Hello everyone,
I have a few questions that may have been covered somewhere in the 500+ pages. I have a 13 week old Blue GSD that does a few things our lab didn’t do. She appeared healthy when we got her from the breeder. She was also very clean. The breeder had a nice ranch with birthing areas and pen areas for the older pups. We had gone out to visit her every weekend from age 2 weeks to the day we picked her up. She did seem to have some separation anxiety after picking her up.

1 – She pants almost all the time. Even when she is in her crate (except while asleep). She also drinks a lot and will camp out at the water dish. Is this normal?? She is growing fine, (29lbs at 12 weeks).
2 – When I get home, Blue is excited to see me but she also seems stressed. She wants to jump on my leg but she is also whining and won’t leave my side till I play with her a bit. It is almost like a mini panic attack.
3 – The last thing is peeing in her crate. There are times when she will pee in her crate and then drink it. She has also gone to her crate and pulled the towel up into a ball to pee on it. 95% of the time she can make it through the night without going pee but if I put her in the crate to run to the store (45min) I can almost guaranty that she will have gone pee. Is this caused by stress?? She isn’t alone. She is in her crate and the other two girls are in their 10x6 crate next to hers. What is the best way to train this out of her?

Thanks everyone
-Allen

I had issues with our pup pottying in the crate in the latter half of the day when he was younger than that, and taking out any soft toys or towels broke him of it. He can have soft things again, but no more sheets or towels - he would even pull his stuffed toy over and potty on it rather than going on the plastic bottom. Sounds like she is peeing even in a bare crate?

I am presuming she has had vet checkups to rule out health issues?

Also how old was she when you brought her home?

The more experienced posters will be along shortly I'm sure

1 – She pants almost all the time. Even when she is in her crate (except while asleep). She also drinks a lot and will camp out at the water dish.

When did she see the vet? I'd want to rule out polydipsia's possible triggers. http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/urinary/c_multi_polydipsia_polyuria#.T-yWaxzxbqc

She is probably fine, but I'd want to double-check (and they'll check for a UTI as well).


2 – When I get home, Blue is excited to see me but she also seems stressed. She wants to jump on my leg but she is also whining and won’t leave my side till I play with her a bit. It is almost like a mini panic attack.

Describe your entrance, what you do, etc. How long has she been alone by then?


3 – The last thing is peeing in her crate. There are times when she will pee in her crate and then drink it.

See number 1, and also peeing in her crate means she had to pee and was in her crate, not outdoors. Handler error. This is NOT something you want to be happening. I'd have this girl out every hour while waiting for the vet check. JMO!

If I put her in the crate to run to the store (45min) I can almost guaranty that she will have gone pee. Is this caused by stress?? She isn’t alone. She is in her crate and the other two girls are in their 10x6 crate next to hers. What is the best way to train this out of her?

By making sure she never has to pee in the crate. Before you go to the store, take her out to pee (and wait until she actually does). Every time she needs to pee in her crate solidifies a habit you do not want to have to fix.


Bottom line for me is that the potty training has be stepped way up for this girl. Also, with the water obsession and drinking urine, you may also be seeing polydipsia and related polyuria. So again, I would really step up the trips outside and also make a vet appointment.

Others will help too, with potty-training suggestions. I cannot stress enough how much you do not want a crate-peeing habit to become ingrained, and it's not her fault.

Also, WELCOME! You'll get help here.

PS

Even if a medical problem is causing unusually frequent urination, having it happen in the crate still forms a habit that won't be fixed by dealing with the medical issue, so no matter what, she has to get outside as often as she needs to.

BTW, you may want to post to Member Bio with a picture. We'd love to see her!

Welcome again!

Welcome to the board.

Going on nothing but a hunch I think all these issues are related--and are fixable.

But the very wise suggestion to have a vet checkup to ensure that there's no medical issue causing the thirst and peeing is in order. It's probably nothing. But can't hurt to make sure that there's no bladder infection or other issue.

Assuming the vet gives her a clean bill of health, then the two issues here are #1, basic housebreaking and #2 (compounding #1) separation anxiety.

For housebreaking, it's really no harder than setting a routine whereby the puppy goes out on a regular schedule. Every hour wouldn't be too much...but absolutely always after eating, drinking, sleeping, playing. The idea is to create the opportunities for "getting it right" because you are outside SO OFTEN. Correcting her for mistakes is counter-productive. It's all about making it your mission in life that NO MATTER WHEN the urge to pee comes, she is outside.

Another great trick for this is to tether the pup to you when you are in the house. Whenever you are on the computer, fixing dinner, folding laundry, watching TV, the pup is on a leash tied to your belt. Then you're better able to watch her cues that pee is coming.

