My dog goes to the bathroom on my carpet...HELP?

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   Lisa Petrarcaposted 15 years ago

   My husky goes to the bathroom on my new carpet constantly. There seems to be no rhyme or reason. One time she'll go out the doggy door and later she may decide to go on the carpet. It's very random and FRUSTRATING!
   
   Any ideas?

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      Whikatposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Lisa,
      I was having the same problem with my dog, so I had to start crating him. I felt so bad doing it though. I did a search on the Internet and found a site called planet urine where they sell things to help stop that kind of behavior.
      
      The site is planeturine.com This is not an affiliate link, in fact I have not tried it yet. Just thought it might give you more options. The house wrappers look interesting. If you go with them please let me know how it turned out.

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      joxallposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      My vet told me of a training tip that worked...place a rug with a rubber backing where your dog goes in the house.  Let her use this rug with no punishment.  Move the rug closer to the doggy door and finally out side the doggy door over time.   
      
      It took us 1 month to have our puppy trained and there was not stress of punishmnet or correction.   To clean the rug have a spare to place on the floor and the other goes in the wash machine and air dried outside.  Don't use detergent.   GOOD LUCK!!!

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         Whitney05posted 15 years agoin reply to this

         joxall, that's similar to the puppy pad or newspaper training idea.

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2. 83

   Whitney05posted 15 years ago

   Sounds like you need to reinforce house training techniques. Doesn't sound like she's house trained fully.
   
   Also, since you know she's having problems, don't leave her unattended. When you can't watch her consider a crate or dog-proof room.

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3. 59

   Random Personposted 15 years ago

   Actually from experience with dogs and their Psychology this sounds like an insecurity. Try showing who's the boss and keeping her next to you on walks. She may be going because of nervousness or being territorial. Or then again it could be that you need to go over the potty training again. I haven't observed the dog so I wouldnt know. Have a great day!!!
   
   P.S The crate Idea Is very good too. If your dog goes in there, it will get used to the fact that she doesnt like waste on her and learn to hold it. Then take it from there. I f you have questions, go on Need help? Ask Nikki. One of my hubs.
   
   
              Sincerly,
                     Random

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   shibashakeposted 15 years ago

   I have a husky as well. What worked really well with her was to consistently reward and praise her when she went outside. When she was learning, I made sure that she was always supervised. When it looked like she was about to go inside the house, I would non-mark her (ack-ack), and take her outside. As soon as I got out, I would take her to her favorite spot and say "go potty". When she does it, I mark the behavior (Yes) and reward her with really yummy stuff.
   
   Huskies are extremely clever, so if you make them a good offer for going outside, they will quickly learn to do it. When you are too busy to supervise, either crate her or let her hang out outside. Also make sure to use a cleaner that is made especially for pets on your carpets and floors. If there is any residual smell, she will be tempted to potty on those areas.

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5. 58

   Lisa Petrarcaposted 15 years ago

   Thank you all for your advice. I've tried crate training, she bent the metal around the latch and got out. I then bought a completely enclosed plastic one, she chewed the plastic around the latch (destroyed it) and got out. When they tell you that husky's are escape artists, THEY MEAN IT!
   
   We still try the reward system, she'll be good for a week and then she will mess up again. I guess my next step is to check out some of the links you guys gave me.
   
   I will also try and take her potty at different times during the day (before I leave and when I get home.) She can't be left outside because she just howls and howls, she is a big baby! She only wants to be in the house and tends to be a nervous-ADHD dog. Is it possible for dogs to have ADHD?LOL!
   
   Thank you all again for your advice...I'll keep trying.

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      shibashakeposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Hmmmm, she may be urinating because of stress when she is home alone. One way to deal with separation anxiety issues is to try and keep to a fixed schedule so that she knows exactly when people will be home.
      
      Another thing you can try is to train her to potty on pads when she is inside. You can get pads that have a special scent on them, which I imagine, makes them look like a fire hydrant to a dog Once she is good on the pads you can try to move them close to the dog door, and then move them outside.
      
      Could it also be that she is afraid to go outside when she is alone?

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         Lisa Petrarcaposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         She definitely doesn't like to go out in the dark alone but she's usually fine to go out in the day. I've seen the pads, I'll get some and give it a try.
         
         

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   Whitney05posted 15 years ago

   I would actually be careful of the potty pads. They can tell dogs that it is ok to potty in the house. Although, they do prevent messes to clean up. It can just potentially be a bad thing.

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      shibashakeposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      This is very true. In general you want to try and do potty training outside only, so that there is no confusion. Sometimes, however, that may not be possible.
      
      My Siberian had to go through several surgeries when she was about 3 months old, and it was difficult for her to keep going in and out. During this time, I trained her to potty outside as well as to go on the pads. She learnt to do both quite well I always gave her more rewards and more praise for going outside, but she got some good stuff for going on the pads as well.

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