Peeing in the house...already housebroken

[Simba's Clan]

Our 18 month old boxer (male) has recently had a rash of incidents where he has urinated in the house, once on the Christmas tree (semi-understandable) but twice in the dining room. He has been crate trained from the beginning and stays in his crate when we are not here and during the night. I am home all day now so his crate is really minimal.

He knows to go outside and up until recently had only urinated in the house twice when we first got him at three months old. Otherwise, no problems. How do we reverse this and get him into a trustworthy dog. My goal is to have him loose in the house at night and during the day when we are not here. This is how we kept dogs when I was a kid and they never had accidents. At this rate I am not sure I will ever trust him, since these inicidents must happen when we turn our backs for just a minute and I would not expect him to do this now.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[mancin]

Check first w/ the vet to make sure he doesn't have a UTI.

 

[Simba's Clan]

Uti?

Can a UTI really force an otherwise house trained dog to just start urinating in the house? The Christmas tree I could overlook and even understand...we brought the outdoors inside!

 

[boxer]

Well, with a previously trustworthy dog, I'd be looking at ruling out any medical problems before looking further. Could be a urinary tract infection - they're resonably common and you should get him along to a vet to check that or any other medical causes out.

Assuming he checks out A-OK, then my next thought is maturity and marking. He's about the right age for that Is he neutered? If not, that would be a very good idea. Either way, if there's no medical issue as the cause, you really need to go back to housetraining basics just to cement things in his head about all urinating taking place outdoors only.

 

[Simba's Clan]

Neutered?

Simba is not neutered. Is this a problem? I do not want to neuter him just yet. A breeder that saw him at our vet's office has already contacted about breeding him. I have not made my mind up on that front, but I had a male lab neutered once and it did not seem to change his behavior so I figured it was an unnecessary act. Simba does not go out of our yard (invisible fence) and a part from his time out to go to the bathroom, he is an inside dog.

 

[mancin]

Neutering isn't done to "alter" a pet's behavior. It has many health benefits, which you will see if you do a search on the site for the benefits of neutering. It should also help reduce his "marking", if that is what he is doing, as neutered dogs seem to be less territorial.
Breeding is a very touchy subject on this site, so I encourge you do some research before considering to breed him.

 

[FarleyBoxer]

A breeder that saw him at our vet's office has already contacted about breeding him.

Hmmm... please do a search on breeding and read up about how to responsibly breed for the betterment of boxers. I will say this: Running into a 'breeder' at the vet's is not the way to go about it. No reputable breeder would suggest breeding a dog he/she had not seen prove himself in the show ring and been proven free of hereditary health issues re. heart, hips, eyes, thyroid, etc (not the same as the ubiquitous 'vet check'). This is a *very* touchy subject. Please take to heart the advice you read.

And neutering *does* decrease the likelihood a dog will mark. While it does not change a dog's personality, it does decrease this testosterone-driven behavior. Please neuter your dog ASAP.

 

[Simba's Clan]

Don't worry about the breeding!

I was just happy that someone, anyone would remark on Simba's handomeness! I really have no time nor expense for this. I do not want to get involved with other people on such a "messy" subject. The last thing I want is a house full of puppies! Simba provides us with an adequate amount of distraction and responsibility! Besides, if we introduce our children to puppies, I am sure I will end up with at least one. We had friends that bred Weimareiners (spelling?) and they kept a puppy, after already having the mother and father! I just want to address his urinating more than anything else!

 

[Simba's Clan]

And one more thought

I will say this: Running into a 'breeder' at the vet's is not the way to go about it. No reputable breeder would suggest breeding a dog he/she had not seen prove himself in the show ring and been proven free of hereditary health issues re. heart, hips, eyes, thyroid, etc (not the same as the ubiquitous 'vet check'). This is a *very* touchy subject. Please take to heart the advice you read.

Please neuter your dog ASAP.[/QUOTE]

Simba is the first dog that I have ever bought from a breeder of any kind. I resent somewhat people that insist on show rings and such as the only to get a dog. I have previously had rescue dogs and growing up dogs purchase from "backyard breeders". They all lived long healthy lives and were a true to joy. To believe that only the gifted few know more than the rest of us or are somehow superior with their "show quality" dogs is a bit much. I do appreciate the advice I get on urinating and training here, but some people need to come down off their high horse with regards to breeding. You would think I just made fun of their mothers or something. Simba is a AKC registered dog and I would be willing to bet that he is one of the most beautiful boxers anyone would ever see. Oh and yes, he will never be in a show ring because I will not crop his ears. Talk about a touchy subject? How about cutting an animals ears for no reason other than showing!

 

[boxer]

Yes, a UTI is likely to cause a dog to pee inside. With an infection, when he needs to go, that will mean right now.

However, with an un-neutered male of 18 months, the most likely cause is marking. And yes, neutering would help greatly in reducing his urge to mark.

If you're not showing your boy (really a pre-requisite for breeding) and don't want to get stuck with the expense of genetic health screening (a definite pre-requisite for breeding), then please go ahead with neutering your dog. It won't change how beautiful he is And boxers are rather prone to one or two cancers and other health problems that can be largely avoided by early neutering. Really, it is much better all round for his health.