# Why is he trying to sleep where he pees?



## queryne (Apr 9, 2012)

My guy Leo is about to turn 8 months and has all of a sudden taking sleeping on his pee grate. We're using the Rascal Litter box http://rascaldoglitterbox.com/ (without the grass) and we're just about at the point where we want to ween him off of it (especially with this new development). Why in the world is has he taken to laying in his own pee? He usually wont do this when he's got a towel or blanket to lay on but I have also so seen him do it WITH a towel or blanket in his pen. Should I be concerned? Any ideas why in the world he's doing this??? My understanding is that dog's generally don't sleep where they use urinate or poop. What's going on?


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## HannahBearsMom (Jul 31, 2011)

When Maccabee is not feeling well, he sometimes lies in his litter box. He had not done so in a very long time, then I awoke to fine him in his litter box when he was most symptomatic with his newly diagnosed liver shunt.

I am NOT suggesting Leo has a liver shunt. But, maybe he's feeling a little under the weather?


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## queryne (Apr 9, 2012)

Seems to be feeling ok. But thanks for mention this. I'll keep an eye on him.


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

I don't know what the weather is up there, but here they are all looking for a cool place to lie down. It's been warm the past couple of days, but we haven't thought about turning the AC on yet. We have dogs stretched out all over the bare floor.


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## queryne (Apr 9, 2012)

Funny you should mention that Tom, we are having an usually warm couple of days. So today that could be why. Still we caught him doing it the other day when it wasnt particularly warm. Pretty frustrating.

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

queryne said:


> Funny you should mention that Tom, we are having an usually warm couple of days. So today that could be why. Still we caught him doing it the other day when it wasnt particularly warm. Pretty frustrating.
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Whatever the reason, I think I would be really vigilant that the pads (or whatever you are using) are always clean. (meaning clean it EVERY time he pees... don't wait until the end of the day, and make sure you wipe down the grate too) I think you need to make sure that he starts to remember the habit of wanting his sleeping place to be completely clean all the time.

Also, make sure that he always has very clean bedding to sleep on elsewhere. If he has had an accident that you didn't notice, or even just tracked waste into/onto his bed area, that might be why he is avoiding it. (the Rascal Dog might seem like the cleaner option to him) Just something to think about.

Kodi did go through a fairly short phase where he peed in his bed. (I think now that his litter box was set up too close to the bed and he got confused... it happened while we were on vacation in our travel trailer and there was limited space) I just made sure I cleaned all his bedding IMMEDIATELY and thoroughly. (I spent a LOT of time in the camp ground laundries on that trip!) I was worried about it at the time, but by keeping everything scrupulously clean, he got past that phase quickly!


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## queryne (Apr 9, 2012)

Karen,

REALLY appreciate this advice. Unfortunately with Leo he has a long history of peeing in his bed or blanket or whatever we give him to lay on.. As soon as we give him a clean bedding he'll pee on in it with a minute or two of receiving it. He's been doing this since he was a little puppy and he's still doing it. The only way we can keep him from peeing on any of his bedding is to put food down on it. That's about the only thing that will keep him from peeing on it. I'd love to buy him a comfy bed ( i know he'd love one)but I can't trust him NOT to pee on it. Any suggestions on how to stop that? I was hoping he'd grow out of it but there seems to be no end in sight.

Regardless, I think you're right, we're going to have to keep the grate as clean as possible. He has unfortunately taken to peeing not just on the grate but frequently peeing off of the side of the grate and on to the vinyl in his pen. So we're spend a lot of time cleaning up. I hope to high heavens that we can get him past this.. Pretty frustrating..


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

He is confused for sure. He doesn't know the difference between his bed or the potty area.He is 8mo old so that will be harder. Maddie liked my laundry basket for a long time to sleep in during that age. It was easy for her to get in and out so with the sides like that maybe you could keep food their for a while to see if he can keep his bedding clean.
Here is a picture of maddie and her laundry basket


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## queryne (Apr 9, 2012)

Holy crap that's adorable! Lol!

Yeah we can continue to put food on the bedding but i'm wondering if there will come a point where we can stop doing that. I don't want to have to smear food all over his bedding forever.


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

Havanese are smart I would try it for a while and say no to sleeping on the potty area. I hope he gets turned around soon.


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## queryne (Apr 9, 2012)

Suzie, you are so right about that. Leo is incredibly smart.. Looks like i'm gonna have to amp up my patience..


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## sprorchid (Mar 30, 2010)

^ Suzi, that pic is absolutely adorable, and I thought exactly what queryne posted, 'holy crap that's cute!'.

thanks for posting that pic.


