Hello Group!

I haven't been on in a while but have been following along with most of the emails.  Let me start by saying we brought home the most adorable female rattie around Father's Day for my husband.  She was 9 weeks old when we brought her home....August 9th she turned 4 months old.  She is so sweet and so much fun and such a good puppy........EXCEPT for the housebreaking issue.  OMG, she understands about going outside and she will go.......just to come back in the house and go again! 

I've been trying to remember to take up her food and only let her have it in the morning and in the evening.  We do go outside afterwards and she usually goes.  Then once we come back inside....... 

My biggest problem with her is that she will pee on the couch!  Not constantly, but she done this about four times since we brought her home and that is four times too much!  Now mind you, I take her out constantly as does my husband.  I almost always stay with her outside to make sure she goes.  Now hubby.....he will go outside with her but he starts tinkering and doesn't watch to see if she actually goes.  Does anybody have any suggestions?  I have old wooden floors so it isn't a problem to clean it up just aggrevating.  But peeing on the couch just infuriates me!    She will even pee on her sister's (Lucy, the TFT) blanket.   I think that is out of orneriness.  She weighs about 7-8 pounds now and Lucy is only 3 1/2 pounds.  She is so energetic and so playful that we really have to watch that she doesn't hurt Lucy.  I have a squirt bottle around for that problem.

I have to mention that we do crate her during the day when we have to be gone.  Both of us are still working but my husband is a teacher and has been off during the summer.  This has been really good for everyone as we haven't had to crate Bailey much unless we are both gone.  She really does well and hasn't soiled her crate in a while.  We started out with a big one and she had lots of room but went to a smaller one that we put her bed in and she doesn't have much floor space with it.  Sleeping arrangements......both puppies sleep with us in our bed. 

Does anyone have any kind of suggestions?  Can anyone give me hope that she will out grow this and that we just have to be consistant and patient?

Another funny on this subject is that last Friday, my husband and I took both dogs with us to go riding around country roads in his jeep.  They absolutely love this and both of their noses go on overdrive.  Anyway, we keep leashes on both of them and Lucy was sitting in my arms and Bailey's leash was tied to the gear shift and she lays on a pad that we got from Petsmart that goes on the console.  She gets off of that and gets on  my husband's lap.....she very gingerly squats down and proceeds to pee in the middle of his lap (which looks like he had the accident).  I'm sorry it was too funny for words!  

Pleae help!

Jean, Lucy and Bailey's Mom

No, I haven't but that's a good idea.  Thanks!

Bailey is such a good dog and we adore her....if we could just get this problem under control. 

J

I agree with Mary Beth, I would have a Vet make sure it's not a urinary tract infection.  When Blondie was a young puppy I would let her out and she would pee.  Then, what seemed like minutes later, she would come in and pee again!  This went on for a few weeks before I took her in to the Vet.  She DID have a urinary tract infection which was what caused the constant need to go potty.  As far as peeing on the furniture, I would not let her up until this stops.  Blondie peed on the bed one time and she was not allowed on the bed for over one month.  She's never done it since.  Good luck!  And, remember, potty training doesn't happen overnight.  It personally took my almost 7 months to have Blondie COMPLETELY potty trained - so don't get discouraged.  :-)

Thanks for all the advice.  Bailey has an appointment this Tuesday to get her rabies shot and I will talk to the vet about her peeing.  If I were to guess, she is just too busy and when you gotta go, you gotta go.  Her pooping is the same spontaneity.  She will go outside and then come in and poop again.  She is always on the go and pees and poops "on the run."

Thanks again for all the advice and I'll have her checked out. 

How do they check her for a urine infection?  Do I need to gather up some pee?

Bigbadfisher -- be careful what you train Sheila to do!  We trained Bailey to ring a bell to go outside and he QUICKLY learned that ringing the bell resulted in us jumping up and taking him out everytime he rang the bell.   He started controlling when he went out, instead of US controlling when he went out.  He drove us nuts.  Needless to say, we don't use the bell anymore.  (not saying it doesn't work well for some.... just didn't work for us at all).