# Pup dragging SOILED pee pads to her BED?



## Captain_Russia (Nov 18, 2015)

I'm at my wit's end with her. I take her outside to potty at least two (usually three) times a day, but during her frequent UTIs I have to leave a pad with her so she doesn't have an accident in the house. She always found them to be a bit of fun to play with, because I'd always find a few rips at the edges or maybe she moved it a few inches from where it was, nothing major. But I've found her several times now, having dragged a soiled pad onto her very nice dog bed! Poop, pee, and all! I've never been able to catch her doing it, as she sits in front of the door if she hears me coming (her "den" is my bedroom). I always thought it was charming that she "sits at attention" but it's somewhat of a problem when I WANT to catch her doing something she shouldn't do. I don't leave her alone very long, and in fact the last time she moved the pad to her bed I'd left to eat dinner and came back right after! I've wasted over an hour trying to find an answer for this online, but all I find is either "teach her to pee outside" or something to the effect of "teach her to play with something else instead". Can anyone give me different advice, please? Again, she knows to go outside, her pads are only for when she has a UTI. I feel like it's better to give her a pad than to let her have an accident on carpet.
Ah, I forgot to add this originally. I've tried using bitter sprays on the edges of the pad but they don't seem to disuade her, and she has plenty of toys, she even has a favorite she sleeps with. I've tried giving her an old shirt of mine thinking she wants something to cuddle with that smells like me (she used to drag blankets off my bed to sleep on them), but I only find it dragged around the room most of the time so I stopped doing it. I also let her out of her crate the other day to find a wet spot on her back and a urine scald under it! It's the first accident she's ever had, even while she had her first really bad UTI!
Another edit, I just realized a few things - 1) she never drags them anywhere else except towards her bed, and 2) she only started doing this after I got her a new dog bed. Before this she would sleep on an old blanket, like her welping box had. Do you think that's the whole problem here? She's used to her nesting area being her potty area too, because I gave her a blanket to sleep on at first and she was welped on one? Would moving her sleep area to a different spot help?


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## Joandsarah (Dec 13, 2015)

We bought our puppies this fake grass tray set up, perhaps something like that would be less fun? We bought it in the pet section of our local cheap shop.


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## MysticRealm (May 30, 2007)

If you take her out more often than twice a day you will have a lot less (if any) soiled pee pads to be dragged around.
I currently let my puppy out to go to the bathroom probably 9 or 10 times a day. My older dog goes out 3 or 4 times a day.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

MysticRealm said:


> If you take her out more often than twice a day you will have a lot less (if any) soiled pee pads to be dragged around.
> I currently let my puppy out to go to the bathroom probably 9 or 10 times a day. My older dog goes out 3 or 4 times a day.


This.

I believe you can buy pee pad holders that will keep her from dragging them around. Though personally I would just train her to go outside and ditch the pads completely.


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## cookieface (Jul 6, 2011)

Do you know why she has frequent UTIs? Is there something you can do to address the root cause? But, yeah, take her out more than twice a day and ditch the pads.


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## sandgrubber (May 21, 2014)

Puppies have gross taste. Just make sure she has no access to used tampax or sanitary napkins. That can get really disgusting.
I agree with others, though. Take care of the UTI's at the root cause, and give her more opportunities to pee outside on natural grass.


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## Hiraeth (Aug 4, 2015)

MysticRealm said:


> If you take her out more often than twice a day you will have a lot less (if any) soiled pee pads to be dragged around.
> I currently let my puppy out to go to the bathroom probably 9 or 10 times a day. My older dog goes out 3 or 4 times a day.


Exactly.

Also, unsupervised puppies don't cause problems. Pick up the soiled pads immediately, don't leave them laying around, and keep her in your line of sight or crated 100% of the time. 

The best offense is a good defense with puppies. Prevent them from causing problems proactively instead of waiting to solve problems reactively.


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## Captain_Russia (Nov 18, 2015)

I wasn't aware they made pee pad holders, I'll have to look into them.
As for taking her out more often, this is very hard to do at the moment. She usually only needs to go 2-3 times a day, but while she's having a UTI (like now) she needs to go every half hour or less, tiny bits at a time, and it's very difficult to manage something like that. When she's not sick she can hold it very well, in fact I've even seen her hold it all night (with a pad supplied) just to go outside in the morning.
To address your concern, cookieface, our veterinarian told us that she is simply very prone to getting UTIs, and that she'll probably have a chronic issue with them until she's fixed. We'd have completely ditched (or rather, skipped over) pee pads had it not been for the nature of her UTIs.
Hiraeth, she doesn't actually have a crate. My dad thought that crate training is incredibly mean and he never bought one. That said, we also can't keep her in sight all the time, either, which is the main reason she has any problems at all, I think. I do what I can but I can't be there constantly.


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## Hiraeth (Aug 4, 2015)

You're creating your own problems, then, to be brutally honest. 