#2--separation anxiety: In my experience, this is all about you controlling the level of excitement in the house when you are leaving and (especially) returning. These two times of day should be the LOWEST level of energy and excitement in the pup's entire day. Easier said than done, at first. But here's how to start the routine:

When you leave, put the pup in her crate, say nothing, shut the door, and walk away. There should be no cooing, goodbyes, be a good girl, mommy won't be gone long. Nothing.

When you get home, same thing. She will hear you come in and will start to whine and throw a fit, protesting to get out and have a party because you're home. Ignore it. Don't approach the crate, don't speak, don't look at her. She is invisible.

Only when she has given up and given you silence (even for just a few seconds at first) THEN you can release her from the crate (and hurry outside to pee.) Then have the party.

As you repeat and repeat and repeat this routine, she will gradually learn that your leaving her and return are simply NO BIG DEAL...because nothing "magical" happens at those times anyway. You coming and going is boring. Peeing outside (and being quiet in the crate) are the things that get attention from the human--not squealing or throwing a fit.

It's not something that will fix itself in a day or two. This may take several weeks. But it will work. And then, for the rest of her life, you're not the owner who has to rush into the house with an armful of groceries and madly dash to the dog crate because the dog is throwing a fit to be let out.

Hi Allen and welcome to the forum! A new pup in the family is always a mixture of fun and stess, especially when it comes to potty training.

AFTER you rule out any health issues, understand that you have a baby in a kennel. She is going to pee when she needs to pee. Nothing at this point in her life has taught/trained her that she needs to pee in the yard - she is simply doing what she is programed to do - empty her bladder when full.

TRY to look at this as "What can I change" vs "the puppy is peeing in the crate" - as hard as this might seem. THIS pup is not in the yard when it needs to pee. What can YOU do to ensure it does not have to pee in the crate?

Thanks for all the GREAT replies!! We are fairly new to the Austin TX area and do not have a Vet yet. We are in the north Austin area and have just started looking. My wife had a Vet in CA that would run a battery of tests every time she was concerned about something (he has a runny nose=xrays and blood work). Needless to say we became a little cautious when it came to bringing up our concerns.

Does anyone know what types of test I can expect the Vet to run?

I have already started changing things. I took her out just about every hour yesterday afternoon and also got up a few times during the night to take her out to go potty. When I got home and she was bouncing around her crate, I just stood there facing away from her till she calmed down and laid down, then I let her out.


I tried posting some pics but in the preview it just says image. They are on a public site and everyone can see them but for some reason they are not showing up.

-Allen

All JMO, and I am not a health professional:

The first step for me for possible polydipsia is home measurement of actual water consumption. I would start this now, without limiting or making any changes to the way things have been. This will tell you whether the perception is correct.

Somewhere I have a formula for average consumption per dog size, and I'm sure others here (like Betty) will know abnormal amounts without even referring to it. But yes, I would gather that info, which will get started on your first question in your O.P.

As far as a vet visit goes, I urge a well-pup visit regardless. I would ask for a simple urinalysis (you can even take a fresh clean catch with you ... post back if you don't know this ... ) even if it's not the usual with the vet you choose for a well-pup visit just because I would want all possible physical issues to do with potty ruled out, and because a simple urinalysis is very inexpensive. I would also describe the panting.

I would be extremely up front about money and preference. Remember that vets are in many ways duty-bound to present to you all the possible diagnostic and treatment procedures. I consider it up to me to ask "What will this test tell us? Will its results change treatment? Can the results be found less invasively and expensively? " and so on.

Minimal vax, no fear tactics about raw feeding, and a similar POV to my own about pain management (for me, critical) are some of the things I discuss before settling on a vet. My vet is a partner with me.

"I have already started changing things. I took her out just about every hour yesterday afternoon and also got up a few times during the night to take her out to go potty. When I got home and she was bouncing around her crate, I just stood there facing away from her till she calmed down and laid down, then I let her out."


Good work!

Always remember that a puppy pottying in the crate is handler error. (Sometimes we say "Roll up a newspaper and smack yourself on the head." )

That habit of going outside becomes a real habit .... praise and party for good potty and no comment if you have forced her to have a mistake.

Did you note Tracy's tether-to-you suggestion? It is a wonderful jump-start for SO many good puppy things, from bonding to potty body language to environmental management .....

Thanks Connie!!!! I did see the tether-to-you suggestion. I will have to figure out how to do that. Blue loves to play with my other two girls and is always pouncing and attacking them.

I will start a log this weekend and try to track her potty times/amount.

Thanks again everyone!!!

-Allen