Our boxer can't control his bladder, help!

[Dozing03]

We adopted Hooch just over 2 months ago, and we love him to death! The family was moving and didn't want to take him with. He is 3 years old and came with a plathera of health issues that boxers tend to get, like hip displacia and it was tough getting him to eat.
We had some problems with him peeing inside the house and thought he was just being stubborn, until we noticed that he would hang his head and run to his kennel whenever it happened. Then we finally realized that he just plain can't control it sometimes when he was locked in his kennel lying down and just started to wet himself entirely. I quickly gave him a bath and my husband started cleaning up the mess. As soon as I had finished bathing Hooch, he quickly got out of the bath and ran to, what seemed like, help Chad clean up.
We don't know what to do. Hooch acts so humiliated and depressed whenever it happens and we feel so bad. It usually happens within an hour or two of just taking him outside to play. He can always go all night without any problems. Just sometimes, randomly in the day, it happens.
Does anyone know if we can do anything to help him?

 

[gmacleod]

If it really seems to be an incontinence problem, then I'd suggest that you take him along to a vet to see if physical cause can't be found. If it can, then great - you've got a solution

If the vet suggests meds for bladder control, then you might like to try giving him a teaspoon or so of chopped fresh parsley with his food instead. That's a natural incontinence cure that works in a great many cases - none of the side effects of meds either, so that's a definite plus.

But with all that said, just because he hangs his head and runs for his kennel doesn't necessarily mean he's incapable of holding his bladder. A dog that was never properly toilet trained in the first place is likely to be used to being punished for pottying - and that would produce exactly the effect you're describing too. So while I think you certainly should take him along to the vet to be checked over for physical problems, I would not discount the possibility that he just plain isn't housetrained

If that's the case, then the thing to do is treat him like a baby puppy and give him *massive* amounts of praise for every correct outdoor potty.

 

[beausmommy]

Beau was doing the same thing a couple of weeks ago. He'd just walk around the apartment peeing everywhere. He'd give me such a pitiful face and look under him like "Is that me?" I didn't think anything of it at the time because he was only 90% housetrained. After about 3-4 days, I got concerned. The vet said his urine looked good and put him on Proin to tighten his bladder muscles. When that didn't work, they put him on Keflex just in case he had a UTI. I guess he did, because he's not doing it anymore! I'd definitely have a urinalysis done just to be sure and if he doesn't have one, the vet will probably have some ideas for you. Good luck---I feel your pain!