Crate training is both for the safety of the puppy and the sanity of their owner. An uncrated, unsupervised puppy is going to cause problems. Hopefully it's minor problems like dragging pee pads places. Hopefully it's not major problems like ingesting something that causes an intestinal blockage and requires surgery to correct.

My puppy had to go outside every 20-25 minutes until he was 4.5 months old. And I didn't say "oh, this is too hard, he'll just have to pee inside". I got up and I took him outside. Because raising a puppy responsibly requires sacrifice, commitment and sometimes discomfort in order to provide the puppy with the training and attention it needs. 

If you weren't prepared to take a dog out more than 2-3 times a day and you don't want to crate train, you shouldn't have gotten a puppy. That's like having a kid and not wanting to change diapers or take it to daycare. Unfortunately, not everyone takes the responsibility that seriously.


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## Kyllobernese (Feb 5, 2008)

In one of your posts you mentioned her peeing in the crate. Do you use a crate or not? I tried using pee pads at one time but the pups always treated them like play toys so never tried it again. I know someone who used the fake grass but it was hard to clean and started to smell. What kind of dog do you have? My most recent puppy I just used newspaper as it was just too cold to take her out during the night. If you are going to have to continue with the pee pads I would look into a pad holder. I think they have some sort of screen over them so the puppy cannot pull them out.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

> I also let her out of her crate the other day. . .





> she doesn't actually have a crate


?

Anyway, just wanted to add---if she's getting UTIs from an inverted vulva or other structural issue, it's not going to go away when she's spayed. In fact, if she doesn't have at least one heat before being spayed, it may be a lifelong problem. Being in heat makes her genitals swell and that can correct an inverted vulva and a few other issues. So make your vet be very specific about what her problem is, what can be done about it, etc. You don't want to have to deal with this forever :/. 

And I agree that very few puppies would be OK with going out twice a day. Maybe she holds it too long and that's what causes the UTIs? Holding it all night is different from holding it during the day, because the body's workings slow down when you're asleep. When a puppy is awake and running around, she's going to need to pee more often.

The puppy pad holders don't have a screen over them; they just clip around the edges. So a determined dog might be able to still shred the pad. But a holder would probably prevent most pad shredding.


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## MysticRealm (May 30, 2007)

If you really won't take the pup out as often as it needs (every half hour according to you) at least take it out every hour. This will leave you with half the potty breaks on the pee pads and they should only be pee not poop and switch them out every time there are a couple pees on it (for a small breed, a big breed may need it switch almost every pee). You say the pup is hardly ever alone so taking it out every hour shouldn't be an issue.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

Dogs with UTI's need to be allowed to pee often. Twice a day is nowhere near enough.


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## Joandsarah (Dec 13, 2015)

The fake grass is easy to clean if it's just pee, just rinse off each piece.


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## TSTrainer (Aug 6, 2015)

You're complaining about a known medical issue as if its a behavioral issue, its not. You're also complaining about a normal hurdle all puppy owners go through while treating her like an adult.

I don't know how old your puppy is but I doubt she's holding it in all day, especially if she's just peeing dribbles a lot of the time.


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## Captain_Russia (Nov 18, 2015)

Hiraeth; I want to crate train her. My DAD is the one who won't buy me a crate for it - he talked to one of his coworkers who is adamant about crate training being abuse to dogs (seriously, dude?). I'm well aware that it complicates things, and I am very careful to keep the area she's in safe so she doesn't have any major problems. I train her, I play with her, I take her outside as often as she needs. Again, she does not use pads unless she is having a UTI - I don't just leave her alone all day with a pad and some water and call it good.
Kyllobernese; She's a medium-sized mixed breed, we're not completely sure.
Willowy; We have a cat carrier that we can use as a crate if we have to, but I think it's too small so I don't like using it. The vet wasn't specific with what her issue was, they just said that she would chronically get them until she was fixed. On her next check-up I'll be sure to ask, though we were planning to fix her after her first heat anyway.
MysticRealm; I try to take her out often, it's just very difficult to get her out while having a UTI because the types of activities involved in my daily routine are hard to stop part of the way through for that many pee breaks.
InkedMarie; My usual schedule of potty breaks for her is one in the morning, one a little after mid-day (after training and play time) and then again in the evening before I go to bed, but sometimes I'm too busy to take her out in the evening and she has to hold it during the night, which she appears to have no problems doing. That being said, if I think she's getting a UTI I ALWAYS leave one or two pee pads out for her so she doesn't have accidents. I would never keep an animal with a UTI from peeing as often as it had to.
TSTrainer; I honestly don't have any idea what you're talking about. Did you post to the wrong thread? The only thing I'm complaining about is her dragging her pee pads to her bed, which I'm fairly certain isn't a medical issue, or "a normal hurdle all puppy owners go through". She's about four months old now and no, she's not peeing in dribbles a lot of the time, either.


