 90-100 pounds.  He's also about 11 years old.

Except, being a male dog... he probably lifts his leg.  Not sure how that would work on a potty pad, or something similar. 

I don't think he lifts his leg anymore, due to the hip issues.  If he does, he doesn't lift it very high, maybe an inch or two.  If the pad is big enough, I think it would be ok.
2-4-6-8  Please don't over-vaccinate!
"Pass on what you have learned."  -- Yoda, Star Wars:  Return of the Jedi

Offline DeeDee

  • P-F's Twitter-er
  • Charter Member
  • Motor Mouth
  • Join Date: Jul 2012
  • Posts: 6013
  • Country: us
  • Barkly & Vlad
Re: Dog "Accidents"
« Reply #4 on: December 18, 2014, 03:25:03 PM »
If you want to train with pads, take a huge soup ladle out and get some of his pee on one of his trips. Then put it in a glass jar. That way you can put a few drops of pee on the pads and it will encourage him to go there. They've got some training drops for sale in some places, but I didn't find it to work as well as real pee.

I won one of those porch potty systems for my youngest son so his Aussie would have somewhere to go if he was on a long flight. And it takes training just like a pad does. According to everyone I've seen talking about it, the easiest way to train them to go on one is to put a grassy looking potted plant so males have somewhere to aim.  It also takes up space that might be an issue. Petsafe Pet Loo make them for larger dogs though, so it might be an option.

They also make these now http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=27182 if he's only going just a little bit, but then you have to wipe them down like a baby in the morning. Or they'll get the doggie version of diaper rash on their penis sheathe. The largest fits up to 35" waists, so I'm not sure if size would be an issue or not. I'm also not sure how well they stay on if your dog moves a lot when sleeping.
"In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." Edward Hoagland
"Thorns may hurt you, men desert you, sunlight turn to fog; but you're never friendless ever, if you have a dog."

Offline Pookie

  • Charter Member
  • Motor Mouth
  • Join Date: Jul 2011
  • Posts: 5441
  • Country: us
  • Proud member of the Wet Food Club
Re: Dog "Accidents"
« Reply #5 on: December 18, 2014, 04:27:04 PM »
Thanks, Dee.  We're pretty much ruled out doggie diapers.  He's a bit aggressive as it is, and I don't see him tolerating someone putting it on him or taking it off.   :(

We may start with newspapers first, just to get him used to going in the garage, and progress from there.  It's really not up to me, but I like to get as much information as possible from folks who have more experience.  At least it gives us more options.
2-4-6-8  Please don't over-vaccinate!
"Pass on what you have learned."  -- Yoda, Star Wars:  Return of the Jedi

Offline Lola

  • Global Moderator
  • Motor Mouth
  • Join Date: Jun 2011
  • Posts: 11790
  • Country: us
  • Spay or Neuter
Re: Dog "Accidents"
« Reply #6 on: December 18, 2014, 05:01:50 PM »
This will sound gross, but... We put a t-shirt on our dog, so at least we KNEW when he went potty inside.  (The t-shirt would be wet.) He tended to stick within a general area, so it wasn't difficult to find and clean. 
Everything you NEED to know about caring for your feline. www.catinfo.org

Tags: