Skip to content

Peeing in the house…help!

Basenji Training
  • Fancy has only been with us about 2 weeks so of course I didn't expect everything to be perfect…she is a Basenji after all...but as much as I take her out to go potty, she occasionally pees in the house. Never downstairs where we have tile, only upstairs on the carpet. Any suggestions? :confused:

  • @natnatsupercat:

    Fancy has only been with us about 2 weeks so of course I didn't expect everything to be perfect…she is a Basenji after all...but as much as I take her out to go potty, she occasionally pees in the house. Never downstairs where we have tile, only upstairs on the carpet. Any suggestions? :confused:

    What do you do when she does go pee in your house?

    I would take her out after she eats, wakes up and after play. If she's sniffing around, let her out. Can you put up a baby gate so that she can't go upstairs until she is fully house trained? When she does pee in the house, take her immediately outside, don't scold her… don't say anything. When she does go outside... squeal "GOOD GIRL!!!" and make it so exciting and she'll never want to go in the house. It took my pup I think about three weeks to be completely house trained... a lot of it is our fault if they have an accident too. I would try to think about taking her out every 15-20 minutes when she's awake. Also, is she crated at night and when you're not home or where is she?

  • Dogs are substrate specific when they eliminate so most often accidents happen on the carpet because it is soft and absorbent like grass.

    Is there any pattern to when she is peeing? Unexplained peeing, especially in an adult dog can be an indication of a UTI. You may want to get her checked out. If it is a UTI then it won't stop until you get the infection under control.

    If it is not a UTI, then it is time to go back to housetraining 101. Limit her access to parts of the house to only where you can supervise her. Increase the frequency of her walks. Praise and reward when she gets it right.

  • Does she try to pee numerous times when you walk her? That would be an indicator of UTI as well.

  • I have a Basenji mix, and I had a heck of a time house training him. I've never had problems house training any other dog, and it took a long time before he got it. I would say don't be discouraged and have lots of patience, give her treats after she pees outside and do it right away after she pees and like other people said, limit her access to the carpeted area with baby gates. My dog took stubborn to a whole new level. I'm careful to watch for any signs that he needs to go (lots of sniffing) and he learned to stand by the back door so I know right away. She'll catch on with lots of praise and positive reinforcement. Just hang in there! And also, Bissel makes a carpet spray called "Ewww" (literally haha- I got it at Petsmart) and it's great to take out urine stains out of carpets, in the mean time.

  • What do you use to clean the area where the peeing happens. Could be that you aren't getting all the scent up and Fancy is attracted to the area as a result…

  • She stays in a kennel only when we are all gone from the house, and during meal times. She sleeps in our room at night, but she hasn't had any accidents overnight. I will try to keep a closer eye on her, and I will definitely limit her availability to the carpet. I don't think it's a uti because when we walk her, she goes once or twice which I think is normal (maybe I'm wrong?) Our other dog, Albert, pees numerous times but that's because he has to mark anything and everything along our walk so all the other dogs know he was there. Could she just not understand yet that she pees outside, not inside? She spent the majority of her time in a kennel outdoors with rotating house time before we got her.

  • Always good to first check things like a UTI, you should be able to just take a sample to your Vet to have it tested. Just because she might only pee once or twice on walks would not rule out a UTI

    After that, I would just limit her access to carpet areas until she is fully settled in

  • Just to think outside the box a little, is there any chance she is marking? Some bitches certainly will. My second Basenji (spayed bitch) was solidly house trained at home, but if took her to a strange house I had to watch her like a hawk. She would mark. Could she be "staking out her territory"?

  • I reiterate renaultf1's comment. Unless you use a product which neutralises the pee the smell (for a dog) still lingers. I think a white vinegar spray is best (and cheapest) after you've cleaned the area.

  • @Patty:

    I reiterate renaultf1's comment. Unless you use a product which neutralises the pee the smell (for a dog) still lingers. I think a white vinegar spray is best (and cheapest) after you've cleaned the area.

    I take straight white vinegar and dilute it a little with water…..seems to work. I've used it many times over the years, usually when I have older dogs that are getting a bit incontinent.

  • @eeeefarm:

    I take straight white vinegar and dilute it a little with water…..seems to work. I've used it many times over the years, usually when I have older dogs that are getting a bit incontinent.

    I agree, that is all I use any more…. vinegar and water.... Of course I use this for everything when I clean.... cheap and works!

  • Me too, Pat - I swear by it.

Suggested Topics

  • House breaking

    Moved Basenji Training
    5
    0 Votes
    5 Posts
    2k Views
    M
    Trust you have a doggie door to the outside that she can use
  • And he is peeing now!

    Basenji Training
    6
    0 Votes
    6 Posts
    2k Views
    N
    @Nemo: Can you give more details of the situations when he pees on the couch? Well, it happened in two occasions in two different days. The first time we had been playing, we had gone for a walk after, we came back home, then I went to the kitchen to have some water and when I came back to the living room I saw him getting down the couch and voila! He had wetted the couch so I took him out right away. The second time was yesterday but I just noticed that the couch was wet, but did not see the moment it exactly happened, so I can't give many details. But I find it extrange, as mentioned, since he has been doing really well on potty training, I wonder what makes him peeing there.
  • Need HELP!

    Basenji Training
    27
    0 Votes
    27 Posts
    8k Views
    JannekeJ
    @lvoss: My basenjis learn new things very quickly but they also get bored more quickly. In classes that ask for you to repeat over and over again to make sure the dog "gets it", basenjis start to goof off. All of mine get to a point where their behavior and attitude clearly say, "What is wrong with you, didn't you get this the first 5 times I did it?" This is so true! Tillo starts to talk when it takes too long for me to get the fact that he already understands the command.. so there's no need to practice anymore :D
  • Help with socialization

    Basenji Training
    17
    0 Votes
    17 Posts
    6k Views
    nomrbddgsN
    I've had to retrain a pug and a chihuahua not to bite me when clipping their nails. The pugs' nails were left to grow and ended up growing into the pads of the foot. The vet wanted to put the dog to sleep to trim the nails. She now lets me trim the nails-with a dremel-without trying to bite. The Chihuahua was put under to trim it's nails before I had it. It took me six weeks to just touch it's feet, but after that we were able to move very quickly and cut it's nails within a few weeks. It does take a lot of time-but it's worth it.
  • My housebroken B now pees in my house!

    Basenji Training
    8
    0 Votes
    8 Posts
    4k Views
    tanzaT
    This is really a mystery… I have no other thoughts.... I still think the key somehow is related to the fact that he just "pees"... without thinking about it.... very strange... You might want to just be sure and repeat the urine for a UTI... like I said they can be hard to detect sometimes... I have seen that before... One more thing, has his eating or drinking habits changed?...
  • Tired of Pee

    Basenji Training
    4
    0 Votes
    4 Posts
    2k Views
    QuercusQ
    sounds like separation anxiety. You might try using a crate so he has less space; it might make him more comfortable to have less space, believe it or not! There is a thread here somewhere about how to go about desensitizing a dog to being alone. It takes a lot of work, and very small steps. If you can't find it, let me know, and I will make another post. Experts tell us that it can take up to a year for rescue dogs to settle into their new homes, sometimes. When they find something they really value (their new family) they are afraid when the people leave that they won't come back. Hang in there. Have patience :) Oh, and try the DAP plug ins. They produce a calming pheremone to relax a nervous dog. You can look online, or find them at some pet supply stores. I have no personal experience with them…I keep meaning to try it...but lots of people have very good reports about them.