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## cookieface (Jul 6, 2011)

At four months old, she needs to go out *far* more often than 2-3 times a day. It's likely, as TSTrainer said, that she's having accidents in the house even without the complication of the UTI. At four months, my puppy was outside every hour while he was awake and active.

I'd recommend you do basic potty training and ditch the pads. She should be closely supervised or confined (you mentioned having her in crate - use it) to prevent accidents, taken out frequently on a regular schedule, and reward her when she goes outside. 

Check with your vet about the cause of the UTIs and clarify about spaying addressing the issue. You may want to discuss what you can do if you think she's getting a UTI. S/He may have suggestions for preventing them before they really start or catching them sooner. Simply leaving pee pads out isn't a solution.


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## Captain_Russia (Nov 18, 2015)

I'm not really sure what to say about it, honestly. I haven't found any accidents and on her current schedule of potty breaks she won't go any more often than that, even if I take her out and give her the command to do so. Again crate is too small for her in my opinion, I hate leaving her in there longer than an hour, and she only uses pads for UTIs. And while not finding accidents doesn't necessarily mean she doesn't have them, she noticably pees more in the morning after (presumably) holding it all night.


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## Captain_Russia (Nov 18, 2015)

Can some one please help with the pad dragging problem, though? Seriously, as I was replying to comments she managed to ninja one of the pads to her bed again. Thankfully it was clean this time.


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## ireth0 (Feb 11, 2013)

Captain_Russia said:


> Can some one please help with the pad dragging problem, though? Seriously, as I was replying to comments she managed to ninja one of the pads to her bed again. Thankfully it was clean this time.


Don't leave her unsupervised with pads available. 

Either pick them up, or be watching her 100% of the time to redirect her the moment she starts to grab it.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

I'm going to be blunt: if you're too busy to take her out (not to mention all the other mostly red flags waving in my face), find her a home with someone who will care properly for her. I don't care if she CAN hold it. With UTI's, she shouldn't.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

For people, holding it too long can cause UTIs. Even if she CAN hold it that long, maybe that's what's causing the problems.

Some things, like puppies shredding pee pads, are just gonna happen. You can try a holder or more supervision, but if she's alone with a pad it's probably going to be shredded. One thing you learn when you have a puppy is that not everything can be corrected .


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## Captain_Russia (Nov 18, 2015)

Could you please tell me those red flags? I don't think you're really reading my posts. I'm not too busy to let her out, and I don't make her hold it while she has UTIs. In fact, I don't think she's normally holding it very much at all - she really only has to go two or three times a day normally.


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## Captain_Russia (Nov 18, 2015)

She's also about 4 1/2 months old, and I understand that's when they are in more control of their bladder? That they can go a few times a day and be fine, yes?


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Captain_Russia said:


> She's also about 4 1/2 months old, and I understand that's when they are in more control of their bladder? That they can go a few times a day and be fine, yes?


No, not really. Most puppies don't have full bladder control until 6 months. I've never met a 4.5 month old puppy who didn't need to pee 6-10 times a day.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

Red flags, for me:

* you can't find the time to take her out, your schedule is too busy
* crate: at 8:02 am you say your dad won't buy a crate....I was all set to say get one yourself....then at 8:34 you say the 
crate is too small: which is it? Do you have a crate or not?
* you take her outside as often as she needs. No, you don't. you've been told she needs to go out often. I know, I know, 
you're too busy. 
* can't keep her in sight all the time. Yes, you can. It;s called tethering and crating. 

I don't know, I find alot of this almost unbelievable. If it is true. I stand by my previous post to find a home with someone who will properly take care of her.


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## Captain_Russia (Nov 18, 2015)

Really?! But she honestly doesn't seem to need to go. She was used to going on pads when I got her, so I left them out all the time while I was trying to train her off them by taking her outside. I got her on a schedule with that and she stopped going inside the house at all (outside of infections) so I assumed that was just normal. Do you any ideas?


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## cookieface (Jul 6, 2011)

elrohwen said:


> No, not really. Most puppies don't have full bladder control until 6 months. I've never met a 4.5 month old puppy who didn't need to pee 6-10 times a day.


This ^^^ My adult dogs go out 5-6 times a day. I'd never expect them to go only 2-3 times a day.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

cookieface said:


> This ^^^ My adult dogs go out 5-6 times a day. I'd never expect them to go only 2-3 times a day.


yes! My adult dogs are 5 & 10; outside many times.


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## Captain_Russia (Nov 18, 2015)

InkedMarie;
I never said I was too busy to take her out. I TAKE HER OUT SEVEAL TIMES A DAY.
I do not have a CRATE because my dad will not buy one (I do not have spending money to get one myself). What I have is a little cat carrier that she barely fits in. I can use it as a crate, but I don't like to because of the size. She can't stand up in it and she can barely turn around. I have called it a "crate" in the past because it's simpler than "cat carrier".
I honestly take her out as much I think she has to go, I have no idea what's up with her.
I don't keep her in sight all the time, no, but why do I have to? I suppose I could keep her on a leash tied to my hand all day but that seems unnecessary.


