# Could limiting water intake help with toilet problems



## JoMichelle (Jan 20, 2012)

Can anyone help regarding toilet training and limiting water intake? My 14wk old GSD is fine during the night, but in the day time she won't hold it when she needs toilet. Sometimes she does, but she seems too distracted by everything and too hyper to hold it for as long as she should and I know she can. She has free access to water all day and I've always been told not to withhold water. But she literally pees every 10 minutes, just tiny amounts sometimes. And she is constantly drinking too. I really feel like she is doing it for the sake of it half the time because she happens to be walking past the puppy pad. I want to train her to go outside but it is so random when she will need to toilet. What do you think?

(We have been to the vet btw, no UTI)


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## Verivus (Nov 7, 2010)

I don't know if I would limit water during the day. If she is peeing every 10 minutes then I'd be taking her out at least every 10 minutes if not more and making it a big deal everytime she does go outside. If caught in the act say "no" (don't yell) and scoop her up and take her out to finish. Do not ever let her out of your sight. If you need to do something else then crate her so she will not go on the floor.


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## JoMichelle (Jan 20, 2012)

I missed some important points out there. She will NOT toilet outside. Today we were out 4 hours and she held it in. Even in our own garden I think she is not comfortable enough to go. We are regularly out for 2+ hours in the garden and she will hold it until we come inside. We go out there twice a day so I don't know what else I can do. Also, if we come in and I put her back in the crate she will pee in there. Sometimes she purposefully goes into her crate to go toilet.

She's been in bed 10 minutes and I've just gone and checked her and she's sat in her wee.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Sounds like she has confused outside and inside in her own little world and this is not the easiest thing to correct You might just have to start all over as if she was a younger puppy. My puppy and your puppy are alot alike I have done everything and the only thing that helps is limiting the water and I personally don't have anything else to try. I kept her in the crate for two weeks straight around the clock letting her out every four hours to pee and short play times..we do nice walks for exercise. She is fine with this, but the minute she's out of the crate for the day she reverts to having to pee every hour, which I don't mind as long as she asks but its not normal. Not even five minutes ago I put the vacuum on and she got really nervous and peed by the door....back to square one I am....Use the crate as a training tool and make sure the crate is small and you let her out to start with every 20 minutes....we can have a race to see which of our dogs is potty trained first...I'm guessing mine will be in a crate for the rest of her life:crazy:


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## JoMichelle (Jan 20, 2012)

Thanks for the reply. I wish that could work for us but she will just pee in the crate if she decided to . I think she has got used to not having to hold it in during the day because she always has access to the pads. At night she will easily hold it for 4-5 hours. Also because I've been letting her out of the crate when she cries, fearing she needs the toilet, she cries all the time in her crate now. So I don't know when she needs to go and when she just wants to come out. I think I'm just destined for a life of cleaning of pee and poo to be honest lol!



llombardo said:


> Sounds like she has confused outside and inside in her own little world and this is not the easiest thing to correct You might just have to start all over as if she was a younger puppy. My puppy and your puppy are alot alike I have done everything and the only thing that helps is limiting the water and I personally don't have anything else to try. I kept her in the crate for two weeks straight around the clock letting her out every four hours to pee and short play times..we do nice walks for exercise. She is fine with this, but the minute she's out of the crate for the day she reverts to having to pee every hour, which I don't mind as long as she asks but its not normal. Not even five minutes ago I put the vacuum on and she got really nervous and peed by the door....back to square one I am....Use the crate as a training tool and make sure the crate is small and you let her out to start with every 20 minutes....we can have a race to see which of our dogs is potty trained first...I'm guessing mine will be in a crate for the rest of her life:crazy:


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Mine had no problems sitting in her own pee/poo either It drove me nuts because that is not how its suppose to be. I was pulling my hair out..I even cried a couple times--probably from the lack of sleep plus frustration. I'm guessing if you leave yours alone for a couple hours in the crate and come back she probably don't pee either(mine could hold it for 6 hours plus if I wasn't home)...I think their mentality is that if we(humans) are home there is no reason for them(dogs) to be in a crate I did notice a big difference in my dogs ability to hold it longer and ask to go out after she was spayed...she did a switch over night and for the most part at 22 weeks she is trained with accidents in between--and that is not many anymore. I did the same thing and took her out every time she cried...maybe wait until she starts dancing and then run like heck to get her out:laugh:


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## JoMichelle (Jan 20, 2012)

I think that sounds about right actually! lol. When she doesn't hear anyone around the house she is quiet, sleeps and doesn't toilet in her crate. I'm going to try limiting her water intake for now and see how it goes. I will have her in my bedroom tonight too, and I'm going to buy one of those pee posts tomorrow (That release pheremones) and try and get her to go in the garden again. I've had some really great advice. I've also had someone on a facebook group diagnose a UTI, just from a few sentences I wrote. Amazing that my own vet didn't spot that! Grr some people think they know everything... 



llombardo said:


> I think their mentality is that if we(humans) are home there is no reason for them(dogs) to be in a crate


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## A_selders (Jul 19, 2010)

*Toilet issues*

I am by no means an expert but you might try taking the paper towel or cloth that you use to clean up the accident and take it outside where you want her to go potty at and let her sniff that area. This worked for my last two pups who were "special" to potty train. I had to do this a few times until she got that was where she was supposed to be going. I hope this helps.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

JoMichelle said:


> I think that sounds about right actually! lol. When she doesn't hear anyone around the house she is quiet, sleeps and doesn't toilet in her crate. I'm going to try limiting her water intake for now and see how it goes. I will have her in my bedroom tonight too, and I'm going to buy one of those pee posts tomorrow (That release pheremones) and try and get her to go in the garden again. I've had some really great advice. I've also had someone on a facebook group diagnose a UTI, just from a few sentences I wrote. Amazing that my own vet didn't spot that! Grr some people think they know everything...