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## queryne (Apr 9, 2012)

While we're sharing photos.. Here's a shot of my sweet guy.. This is his.. "oh no, you're leaving for work???" look. LOL..


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

queryne said:


> Karen,
> 
> REALLY appreciate this advice. Unfortunately with Leo he has a long history of peeing in his bed or blanket or whatever we give him to lay on.. As soon as we give him a clean bedding he'll pee on in it with a minute or two of receiving it. He's been doing this since he was a little puppy and he's still doing it. The only way we can keep him from peeing on any of his bedding is to put food down on it. That's about the only thing that will keep him from peeing on it. I'd love to buy him a comfy bed ( i know he'd love one)but I can't trust him NOT to pee on it. Any suggestions on how to stop that? I was hoping he'd grow out of it but there seems to be no end in sight.
> 
> Regardless, I think you're right, we're going to have to keep the grate as clean as possible. He has unfortunately taken to peeing not just on the grate but frequently peeing off of the side of the grate and on to the vinyl in his pen. So we're spend a lot of time cleaning up. I hope to high heavens that we can get him past this.. Pretty frustrating..


Did Leo come from a reptable breeder, or do you think he may be a puppy mill or BYB puppy? There are two reasons I ask. First, if he's from a reputable breeder, I would get in touch with the breeder for advice. I know I often did when Kodi was a pup and I needed advice on how to handle a "puppy problem".

Second, if he is from a pet store (puppy mill) or BYB, it is possible that he didn't learn to keep his waste away from his sleeping area as a pup. Puppies from these sources often have no choice but to sleep and eliminate in the same area. Even if he's from a questionable background, it DOESN'T mean that he can't learn. It just means that it is likely to take longer, and you will need to be more patient with the process.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

queryne said:


> Holy crap that's adorable! Lol!
> 
> Yeah we can continue to put food on the bedding but i'm wondering if there will come a point where we can stop doing that. I don't want to have to smear food all over his bedding forever.


Well, you could use kibble or dry treat food.  I wouldn't be smearing wet food on bedding. Seems pretty unsanitary for all concerned!!!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Suzi said:


> Havanese are smart I would try it for a while and say no to sleeping on the potty area. I hope he gets turned around soon.


I would NOT say "no" to any interaction with the potty box. It would be WAY too easy to convince him he shouldn't be near it at all, since he's already confused about what he should be doing where. Much better to find positive ways to encourage him to sleep elsewhere.


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## queryne (Apr 9, 2012)

Karen thanks for the advice. Leo is a Starborn puppy and therefore I think I will reach out to the King's to see they can offer a little advice on this. His issue with peeing on bedding has been going on for a while. I thought he'd grow out of it but no such luck. 

No way are we putting wet food on his bedding. LOL! It's generally kibble or something sort of hard treat. Appreciate the advice.


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## HannahBearsMom (Jul 31, 2011)

queryne said:


> Karen thanks for the advice. Leo is a Starborn puppy and therefore I think I will reach out to the King's to see they can offer a little advice on this. His issue with peeing on bedding has been going on for a while. I thought he'd grow out of it but no such luck.
> 
> No way are we putting wet food on his bedding. LOL! It's generally kibble or something sort of hard treat. Appreciate the advice.


Definitely reach out to Pam & Tom. As I'm sure you already know, they are wonderful people and are happy to help with "their" puppies long after they leave their home. Pam has helped me via telephone and email many times, and Tom has done the same via this forum. In fact, Tom has posted here many times regarding potty training. I'm sure he'll eventually jump in, but I wouldn't wait. Give them a call.


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## queryne (Apr 9, 2012)

Too true. I can't say enough good things about those two.. 

Thanks Laurie..


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

queryne said:


> Karen thanks for the advice. Leo is a Starborn puppy and therefore I think I will reach out to the King's to see they can offer a little advice on this. His issue with peeing on bedding has been going on for a while. I thought he'd grow out of it but no such luck.
> 
> No way are we putting wet food on his bedding. LOL! It's generally kibble or something sort of hard treat. Appreciate the advice.


Oh! I forgot he was a Starborn pup!!! Now I remember that we talked about the fact that he and Kodi looked alike as puppies! Yes, PLEASE call Pam and have her help you trouble shoot. She was a BIG help to me whenever I ran into trouble as Kodi was growing up.