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## ireth0 (Feb 11, 2013)

Captain_Russia said:


> I don't keep her in sight all the time, no, but why do I have to?


Because you could be missing her going to the bathroom in your house.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

look at post #16 where you addressed me. Yes, you did say sometimes you're too busy

Crate: buy one. Sell something, put ISO on Craigslist. Roll coins. Ask your vet if they have one you can use. Ask on FB.

"I honestly take her out as much as I think she has to go". You may think you know what you're doing but a bunch of us have told you you don't. You came here for help....how about stopping with excuses and do what we said?

Why should you keep her in sight: it's what people do with puppies. I have a 20 week old puppy....the only time he is out of my sight is when I run to the BR to potty myself (and I don't go unless I know he is all set in that department), in the shower (I can leave him loose while I quickly shower) or someone else is watching him.


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## cookieface (Jul 6, 2011)

Captain_Russia said:


> InkedMarie;
> I never said I was too busy to take her out. I TAKE HER OUT SEVEAL TIMES A DAY.
> I do not have a CRATE because my dad will not buy one (I do not have spending money to get one myself). What I have is a little cat carrier that she barely fits in. I can use it as a crate, but I don't like to because of the size. She can't stand up in it and she can barely turn around. I have called it a "crate" in the past because it's simpler than "cat carrier".
> I honestly take her out as much I think she has to go, I have no idea what's up with her.
> *I don't keep her in sight all the time, no, but why do I have to? I suppose I could keep her on a leash tied to my hand all day but that seems unnecessary.*


If she's getting into trouble (e.g., dragging pee pads around the house), then yes, she needs to be supervised. I suspect that if you solve the pee pad issue, she'll begin to find other ways to amuse herself - aka trouble to get into.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

> I don't keep her in sight all the time, no, but why do I have to?


Because it would keep her out of trouble? And little puppies need close supervision. Raising puppies is just sort of miserable. You get through it, and then you have a well-behaved dog for the next 10-15 years, but those first several months are just all focused on the puppy.


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## Captain_Russia (Nov 18, 2015)

If she's not in sight of me then she's in my room with a baby gate in the doorway. She can't get out to get into something dangerous.
InkedMarie; Even if I sold something to get a crate, my dad wouldn't let me use it. I can only get away with the cat carrier because he doesn't know I use it, he actually told me that if I tried crate training her he'd take her to the pound because crates are animal abuse. There's no way I could buy a dog crate and hide it from him. No, I don't understand his logic either.
About letting her out - she literally does not potty anymore than that. If you really have a problem with what I'm telling you, I can't help that. I'll give you all the benefit of the doubt and put everything else on hold for a few days to take her out CONSTANTLY and keep a log of how many times she goes just to see, how's that?
I also don't know much about why crates are so important. I know that people use them often to help teach puppies where it's okay to potty, but she already has that down pat. What else is it used for?


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## Captain_Russia (Nov 18, 2015)

I'm actually really upset with my dad about a lot. He insists that it's my dog and he won't get involved at all because she's my responsibility. Then he turns around to tell me how I can and can't train her! He also teaches her bad habits by letting her jump up on him during play, incrouraging her to do that, and getting upset at ME when I tell her "no"! I told him she needed a collar and he went and bought some random collar (with my money) and didn't let me pick it out. Then of course if I ask him to watch her for a second while I do something he'll refuse because she's my responsibility, so I have to go put her in my room, go do whatever, and let her back out. Then obviously my mom feels the need to get involved when she knows even less about dogs than I do! She tried teaching my 7 week old puppy to roll over by waving a treat in a circle in the air and saying "roll over". -.-


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## cookieface (Jul 6, 2011)

> I also don't know much about why crates are so important.


Crates are important because they can keep dogs and puppies out of trouble and are often necessary if you participate in dog classes or sports, travel with your dog, need to restrict movement due to illness or injury, need to leave your dog at the vet / vet hospital, or need to confine your dogs for safety or other reasons. Other folks here will have additional reasons, I'm sure.


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## Effisia (Jun 20, 2013)

Captain_Russia said:


> If she's not in sight of me then she's in my room with a baby gate in the doorway. She can't get out to get into something dangerous.


Okay, sure. But she could be piddling all over your room.

What breed of puppy is this? You're really saying that she only pees two times a day? Then why do you need the puppy pads if she only pees when you let her out? If she's peeing on the puppy pads, then she's not just peeing two times a day. And you should ditch the pads and just take her out more to pee outside. One potential problem with pee pads is that dogs then think that anything pad-like inside is okay to pee on, so (since you don't have eyes on her all the time) she could be peeing on any kind of carpet or mat or t-shirt or anything that she finds. And puppies can be very sneaky about where they pee. If you're not watching her and just letting her romp around your room, for all you know, she has a nice little out of the way corner picked out where she pees.

