I've had it up to here with my dog! Advice?

[CAMom]

I'm trying to be patient with her-I really am but....

 

We are in the process of moving. We are in a temporary place while our new home is being built out of state.

 

The dogs ( 7year old and 6year old basset hounds) had seemed to have adjusted well. However, the last few nights, the 6yo female is out to drive me crazy! She is barking for me to get up in the middle of the night and when I come downstairs, she's already peed massive puddles and pooped on the floor. She's been waking me up between 2 and 3am and then again around 7am.

 

I want to strangle her! (Just a figure of speech. ;))

 

I need help! I know she's perfectly capable of holding her bladder. She gets let out between 11pm and midnight which is what she's always had.

 

I can't continue to have my sleep interrupted like this. I'm getting really cranky! :p

 

Any help or advice?

[Whereneverever]

Have you taken her to the vet?

[Pawz4me]

Off to the vet you go. It's the first thing you do anytime a reliably house-trained pet starts having accidents. Yes, it could be something behavioral, or an emotional/stress upset related to your current living conditions. But there are quite a few medical issues, from serious to not-so-serious, that could also be the cause. And they're the first things you want to check on.

[zoobie]

I agree. Rule out a UTI etc. first. Clean the peed on areas really well with an enzyme cleaner. Do you have a crate? I'd crate her in your room at night to try to break the behavior pattern (if it turns out not to be a medical issue).

[gingersmom]

Poor puppy. She sounds stressed.

 

We are moving in June and I am wondering if my dog will have any adjustment issues.

[Remudamom]

My dog will do this when something changes in the house, like company or one of the kids being gone. I leash her to my bed so I'm sure to hear when she starts moving around and I can let her out.

 

I'd rather wake up and let her out than have to clean up pee.

[KungFuPanda]

I'm trying to be patient with her-I really am but....

We are in the process of moving. We are in a temporary place while our new home is being built out of state.

The dogs ( 7year old and 6year old basset hounds) had seemed to have adjusted well. However, the last few nights, the 6yo female is out to drive me crazy! She is barking for me to get up in the middle of the night and when I come downstairs, she's already peed massive puddles and pooped on the floor. She's been waking me up between 2 and 3am and then again around 7am.

I want to strangle her! (Just a figure of speech. ;))

I need help! I know she's perfectly capable of holding her bladder. She gets let out between 11pm and midnight which is what she's always had.

I can't continue to have my sleep interrupted like this. I'm getting really cranky! :p

Any help or advice?

 

 

If she's that "reliable" I'd set alarms for 1:45 and 6:45 and get up and maker her go out. It won't cure sleep deprivation, but at least there's no clean-up. You can even delegate one of these times to someone else in the house.

[CAMom]

Thank you! I'm thinking it has much more to do with anxiety than any health issue. She acts "normal" for her which is already a really anxious dog at all times during the day and I was gone for almost two weeks for a speech and debate tournament and then a college trip with dd.

 

Is it possible that she's barking in the middle of the night just to see if I'm still here? I can't take it much longer.

 

On another note, our male woke up limping this morning and not acting himself. So, I took him to the vet this afternoon and it turns out he ruptured a ligament in his knee which is the same as a human tearing their ACL. So, now we have to decide if we should have it surgically repaired or try to treat it medically.

 

Sigh...

[Pawz4me]

Can't she get into your bedroom to see if you're still there? Is she drinking large amounts of water?

 

I wonder if it could be that she smells something outside that's upsetting her or getting her excited. Some nocturnal critter. Which could explain standing by the door. She's staying at a new place, not used to the smells, and let's face it--a basset hound is really a big walking nose. Is she barking or baying?

 

But . . . what concerns me that it may be medical is that you say she's leaving "massive" puddles. That doesn't really sound like a UTI, where there are typically small, frequent accidents. Depending on any other symptoms (i.e., increased thirst or appetite, weight gain/loss, condition of coat and muscle tone, etc.) and given her age I would be wondering if she's in the early stages of something like diabetes or Cushing's disease. Although the loss of bowel control makes it sound more like excitement/nervousness/stress.

 

If she can't get to you at night but can get to the water bowl, I might consider emptying it before you go to bed. Some anxious dogs do tend to drink a lot. But then so do dogs with diabetes or Cushing's disease. Which is why I really think a vet visit is called for.

[Tammyla]

That sounds like a miserable night, with an awful mess to wake up too.

Rule out the medical.

Take up the food and water at an early hour and maybe crate her.

 

I hope the other guy doesn't need sugery.