As far as outgrowing it is concerned, I think ti's something that you really have to work at. I know that Pam and Tom are RELIGIOUS about keeping the puppies on clean bedding. That's why I knew I had to do that too, the few times that Kodi peed on his bedding. (though he was younger than Leo... it was during his first summer with us, so before he was 5 months old)


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

HannahBearsMom said:


> Definitely reach out to Pam & Tom. As I'm sure you already know, they are wonderful people and are happy to help with "their" puppies long after they leave their home. Pam has helped me via telephone and email many times, and Tom has done the same via this forum. In fact, Tom has posted here many times regarding potty training. I'm sure he'll eventually jump in, but I wouldn't wait. Give them a call.


I agree, think a phone call is better in this instance, because in a conversation, they may be able to get to the root of the problem faster than back and forth messages.


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

I remember him doing that when he was little, and he was too far away for me to get to him. He did it on the side of a bolster bed. I think he liked the way it felt as he lowered himself down on it, and it didn't splash. If you can find something the same shape that is non-absorbant, I think it will be an unpleasant enough experience that it may break him of it quickly.

I can send you some litter in a box, maybe like 15 pounds inside a plastic bag. I'll bet he will remember what it's for. Put the grate somewhere else, litter in a box, and maybe a different kind of bed like the raised sling type beds where he has to jump up on in his pen and there should be a good chance things will change.

We just need to break the habit, and the way to do that is do away with the right (wrong in this case) surface.

Call us any time. We just came back from a friends house tonight.


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## HannahBearsMom (Jul 31, 2011)

Argh! My Starborn pup just peed on the carpet! I'm going to blame the crystals in his bladder. I hope he goes back to consistently using the litter box once his health issues are resolved.

Tom, Maccabee sometimes starts pooping in his litter box, but finishes on the vinyl flooring in his expen, or completely leaves the expen and finishes on the carpet. I don't want to shut him in the expen when he starts pooping because then he may completely avoid the expen. Plus, oftentimes he stops eating to to potty, then returns and finishes his meal.

He's been slow to get completely potty trained, but I suspect that is at least partly do to the bladder stones and crystals.


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

Tom King said:


> I remember him doing that when he was little, and he was too far away for me to get to him. He did it on the side of a bolster bed. I think he liked the way it felt as he lowered himself down on it, and it didn't splash. If you can find something the same shape that is non-absorbant, I think it will be an unpleasant enough experience that it may break him of it quickly.
> 
> I can send you some litter in a box, maybe like 15 pounds inside a plastic bag. I'll bet he will remember what it's for. Put the grate somewhere else, litter in a box, and maybe a different kind of bed like the raised sling type beds where he has to jump up on in his pen and there should be a good chance things will change.
> 
> ...


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## queryne (Apr 9, 2012)

Tom thank you so much for chiming in. Since even you remember him doing this as a pup (and considering how many puppies you guys had at the time.. not sure how the world you could remember!) it's as you and Karen have suggested I really have to work with him and break him out of the habit. 

I'm going to give you guys a call perhaps this evening to discuss more. The sling bed is a brilliant idea. I need to look into that. That's something i would have never thought of!


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

I thought that I was probably calling it the wrong thing. They're called dog cots. I did a google search for "small dog cot", and all sorts of things turned up, like:

http://www.wag.com/dog/p/kakadu-pet...la&ca_sku=FPS-31629&ca_gpa=pla&ca_kw={keyword}

Ours like them in hot weather, and you can also find them in mesh, which might be good if he's looking for a cool place. I'd do away with the bolster beds for now.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Tom King said:


> I thought that I was probably calling it the wrong thing. They're called dog cots. I did a google search for "small dog cot", and all sorts of things turned up, like:
> 
> http://www.wag.com/dog/p/kakadu-pet...la&ca_sku=FPS-31629&ca_gpa=pla&ca_kw={keyword}
> 
> Ours like them in hot weather, and you can also find them in mesh, which might be good if he's looking for a cool place. I'd do away with the bolster beds for now.


Kodi can't have bolster (or donut) beds except for his car seat, but for a different reason... He gets over-excited about them, starts humping them, which, in turn, becomes a rip-and-tear session. He's a very rough lover!:laugh:


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## HannahBearsMom (Jul 31, 2011)

krandall said:


> Kodi can't have bolster (or donut) beds except for his car seat, but for a different reason... He gets over-excited about them, starts humping them, which, in turn, becomes a rip-and-tear session. He's a very rough lover!:laugh:


Ditto for Maccabee.


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## queryne (Apr 9, 2012)

Hmm Tom, i may just give that cot bed a try. Not sure how we'd react to that.. I can definitely see him trying to pee on it though, so i 'm not sure it's going to solve that problem so much.

Hahahha Kodi and Maccabeee rough lovers! Hahaha.. Hilarious!


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