As for your dad, in my opinion - if he pays, he gets the say. If you're the one paying for collars and food and pee pads and everything, sure that's on you. But if he's footing the bill....


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

cookieface said:


> This ^^^ My adult dogs go out 5-6 times a day. I'd never expect them to go only 2-3 times a day.


Honestly my adult dogs go outside to POTTY an average of 3 times a day most days - though if you add trips where they're out to play and someone pees most are up to maybe 4? OTOH, in cold weather Jack really does only go twice. It's very individual. 

That said I would never think it was STRANGE if they went out more often and they certainly go out more than that to romp and play. When they were 4 months old much more like 6-8 times a day. 

And this situation is all screwed up for other reasons.


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## gingerkid (Jul 11, 2012)

Puppies love shredding things. They just do. I tried pads in the crate with my puppy, but it only took once before I learned my lesson - they're just really fun to tear up, especially for puppies that want to chew on anything they can reach because they're teething and their mouth hurts.



Captain_Russia said:


> I'm actually really upset with my dad about a lot. He insists that it's my dog and he won't get involved at all because she's my responsibility. Then he turns around to tell me how I can and can't train her! He also teaches her bad habits by letting her jump up on him during play, incrouraging her to do that, and getting upset at ME when I tell her "no"! I told him she needed a collar and he went and bought some random collar (with my money) and didn't let me pick it out. Then of course if I ask him to watch her for a second while I do something he'll refuse because she's my responsibility, so I have to go put her in my room, go do whatever, and let her back out. Then obviously my mom feels the need to get involved when she knows even less about dogs than I do! She tried teaching my 7 week old puppy to roll over by waving a treat in a circle in the air and saying "roll over". -.-


From what you're posting, it sounds like you're not in an ideal situation to have a puppy in the first place. I know this is probably not what you want to hear, but... if you can't get a crate and you can't supervise or tether her to you 100% of the time, it is going to be nearly impossible to reliably housetrain your dog, which I bet is something that your parents won't be happy with.

You're going to need to either figure out how to provide what your puppy needs (many opportunities to pee outside), or you should think about finding someone who's better able to care for her and don't get another dog until you have your own place to live where your parents can't interfere (as much).


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## Captain_Russia (Nov 18, 2015)

cookieface; I hope I can convince my dad of that, crates seem pretty important, more so that I thought.
Effisia; I'm not sure exactly what breed. I know her mother was a pitbull, we don't know who the father was but one of the neighbors had a German Shepherd wolfdog and the person who owned her mother was pretty sure it was the father because of the pup's coloring. I didn't believe him (because everyone with a Husky or GSD is convinced it's a wolf) but she does have some legitimately wofly things about her, so I don't know. We only have the puppy pads because she gets frequent UTIs; other than that, she goes outside. She was actually trained to use a pad when we got her, otherwise we wouldn't have bothered, I know pee pads are just bad habits. As for the bill, it's kind of complicated, I guess. We've had financial troubles the last few months (great time to get a puppy, I know) so I lent all my money to my dad so everything gets paid on time. We have an agreement that any money spent on my dog is taken out of what he owes me, so I guess I'm footing the bill? Kind of?


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## Captain_Russia (Nov 18, 2015)

CptJack; It's been very rainy and cold lately, that might explain a little bit.
gingerkid; She doesn't really shred the pad so much as move it. As far as housetraining goes, I'm honestly not worried. She picks things up in an instant - in just a day or so I was able to teach her "stay" and get her to follow the command even when I was filling up her food bowl or dishing out a treat. I'm not worried about the housetraining at all, especially since she appears to like going outside much better and will only go on pads inside (which we only give her when she has a UTI). I could probably tether her to me with her leash, also. That's actually a pretty good idea, I think I'll start doing that during my daily routine of stuff. And I'm sure this is going to sound odd from some one posting to a dog forum, but, I'm a cat person, not a dog person. I never really wanted a dog, and I don't think I'll ever get another, but I can't just give her up, either. I only got her because if I didn't she probably would have been dumped in a river somewhere.


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## Effisia (Jun 20, 2013)

If you don't even WANT the dog, I would definitely look into rehoming her. Find someone who does want her.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

This isn't going to end well for the dog. I'm done with this thread.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

Forgot to ask....you have a 7 week old puppy, who should still be with her mom & litter AND a 4 month old puppy? Better and better.


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## ireth0 (Feb 11, 2013)

InkedMarie said:


> Forgot to ask....you have a 7 week old puppy, who should still be with her mom & litter AND a 4 month old puppy? Better and better.


Oh good grief. 

