Why do our dogs keep piddling in the house?

[cowgirl]

And, more importantly, how can we stop it?

Jimbo (male neutered pit bull, rescued 2.5 years ago at age 2) has done it a few times in the past, always under the same circumstance: when I am in the room, he feels he isn't getting the attention he deserves, and his routine is somewhat interrupted. For instance, he did it the first time I took him to my folks' house, and he did it once when I got him all leashed up to go out for a walk and then did something else (I can't remember what it was I did, but it must have been unusual, because I frequently get him all leashed up and then go do something else.)

Then we got Shirley (female spayed pit bull mix, rescued last month at age 8), and he did it a few times when his routine was interrupted by our attention to her. The folks at the pound told us that Shirley was perfectly housebroken and never once peed inside while she was there. So when puddles appeared (for instance, once when we were hauling a couch upstairs, we found a few puddles - I can see how that operation might have upset a dog or two) we just assumed it was Jimbo, known pee-pee-pants, adjusting to Shirley's presence.

Then, the other night, I was sitting on the couch with Jimbo. We had been there for quite a while when Shirley started fussing - she was upset because my partner had a visitor upstairs and she wanted to go say hello, but she was trapped downstairs with me and Jimbo (and two couches, and her crate, and her bone, and her supper dish - it's not like she was abandoned in a dungeon!) I got up and saw that SHE had widdled on the floor - Jimbo had a rock-solid alibi, as he had been lying on my chest for quite a while.

These are not full-out bladder releases, in every case there is only a very small amount of liquid and it doesn't smell like dog pee usually does. They're usually in different places on the floor - Jimbo has a favourite spot, but I have found puddles in several different places. They never do it when we're not around, even tho they're alone all day, so I figure it's not a health problem but a social one.

Shirley's been with us for a month and a half, and the dogs get along really well - they hang out all the time and snuggle together, and never fight, so it seems they're working things out with each other. My partner and I are both creatures of habit and our daily routines don't change much - I don't see how we could be any more predictable. But the peeing doesn't seem to be stopping.

Shirley seems a bit anxious, she is easily startled, and freaks out if she sees a cat, cyclist or roller-blader (this doesn't make her pee, tho). She seems to have had kind of a rough life - she's got some scars on her head, her ears are a mess, and a number of her teeth are broken. She is crazy about us, but is suspicious of strangers (which does not seem to be a common characteristic in well-balanced pit bulls). It also seems like she's used to being left alone a lot.

Another thing that might be relevant: once we stopped letting Jimbo sleep on the bed, he developed the habit of peeing (a full-on pee) in the front hall in the early hours of the morning. We resolve this by closing the bedroom door at night (so he can't get to the front hall), and he happily holds it in until his morning walk. This is annoying but I can live with it. I'm mainly concerned about the random apparent-cry-for-attention pees.

Any ideas?

[FirstAndMain]

Is your floor all tile?

[cowgirl]

Tile, hardwood, bamboo, carpet. At various times, the pee has appeared on all of the above.

[happybully]

You might want to check with your vet - might be some sort of bladder infection on the new pup. I had a lab who would 'leak' on occasion. Never a full pee, but sometimes a little liquid would come out when she got excited or stressed. It was a bit of a vicious cycle, as she would notice that she peed which would make her even more stressed out, so she'd pee again, etc etc.

You might also want to take the dogs out for a pee right before something stressful happens (if you're good at predicting the future). We always take my pit outside whenever anyone comes home or someone drops by to visit, even if she just went a couple minutes before.

[Radical Edward]

When my dalmatian is forming a bladder stone he has a tendency to go in the floor. I'd haul them off to the vet to be sure everything was ok before I started in with any big changes in my routine.

One time the cat peed in the floor, and the dalmatian then peed on the cat. Pretty funny.

[CrazyCatLady]

Sometimes female dogs have bladder weakness, just like female humans can. They get worked up, and they start dribbling. There are some medications that can help some of them, but it's far from a foolproof thing.

And sometimes inappropriate urination is just the dog's most effective method of expressing its negative opinion on a given subject. Given some of the stories I've heard, if this is it, you should be grateful it's just the floor. But do sniff your favorite shoes before you put 'em on. And your bed.

[Caprese]

Originally Posted by CrazyCatLady

But do sniff your favorite shoes before you put 'em on. And your bed.

Yes, my then-boyfriend-now-spouse's dog used to pee on his roommate's bed.
He was a great guy who used to take her for walks; I don't think the piddling was an expression of displeasure, probably more of pay-attention-to-me, both of those guys worked 40 hours a week and slept in on weekends.

The hard thing is that often the dogs don't know how displeased we are with this behavior unless we are able to catch them in the act of piddling.

I have had one female dog who had UTI issues forever after being spayed, and another that developed a leaking problem late in life.

It almost sounds as if Shirley is mimicking Jimbo.

[cowgirl]

Good news! I left the bedroom door open all night and Jimbo didn't pee in the hallway! Hooray! Also, Shirley is no longer in her crate during the day so hopefully that will make her more relaxed generally. I have never seen a dog love a couch so much. I literally have to pry her off it.

Originally Posted by lightingtool

You might also want to take the dogs out for a pee right before something stressful happens (if you're good at predicting the future).

That's a good idea. We've found a few situations in which that works reliably. If you come home, then go out again (even just to the garage) without taking him out, you'll come back to a puddle.

Originally Posted by CrazyCatLady

And sometimes inappropriate urination is just the dog's most effective method of expressing its negative opinion on a given subject. Given some of the stories I've heard, if this is it, you should be grateful it's just the floor. But do sniff your favorite shoes before you put 'em on. And your bed.

Before we got Shirley I went away for two weeks. While I was gone Jimbo pooped in at least two of my partner's shoes.

Originally Posted by Caprese

It almost sounds as if Shirley is mimicking Jimbo.

Fascinating. That might be. They definitely affect each other's behaviour - Jimbo has upped his game in terms of obedience since Shirley came alone, and she definitely learns from him. (Unfortunately he's learned a few bad habits from her too!)