>>I am very frustrated with our Heidi! I am a SAHM so during the day I am home! Heidi is able to pee outside before bed (10pm) and hold it all night until the morning (7:30am) when she goes back outside and does both jobs! It's during the days that she refuses to go outside to relieve herself! I take her out every 30 mins. to an hour and she squats and pees and sometimes even poops (after she eats), but will then come in and pee on my carpet! Sometimes looking me square in the eyes! Ugh! Also there are piles of poop that I find. She doesn't try to hide them, so I am guessing she doesn't think that she is doing anything wrong! I really need some help here! I am tired of steam cleaning carpets on a daily basis and hope that we don't have to make Heidi an outside dog or turn her over to a rescue. Honestly I can't keep this up much longer. Also when she gets excited or nervous she just loses all control down there and pees all over anything & anyone! YIKES! Please help me and give me your advise/suggestions!
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>>Thanks in advance!>>>>>>>>>>
It would be a good idea at this point to get your veterinarian to check for physical problems. Then you may need to get the help of a local behavior specialist to help you untangle the communication problems that have developed. For cleaning, steam isn't going to do it. You need a bacterial enzyme odor eliminator product such as Nature's Miracle to remove the scents that she can smell even if you can't. The scent draws her back to use the spot again, just like a neon sign. The instinct is very powerful, and dog's are much more at the mercy of their own instincts than people are.
She will never understand that it's "wrong" to relieve herself indoors. That isn't a concept that makes any sense to dogs, because they do not see urination or defecation as an insult. Our goal is simply to help the dog form the habits we desire. Dachshunds are highly motivated by food, so small treats when she does relieve herself outside will probably help.
It sounds like this situation is being complicated by submissive urination, too. It is vital to not punish a dog for housetraining mistakes. That only messes up both housetraining and deeper temperament and behavior issues. Dogs will react to our anger, but all they learn from it is to distrust and fear us.
The type of food can be a problem, the amount of food can be a problem, the feeding schedule can be a problem, and the dog can have intestinal parasites that are a problem. Medications the dog is on can be a problem. At this age the dog probably has very little bowel and bladder control, anyway. And Dachshunds are not superstars in the housetraining department. Some do well, some don't do well. It wouldn't be surprising for her to not be reliable until a year of age. Any mistakes made in attempts to housetrain her will delay that further, and eventually can result in a dog never becoming fully housetrained.
During sleep the body circulates chemicals that suppress the actions of bowel and bladder. This is true of dogs as well as people. The body has to catch up on this elimination during waking hours. It's wise to take a dog out at least twice in the morning before you leave the house, for example. And many dogs are not able to empty bowels or bladder with just one try. It's common for dogs to need to urinate twice or defecate twice or to do both twice before they are "empty." Thus we get many dogs who do it outside, come inside and do it again. When you see that pattern in a dog, you need to stay out longer and use rewards to encourage that dog to do the second relief outside.
You mentioned turning the dog over to a rescue. Did you not get this puppy from a responsible breeder? If you did, contact that breeder now for help. If you do decide you can't housetrain the puppy, it would likely be better for the pup to let the breeder rehome her than for you to turn her into a lonesome outside dog.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com