I would presume this puppy was, at one time, 7 weeks old and that's what the OP is talking about.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

ireth0 said:


> Oh good grief.
> 
> I would presume this puppy was, at one time, 7 weeks old and that's what the OP is talking about.


you are correct, I read wrong & thought when she said "she", he/she meant the puppy, not mom.

apologies to Capt Russia


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## Captain_Russia (Nov 18, 2015)

I DIDN'T want a dog in general and I DON'T want a another dog, but I DO want this one, I love her! She's the only dog I ever met that I've wanted to own, that's what I meant.


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## MysticRealm (May 30, 2007)

Captain_Russia said:


> InkedMarie; My usual schedule of potty breaks for her is one in the morning, one a little after mid-day (after training and play time) and then again in the evening before I go to bed, but sometimes I'm too busy to take her out in the evening and she has to hold it during the night, which she appears to have no problems doing. That being said, if I think she's getting a UTI I ALWAYS leave one or two pee pads out for her so she doesn't have accidents. I would never keep an animal with a UTI from peeing as often as it had to.


So you take her out Mid-day,let's say between 12-3pm, then sometimes you are 'too busy' to let her out in the evening and expect her to hold it till morning, let's say between 6-9am. So you are thinking that a 4 month old puppy should be able to hold it for 15-21 hours?


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## Captain_Russia (Nov 18, 2015)

It doesn't happen often, but yes, she's done that. The first time was a surprise, and I'd even left a pad out because I didn't want her to have an accident, but she held it until I took her out in the morning so I never bothered again. I've never had a dog, I just assumed that since she did it once it was something she could do and I shouldn't worry about it.


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## Hiraeth (Aug 4, 2015)

You owe it to your dog to do some research and become a better dog owner. Because right now, you're doing a lot of things wrong and it's really unfair to her. 

You are most likely causing her UTIs by letting her out so infrequently. That's cruelty. How about you try to go to the restroom once a day and then suffer from UTIs every month and see how much you enjoy it?


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

Captain_Russia said:


> I DIDN'T want a dog in general and I DON'T want a another dog, but I DO want this one, I love her! She's the only dog I ever met that I've wanted to own, that's what I meant.


If you really do love her, you will find her a home that will take proper care of her. That's what love is, doing right by the one you love. What you're doing now is not love.


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## Effisia (Jun 20, 2013)

15-21 hours is NEVER acceptable to leave a dog, let alone a puppy, without going to the bathroom. It's just not. I don't even think I - a grown-up human - could go that long without a pee. PLEASE rethink ever doing that. This is a living creature that is now dependent entirely on you and that is just not an acceptable length of time to expect a dog to hold it.

Not to mention the fact that you keep saying she holds it just fine for that long, but you're not actually watching her all the time so you really have no clue if she actually is holding it (which I find doubtful) or if she's just found an out of the way corner to do her business that you haven't found yet. Having a dog (again, especially a puppy) often means having to give up things that we want to do in order to take care of them. Please stop making excuses and properly care for this dog.


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## Captain_Russia (Nov 18, 2015)

Nothing I did was causing her UTI, she'd already had one when we got her. And I don't get this "in a corner somewhere" business - there are no corners she can sneak into! Nothing to hide behind or under - there's her bed, the "crate" and floor. I'm not making any excuses, I really don't see that I'm doing anything wrong. She chooses to hold it, I don't make her do it. She can use her pad any time now because of her UTI, but she usually waits for me to take her out. What else am I supposed to do, give her free reign of my yard?


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## cookieface (Jul 6, 2011)

If you're truly committed to your puppy, take some time to learn about puppies and dogs. 

This is a good, free resource: http://www.dogstardaily.com/ 

Take a look at the stickies at the top of the forum sections. 

There are a number of good books listed here: http://www.dogforums.com/dog-training-forum/72111-reccomended-reading.html 

I've heard very good things about _The Power of Positive Dog Training_ by Pat Miller.


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## Captain_Russia (Nov 18, 2015)

I appreciate the resources cookieface, I'll take a look but from the first few clicks it looks mostly like training and behavior corrections.


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## gingerkid (Jul 11, 2012)

Captain_Russia said:


> It doesn't happen often, but yes, she's done that. The first time was a surprise, and I'd even left a pad out because I didn't want her to have an accident, but she held it until I took her out in the morning so I never bothered again. I've never had a dog, I just assumed that since she did it once it was something she could do and I shouldn't worry about it.


When was the last time you held your pee for 15 hours.


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## TSTrainer (Aug 6, 2015)

My almost 3 month old puppy, when active, goes to the bathroom every half hour and actually pees each time, no dribble. And sometimes my timing is off and she pees on my floor. At night, she's in the crate from 10pm until 6:30-7am. That's roughly 9 hours. She doesn't have water immediately before bed and always pees and poops first. I would never expect her to hold it that long in the crate during the day and frankly I'm surprised she sleeps through the night. Others are right, by expecting your puppy to only go to the bathroom twice a day, you are likely causing her UTIs. 

