# Potty training help--pee while walking



## ilovelasun (Oct 30, 2011)

So I have had many dogs/foster before, but have never come across this problem. I have a smaller standard poodle (14 weeks old) who will not wait to get outside to go potty. I am home most of the time and we go out every hour or two. When I am not home she is in her crate. She will hold it in the crate. We are on the 3rd floor in a condo and we take either the stairs or the elevator. In route to going outside she pees on the way if I let her walk herself. Sometimes she squats, but most times she just pees as we walk because I catch her when she squats...its as if she got smart and figured out that if she does it while we walk I wont notice right away (and I don't until I see the trail after she started her peeing). The only way she will hold it till we get outside is if I am holding her. When she was 6 pounds it was one thing, but now she is 15 pounds (and growing) and I can't hold her forever. I need to nip it in the bud now. I have only had her for a month. What can I do to remedy this problem? I have never had a dog that does this and I am finding it very frustrating. I know she is not going to be potty trained overnight, but this is baffling to me. She does not pee and walk while inside of the house. Also, while walking her (we walk/run 4 miles every single day, in addition to all the potty trips she gets), she does NOT pee and walk. She stops, sniffs and then pees so I am pretty sure its not because she cannot control it. Any insight?


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

At 14 weeks she has very little bladder control - I suspect that she can take the time to sniff when out on walks because she is already much emptier. I also suspect that leaving the apartment is acting as a "go now" signal - the fact that she is not squatting argues for me that she is barely aware that her bladder is emptying. I went through similar issues with mine when they were pups - they would start to pee on the way out, especially first thing in the morning - but they were tiny, so carrying them was not an issue.

I think I'd try gradually building up how far she walks on potentially "urgent" trips. Start by carrying her to just beyond the door to the outside, then put her down just inside the door, but with it ready opened, and gradually increase the distance you are asking her to walk, running as fast as you can and distracting her with excited chatter. And lots of praise and rewards when she does it outside, of course. A shoulder bag by your own door with paper towels and enzyme spray will help with management.

I really don't think she understands what is going on and is trying to cheat - she's a baby who can't yet control her bladder properly. If it is a potentially major problem for neighbours (carpets, etc), get her a pair of knickers and a pad to be on the safe side.


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## Alkhe (Aug 7, 2013)

Yep, I agree with fjm - if she were older, I'd suggest a visit to the vet to make sure there weren't any medical issues, eg UTI or anything, that were making her a bit incontinent. But since she's so young, I would suspect it's just that she doesn't have complete control yet.

Dogs rarely do things to try and outsmart or annoy us - despite what many youtube videos of dogs looking "ashamed" or "guilty" would have you think! So it's not that she's doing it to annoy you or because she thinks she can get away with it.


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## patk (Jun 13, 2013)

if you live on the third floor of a condo and are using the elevator or stairs, probably other dogs marked them long before your spoo started letting herself go in those areas. maintenance folk often do not realize they have to use something more than water or whatever cleaner to get the odor out and may even have to use a deterrent of some kind - humans can't smell what dogs can, so we often don't realize there's a residual odor.

since you take her out often and she doesn't pee in those areas if you are carrying her, i doubt there's a medical issue or even one of she can't hold it. obviously, she can, but something else is telling her she doesn't have to.

i think maybe fjm's suggestion is best. it's a way of telling her no peeing in those areas, trigger odors or not.


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## Ciscley (Jul 16, 2013)

Puppy vaginitis can cause issues with toilet training. It often doesn't have any symptoms, so do mention the problems to your vet when you take her for her 16 week shots. They will usually take a sterile urine sample (with a needle) to rule out the UTI and then a normal collection sample to see if there is vaginitis if the sterile sample shows no infection.

In addition to keeping her tethered and the other training recommendations already given, I would keep a log of when you are taking her out to toilet and the results, also the amount and time of last feeding / drinking. That will help when you talk to your vet so they don't assume it's something you aren't doing properly.

I will say people often overestimate how frequently they take the puppy out to potty. So the log and possibly using a timer set to go off just under the amount of time she seems to be able to hold it (an hour or 1.5 hours for example) would be a good way to ensure that's not going on.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I agree with the others, but also offer the suggestion of putting peeing and pooing on cue. If you get her outside when you know she has a full bladder just start saying whatever you want to use as the cue (I use "do one" and do two"). When she squats and starts to empty keep saying it and when she is done make a celebration (Yeah, good do one). If you are consistent in offering the cue when you know she has to go and does so, she will make the association pretty quickly. Make sure you pick something you won't say by accident while inside (my brother's family uses "empty" which seems like a risky word to me, like the milk is empty, the cereal is empty, etc.). This is handy in nasty weather when you want to make sure the dog is really done its business quickly.


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## ilovelasun (Oct 30, 2011)

thanks for the advice guys...she goes to get her rabies shot in the next two weeks so I will definitely ask the vet about it. Its just really weird to me that she does that when we go out so often and I know she can hold it because she holds it at night when she is crated. We usually take the stairs so the last few days I have been carrying her down the stairs and we walk down the last two and walk about 5 feet to the door and she doesnt pee. I use the cue "go potty" and I think she has a pretty good idea about what it is because when I first got her she wouldnt go potty and we would spend 20 minutes outside before she would go, so I got a clicker and used it when she did go potty so now when we go outside I tell her to potty and she goes right away.


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

Perhaps the stress on the bladder from walking down the stairs added to the anticipation of peeing outside is combining to make her lose control. She is just a baby so although she may have the concept she just doesn't have the physical control yet. How has she been doing lately?


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## ilovelasun (Oct 30, 2011)

So this morning I had to take her to the vet because she was straining to pee and leaking blood. The vet did a urinalysis and she has a UTI. So I am just guessing that this is what it had been all along in regards to the peeing and walking issue. Or at least I am hoping. I came home from work last night and I could tell she wasnt feeling well, but I couldnt see any blood because it was so dark outside. She got 2 shots and some pain meds and antibiotics and she is doing so much better now! I felt so bad because she was so miserable earlier, but now she is eating and playing like nothing ever happened.


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## Joelly (May 8, 2012)

I'm glad its all resolved. How is she doing now?


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