The UTI is the first thing they said with mine too and I didn't buy it. She wasn't showing any pain when going and it was a lot at one time...not little piddles. I remember thinking how so much pee could come from a little pup I think its just plain old stubborness It will get better but its an emotional roller coaster especially when you feel like your at your wits end....that was about the time mine did a turn around..maybe she sensed my frustration and decided not to push my buttons anymore..


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

A_selders said:


> I am by no means an expert but you might try taking the paper towel or cloth that you use to clean up the accident and take it outside where you want her to go potty at and let her sniff that area. This worked for my last two pups who were "special" to potty train. I had to do this a few times until she got that was where she was supposed to be going. I hope this helps.



This is a very good idea It should work for poop too!! I like the label "special" to potty train


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## JoMichelle (Jan 20, 2012)

Thank you ASelders, I will give that a go tomorrow and see if it makes a difference!

Llombardo, yeah it's the same for us. There are no symptoms. Although Winter sometimes pees only a little bit, I know it's just because she's going past the puppy pad, she sees me nearby and thinks she will get a huge fuss if I see her pee. Other times she pees so much she practically fills the puppy pad. 

Oh and I have cried too! Over the constant biting/peeing/ripping of clothes/general crazy behaviour. The good times outweigh the bad though  (Usually lol).


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

take her out often and learn her signals for wanting to going out.


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

I'd ditch the indoor puppy pads *asap* and put them outside, like the other poster suggested.

Is she being praised tremendously and with excellent treats when she does go outside? That could help.

Is she tethered to you indoors? If not, I would. Don't give her the chance to screw up. It is very unlikely she'll go when tethered to you. And if she does try, at least she's within 5'ish feet, so you can scoop her up and get her out quick. 

Is she free-fed? If so, you might want to get away from that until potty training is better. When you feed on schedule, their eliminations are more on schedule, too. So you'll know when she's most likely to need to go, and can be outside with her, praising when you get what you want.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

I would tether her to me. You said that she is outside for 2+ hours at a time? I assume then that you are playing and working? Of course she isn't pottying! Like any little kid, she is too interested in doing other things. What kid wants to stop playing to actually potty. 

Put her in the crate. Take her out often in the beginning, even if it's every 10-20 minutes. Don't play or walk around, just go to the "potty spot" and let her sniff around - if she doesn't potty back into the crate. Wait 5 or 10 minutes and then back out. You can also tether her to you if you don't want to use the crate. The first slightest sign that she is going to potty, pick her up and take her outside. 
After she potties, it's party time! Play in the yard and have lots of fun. She'll quickly learn that potty time is the ticket to having fun.

Honestly, peeing huge quantities can also be a sign of a UTI or even kidney problems. I would have a checkup at the vet to make sure things are ok.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

Since she is paper trained you can do a couple of things.
One is to move the paper gradually to the door until she can be reliably caught at the door and brought outside.
The other is to start over and remove the paper and catch her in the act, say NO, pick her up and let her finish outside.
She is old enough to understand and should learn quickly.
You may have to leash her to yourself in order to be able to catch her at it.


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## Clyde (Feb 13, 2011)

I would take the potty pads outside no more access in the house. This might help a little.

I believe you said she has never yet pee'd outside (if not then the rest doesn't really apply). I have heard of this before if the dog is a bit nervous or uncomfortable. What I think you need to do is feed her and let her drink a lot of water and then take her outside and prepare yourself to spend the next 24 hours outside if that is how long it takes for her to go (hopefully not that long but I would seriously not go inside until she goes). You can switch on and off with another person but the puppy never gets to go back in until she pee's. I know someone who went through this a few weeks ago with a pomeranian puppy except that she was good in her crate but definitely would not pee outside because of nervousness.

Then take her out at all the normal times you think she may have to go and have her leashed to you in the house to prevent any more inside potty accidents since the crate is not good right now. It sounds like she is ok overnight so I guess keep using the crate overnight. I think once she gets over peeing outside she will start wanting to keep clean hopefully. 

I wouldn't worry about how much water she drinks during the day the way I see it the more the better so she gets lots of practice peeing outside

The next 48 hours are going to suck but it should be over soon after that. Like others have said make sure to reward her for going outside.


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## JoMichelle (Jan 20, 2012)

Thanks for your replies!

Last night instead of putting her in her crate, I took her dog bed into my bedroom. Hoping for her to wake me up to toilet instead of me waking her up. Well she didn't wake me up at all and slept longer than she usually does. 

I took her outside as soon as we got up, knowing this is the time she will really need the toilet (she always poops within 20 minutes of getting up in the morning). She pee'd on the puppy pad I'd put outside within 5 minutes and then pooped on the grass 5 minutes later! So now she's done it once out there I'm hoping we won't have to wait so long next time.

She doesn't have a UTI, we went to the vet on Friday, and she has no other symptoms. 

I am going to limit her water a little bit, also keep her confined to 2 rooms where I know what her signals are that she needs the toilet. It means she is going to be spending quite a bit more time than usual in her crate for the times I can't watch her closely, and I feel aweful for that, but I don't see an alternative.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

no reason to feel awful for that.  Freedom is something that is earned. I wouldn't confine her to the room though. Too easy for her to get even a second out of sight. Use her leash to tether her to you. 
It also helps with bonding - where you go, she goes. Makes on-leash walking easier to train as well!


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## JoMichelle (Jan 20, 2012)

Okay Dainerra, thank you I will give it a go!


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