By the way, when I leave my puppy for more than two hours, she gets a wee wee pad. and she always plays with it. Puppies, especially bored ones, will play with ANYTHING.


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## Captain_Russia (Nov 18, 2015)

I can't stress this enough, and I've said it multiple times;
*She does not potty more than three times a day on her own.*
I can take her out as often as I like and give her the command, but she won't go more often than that. I started a log after my post on this and WITH a UTI she's peeing every hour and a half or so. Pretty much everyone is trying to tell me that she should be peeing about that often NORMALLY and she does NOT. She's also poops only once a day most of the time, I'm probably going to be told that's not normal, too?
I can't wave a magic wand and make her pee more, nor can anyone who I would give her to.


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## gingerkid (Jul 11, 2012)

Captain_Russia said:


> I can't stress this enough, and I've said it multiple times;
> *She does not potty more than three times a day on her own.*
> I can take her out as often as I like and give her the command, but she won't go more often than that. I started a log after my post on this and WITH a UTI she's peeing every hour and a half or so. Pretty much everyone is trying to tell me that she should be peeing about that often NORMALLY and she does NOT. She's also poops only once a day most of the time, I'm probably going to be told that's not normal, too?


Pooping once a day is a bit unusual for a young puppy, but not out of the ordinary for a lot of dogs.

Holding pee for 15+ hours is VERY unusual for a dog of ANY age.


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## Effisia (Jun 20, 2013)

How much access to water do you give her during the day? Is she actually drinking anything?

ETA: Also, how did you go about the pottytraining process to begin with - did you correct her at all and if so how do you go about giving these corrections?


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## cookieface (Jul 6, 2011)

Captain_Russia said:


> I appreciate the resources cookieface, I'll take a look but from the first few clicks it looks mostly like training and behavior corrections.


Since you've said you're not a dog person, it would be beneficial for you to learn about training and behavior. 

additional resources: _The Other End of the Leash_ by Patricia McConnell and _Culture Clash_ by Jean Donaldson

http://www.vetstreet.com/dogs/your-puppy-what-to-expect-at-4-to-6-months


> By 5 months, your puppy’s house training should be well established, and she should be able to wait longer between trips outside. She will average four to six trips daily and gradually decrease to three or four as she enters adulthood.


http://www.vetstreet.com/care/puppy...-your-new-dog#4.-establish-a-bathroom-routine


> Knowing when to take your puppy out is almost as important as giving her praise whenever she does eliminate outdoors. Here’s a list of the most common times to take your puppy out to potty.
> 
> When you wake up.
> Right before bedtime.
> ...


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## Captain_Russia (Nov 18, 2015)

She has free access to a water bowl all day long. Her drinking habits are a little odd, she'll lap a bit of water, walk away, go back and drink some more, over and over. She used to do it with her food but she stopped maybe two, three weeks ago? I know she drinks a good amount of the water, but I'm afraid I couldn't tell you exactly how much because I usually just top the bowl off unless it's dirty.
The pottytraining wasn't really done by me, when I got her she was already pretty well trained to use her pad. If I saw her having an accident, I'd tell her "no" and move her to the pad to finish, then praise when she was done. Training her to go outside was really easy, I just took her outside and gave her the command, she followed it every time and I praised her a lot. You might be on to something, though, because every time I find her having used a pad she seems anxious about me finding it and I have to reassure her that she didn't do something bad. She did this even from the beginning.


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## Captain_Russia (Nov 18, 2015)

cookieface; I have the training down pretty well, I think. She knew three commands before I even had her a week (she was six weeks when I got her) and she picks up things very quickly. I should porbably read up on how it's supposed to be done, though, you're right, I really don't want to mess anything up.


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## Joandsarah (Dec 13, 2015)

I was the very first poster to your thread and suggested fake grass which you ignored. Granted our puppies are only 6 weeks old, but it would not be nearly so easy to drag around nor as satisfying to try and chew up. Poo on it would not be nice but the pee goes right through to the bottom tray.


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## Captain_Russia (Nov 18, 2015)

Oh I'm sorry I thought I replied to you! Fake grass might work, my only concern is that once she's fixed and her UTIs (hopefully) go away I'll have some fake grass lying around. I'll look and see how much they cost, if it's cheaper than buying another box of pee pads I'll probably get one.


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## Crantastic (Feb 3, 2010)

Take your dog out more often and give her time to pee. If she doesn't pee quickly, jog her around the yard a bit until she does. It's honestly not at all healthy for a dog to hold its pee for 15+ hours. Fixing the dog won't help with UTIs if she's holding it that long.

(Although I agree with others that she's probably peeing somewhere in your room and it's drying up before you see it.)


