# Sudden lapse in house-breaking



## Amber Scott Dyer (Oct 30, 2006)

I am at my wit's end with my bitch... trust me, it's the right word right now...  

For some reason, over the last week, she's suddenly decided that she no longer wants to be crate trained. She urinates in her kennel two, three times a day. Before this, she hasn't had an accident for a year. I mean, literally, she'll go outside, come in and be in her crate for two hours, then pee. At first, I didn't think much of it - I just pulled the crate pad out of her kennel and cleaned it up when she went - but now it's getting ridiculous. We went to training tonight, and she came back home and played in the yard for awhile before coming in and chilling in front of the TV for about an hour. I put her out in the crate while I ate dinner, she wasn't out there for more than thirty minutes, and when I got done cleaning up and went outside to get her, she'd peed. Not even a lot of pee, she didn't have enough in her to make a big mess, I guess - just a little. 

I'm taking her tomorrow to spin a sample and check the sediment, but I honestly don't think it's a medical cause - I ran a quick u-stix on her, and everything was normal (specific gravity OK, no WBCs or RBCs, glucose, etc. etc.) 

I can only think of two things that could cause it - 1) her crate is in a sun-porch type room, and since the weather's been so nice the last week or two, I've turned off all the heat and air and opened all the windows out on that porch, so it's basically screened in on one whole wall. Maybe the weather change is making her antsy? 2) I've heard of dogs doing this while they were in estrus, but she isn't due for two months. Besides, that's due to hormone fluctuation, and I've never seen it in a bitch this young - she's only 19 months old. 

She isn't doing it in the actual house, so I thought she could be just having a temper tantrum about being crated, but nothing has changed - she's not being crated any less or more than ever before - and she isn't acting weird in the crate (not chewing it, or crying, or barking, or generally acting off.)

Anyone have experience with anything like this?


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## Kristen Cabe (Mar 27, 2006)

> I've heard of dogs doing this while they were in estrus, but she isn't due for two months. Besides, that's due to hormone fluctuation, and I've never seen it in a bitch this young - she's only 19 months old.


At least it isn't explosive diarrhea, like Jessie had for about 3-4 days at the beginning of her heat (at 7.5 months old).  ](*,) 

Sorry I don't have any advice, except maybe try taking out the crate pad altogether. Gypsy went through a phase where she would pee in her crate if I put bedding in it, but I took the bedding out for several months, and the behavior stopped.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

It sure sounds like classic UTI to me.


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## Amber Scott Dyer (Oct 30, 2006)

Vet today, no signs of any abnormalities in her urine. Shoot, that woulda been an easy fix!


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Amber Scott said:


> Vet today, no signs of any abnormalities in her urine. Shoot, that woulda been an easy fix!


OK, well, you know what? I've run into housebreaking lapses in adult dogs before, and I've just started over with the usual crate-training that you do at the beginning.

I have no idea what causes these lapses, but I think it will take a very short time (a couple of days) if you just pretend this is an untrained puppy. 

Anyway, you asked if anyone had had this experience, and I have.......


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## Debbie High (Jul 2, 2006)

Amber, It is annoying when they do this for sure!!

Is it possible that another dog or animal is getting in her crate when she isn't in it? One of mine was doing this......then I caught the cat laying in her crate. She tends to "mark" her territory so my guess was that she would rather sleep in her own pee than smell the cat! :roll: The crate peeing stopped after the cat stopped going in there.


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## Amber Scott Dyer (Oct 30, 2006)

thanks, Connie and Debbie. I tried closing all the windows this afternoon and put the AC on, thinking that it might be her hearing things going on outside and not being able to get out there. So far, nothing.. but it's only been a few hours, so wish me luck


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## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

so what happened amber? we need to know!!! (just in case, ya know?)


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## Hil Harrison (Mar 29, 2006)

Any changes Amber now you got the AC back on?


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## Amber Scott Dyer (Oct 30, 2006)

Well, it's BETTER... she's only went in her crate twice since I closed all the windows. But still, twice in three or four days is something for a dog that before hadn't done it in years. She won't do it at all in the house; my husband says I should quit crating her when we leave and just baby-gate her in the kitchen (she chews pillows ), but it seems to me like that's just reinforcing her behavior.


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## Kristen Cabe (Mar 27, 2006)

I don't think it would be reinforcing the behavior. She isn't going to know that you are letting her stay in the kitchen because she pees in her crate. :lol:


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