Re: Tom with a older pound dog

Question
We have always had a dog, but never a pound dog. She is a 7 year old Jack Russell mix. We have been able to read some of her signs when she needs to go. However she will pee when were not around. The problem is she will pee in her bed or in her crate. It is not medical as she does it on purpose. I have raised 10 dogs all crate trained and not one ever peed in crate or bed. She will even pee right in front of us. We will take her out in our fenced back yard and sometimes she will come back inside and then go. She wont go in the rain if the ground is wet she wont step on it. We love her and she is a member of our family. Help very frustrated.

Answer
Hi Tom:

Some times rescues/pound dogs have had no choice but to pee or poop in their crate, because they are left too long and then when the new owner adopts, they find the crate a useless method of potty training.  This could be why she goes in he crate.

Dogs do not pee as an act of defiance or deliberation.

As a rescue it could be a nervousness or stress issue or a basic lack of prior training.

Dogs are easily distracted and thus just being left in the garden to pee will not work, as with puppies you need to have her on leash and stand in one spot and wait for her to go, then praise and reward.  The use of  bell on the frame of the door to outside potty area, will also help with signals.  Ring the bell each time you take her out to go potty and then teach her to ring it, thus she will ring the bell when she needs to go.

In new environments/homes dogs do not always automatically know here they are allowed to pee, also both Male and Female dogs will mark over another dogs scent (not just their pee or poos) to claim territory and/or to let another dog know they have/are there.

Start doing basic puppy potty training, and start with a 2 hour time limit.  She may never in her life before been taught to hold her toilets, so just naturally goes when she feels the need.

Set a schedule of feeding so you know when she should need to go, remember after a nap a dog will also need to go.  Obviously you have lost the ability to use a crate to Potty train, so keep her close, some people tie the leash to themselves (tethering)or to a chair leg.