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## Captain_Russia (Nov 18, 2015)

When I take her out to go I give her the command, she goes. When I take her outside it's usually for a half hour or so, and she doesn't potty outside of the three times usually. I'm not giving her five minutes and saying "Whelp, she didn't go so she doesn't have to go". When I take her out I always wait until she goes before I bring her back in unless it's between the usual times, and again we're out there running about for half an hour. The carpet in my room is a light blue one (I didn't pick it) so it's very easy to see wet spots on it. Not to mention that my room doesn't smell like dog pee, which it should if she's been peeing on the carpet all this time. I also tend to walk barefoot inside and I've never stepped on a wet spot before, so as far to my knowledge she hasn't had a pee accident in there since she was 7 weeks or so old; even then, it was because she didn't make it to the pad in time usually. I remember when she was not even a month old, we took her to the vet where she was diagnosed with one of the worst UTIs the vet had ever seen (she had it before we got her, she just didn't show symptoms until a while later). All the way to the vet's office, in the waiting area, in the vet's office during the exam, and on the car ride back - no accidents. She's always been like this, I thought she was just ahead of the bladder control curve a little bit. Even if she's been holding it she seems perfectly fine and happy. If you really think that holding it is causing her UTIs, how can I MAKE her go? Running around the yard doesn't work, giving her the command to go doesn't work, and leaving pads out doesn't work. What else can I honestly do?


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## leafmask (Nov 11, 2015)

After reading through this thread and seeing your responses, I'm starting to think you honestly need a second vet opinion because there might be something going on with your dog structurally that's more specific than just recurring UTIs.


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## Captain_Russia (Nov 18, 2015)

That's the only thing I can really think of, but even that is a bit iffy because she doesn't seem to have any other problems. Surely if there was something else about this she would be showing more symptoms?


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## leafmask (Nov 11, 2015)

Not necessarily if there is something going on inside of her body, not all vets are as thorough as others. Everything I've ever learned about dogs, either from owners or from professionals, has led me to understand that they can be very good at hiding symptoms/pain.


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## Captain_Russia (Nov 18, 2015)

Well, her next check-up appontment is in a few days, so I'll be sure to mention this and ask for a second opinion on the situation.


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## Joandsarah (Dec 13, 2015)

It cost us $30 AUD It consists of fake grass, then a plastic knobbly holed mat and the tray on the bottom. Mum still eats up all the poop which makes it easy for us. I would not want it for pooing for an older lone puppy but as an emergency pee spot I think it's far better than a pee pad. I just rinse off the 3 pieces under the hose every few days. Since we are only at the start of potty training I wanted to be sure they could still smell it.


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## Canyx (Jul 1, 2011)

Captain_Russia said:


> every time I find her having used a pad she seems anxious about me finding it and I have to reassure her that she didn't do something bad. She did this even from the beginning.


So she has been punished for dragging her pee pads. "Punished" doesn't necessarily mean you hit her, but that you did SOMETHING to scare her. Maybe a scolding that seemed like nothing to you but really traumatize your pup.? I don't know. But there is no such thing as "she did this from the very beginning" with dogs that look "anxious" for being caught. It isn't for us to say what is 'scary' or 'negative' for a dog but clearly she is remembering some undesirable consequence. 

I read through the entire thread and am a little confused about some details. But if your biggest issue is her dragging the pad around the house, if you just elaborated that you have plenty of time to take her out constantly... Do away with the pads and just take her outside very often. Apologies if this has been suggested and refuted already. Also, just to be sure... Is she totally comfortable peeing and pooping in front of you? Like when she does go outside, does she seem "anxious" to do it too? I would at least continue to reward her for going outside.


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## Captain_Russia (Nov 18, 2015)

I've never punished her for dragging the pads because I've never caught her in the middle of doing it. She seems perfectly fine pottying in front of me when we're outside, she doesn't hesitate or look upset. I'm not the one her had her using pads, she was on them before I got her so if any correction on the matter was done, I didn't do it. It seems very probable, though, from what I've seen of her previous owner.  I think it's also worth mentioning that the dragging started rather recently, she didn't used to do that. She doesn't drag them around the house, either, it's only ever to or towards her bed, and it seems to happen after I bought her new bed. She never did it before that but I never thought of it as a possible cause before now.
Also, I've already started training her to only go outside, it's just during UTIs that I leave her with a pad, usually overnight because I can't get up every hour to let her out then. She seems to be better now and didn't have to use the pad last night, so I'm taking them away again if she's fine again tonight.


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## Joandsarah (Dec 13, 2015)

Do you think something structurally might be wrong with her. I watch this vet show and they had a 'female' dog on there that was dribbling pee and turned out 'she' was a hermaphrodite both genders and it had a pocket that was holding pee and causing UTI. I know that was a rare case, but this dog not peeing for ages and getting all these UTI's sounds so similar. Also if she has some kind of pocket it would explain why she isn't peeing more because that is quite odd.


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