He won't stop peeing in cage

[apollosdad]

1) is there possibly too much room in his cage? perhaps it has to be reduced and a refresher course with the housetraining has to be done again.

2) have you washed off his mat or blanket, or whatever he has in the crate each time after he pees? and have you used a odor eliminator to get rid of all the urine scent?

3) is he possibly given too much water during the lunch time break? perhaps he drinks too much water when someone goes to let him out at lunch time and then cannot hold it until the evening time? if someone is letting him out at lunch, and allowing him to drink water after relieving himself, then he will have to be let out again after him drinking the water. if that is the case, then make sure to let him out again, and then immediately place him back in his crate.

 

[jbiel]

1) is there possibly too much room in his cage? perhaps it has to be reduced and a refresher course with the housetraining has to be done again.

48"D X 28"W X 31"H is the size of the cage. At first it was way to large, but now that Zeus is a good 70lbs, I don't think the cage is too large for him. Even if it was, as I stated in a previous post above, it seems that he doesn't mind to lay in the urine.

2) have you washed off his mat or blanket, or whatever he has in the crate each time after he pees? and have you used a odor eliminator to get rid of all the urine scent?

We use the disposable pee pads in his cage. If he soils one, we remove it and clean the cage out with watered down bleech. And place a new pee pad in there. If we do not leave a pee pad in to absorb the urine, he will just lay in it. If he soils the pad, he usually pushes it to a corner.

3) is he possibly given too much water during the lunch time break? perhaps he drinks too much water when someone goes to let him out at lunch time and then cannot hold it until the evening time? if someone is letting him out at lunch, and allowing him to drink water after relieving himself, then he will have to be let out again after him drinking the water. if that is the case, then make sure to let him out again, and then immediately place him back in his crate.

His water intake on the lunch break is minimal. Enough to wet his lips and quench his thirst.

There seems to be no pattern to it. Like today for instance. I came home on lunch at 11:30am and he had already pee'd. But when I got home from work at 4pm, he hadn't peed. But pee'd for a while as soon as I took him out. Which tells me he can hold it long enough, he just doesn't want to. Almost like he does it as revenge for being put in the cage.

 

[Burton'sMa]

Just a thought......but are you able to get a doggie door? We have one and we would have to say it has been one of the best investments we ever made....he loves his dog door and he has the freedom to set his own schedule....while we are at work he can look out the front window and then run to the back yard whenever he wants....it provides him with good exercise and we don't have to worry about his restroom breaks....my husband and I keep similar hours....we used to have a neighbor come over and let him out of his crate initially, till around 6-8 mo. we got the dog door....it was truly a worthwhile purchase....if you have a situation where a dog door could be a possibility-I highly recommend it good luck

 

[apollosdad]

the only thing that concerns me with your situation is that you leave a puppy pad in his crate in order to prevent him from laying in it. this is probably confusing your dog and encouraging him to pee inside the crate. also, using bleach to try and remove the odor is not doing the job. the odor from the urine is not being completely removed, and since dogs usually return to the same place to pee, that might also be encouraging him to pee in his crate. dogs by instinct, do not like to lay in urine, especially boxers. you could try removing the pee pads and using an odor eliminator such as "simple solutions". i would start there and see how it goes. the current situation seems that it could be confusing him.

 

[alliegirl]

I think time, patience and a routine will take care of that. I have the same situation. She is caged during the day due to work (she is 14wks) she is in the cage from 6:30 to 11:00. (I come home for lunch) She usually doesn't pee in her cage by then.( she used too) She is out for about 30 - 40 min. Sometimes she drinks alot sometimes not. Its about 50-50 whether she will peee in her cage by the time I get home, about 3:15. If I am later than that she will definatly have peed. She used to pee all the time before I got home but she is getting better. Once you have established a routine and he knows about what time you are coming home. it will get better. (hopefully). My cage is a full sized cage. I do not have divider in it. Ours will be a longer process due to the fact that we cannot be there to let them out every few hours. Good luck.

 

[jbiel]

I tried a new approach today and left nothing in the cage other than his chew toys. We left the house at 8am and I came home at about 12:30... to a cage full of pee.

I cannot fathom why he does it. He does not care if he has to lay in it, which is what boggles me more. It doesn't seem to bother him at all. I would take the route of using a blanket and such, but the cost of having to wash them daily would go through the roof. If I rotated multiple towels, having to store the soiled towels would allow a nasty smell to develope.

I am losing hope and running out of options and it's scaring me. I don't want this to come to us having to get rid of Zeus, but if something doesn't happen soon, we will have to. It sadden's me to think that though.

I am open to any all options. Zeus is going to the vet on Thursday to have his manhood removed, but I doubt that will help.

 

[apollosdad]

jbiel-
a good idea, since your going to the vet, would be to have him tested for a UTI (urinary tract infection), that medical problem can sometimes cause them to urinate irradically.

also, how did you acquire your dog? was it through a reputable breeder, byb, or adoption?

 

[jbiel]

We got Zeus through a breeder we found online.

 

[apollosdad]

the reason that i ask, is because sometimes the non-reputable breeders do not provide the most sanitary kennels for their dogs. byb, as they are most commonly referred to, will allow the poor pupos to lay in their own feces and urine for days at a time. since they are not taught to be clean as young pups, they become accustomed to the "below-average living conditions" and as a result do not mind lying in their own urine. i'm not saying that the breeder you purchased him from did that, however, i am merely throwing out a suggestion since you welcomed them. i wish you luck in your quest to solve the problem with zeus.
since he seems to pee in the afternoon part of the day, after someone comes to let him out for lunch, would it be possible for someone to come in between the time period in the afternoon to let him out a second time?
i know that might seem a bit much to ask, but i'm wondering if someone lets him out for a second time, if it would resolve the peeing issue?
then maybe from there you can gradually increase the time in the afternoon until he can hold it for the remainder of the day and then you can go back to only letting him out once. just a suggestion.

 

[jbiel]

Before we got Zeus, we checked out the breeder (3hr driveway). Everything was on the up and up, so we went back the following week to pick him up. He was 13wks when we got him. We did not see anything out of the ordinary.

Apollosdad, we appriciate all the help and suggestions you have given.

I am going to try to switch him back to a slightly smaller cage to maybe force him not to pee since he will have to lay fully in it.

Celeste or I usually come home around 11-12 and then I am usually home by 4pm. I am the closest to the house, so I am going to try to start cutting out around 2pm to come home and let him out.