Evening all,
I've had a little female puppy for about 2 weeks now; she's 3 and a half months old. She is lovely, VERY sociable and obedient.
I got her from a rescue centre where she was kept with two litters of puppies, and they had been trained to pee on a towel on the floor (not the best idea in the world, but there we go...).
As a result, she started using fabrics, rags or rugs to do her business indoors. Once we removed those, she started urinating in her bed. We're having to wash it every single day! She barely gets the chance to sleep in it because she soils it so quickly. When we take it away, we leave blankets on the floor for her and she pees on those too (we wash everything with water and white vinegar). Yet, she has clearly grasped that it is "her spot", the place she is supposed to go when she's been told off!
She sleeps there often, although she alternates with the sofa. Normally, dogs don't go to the toilet where they sleep, do they?
It’s not a case of not going out enough, as she goes out 6 to 8 times a day, does her business every time and always gets a reward. She has very few accidents elsewhere in the house. I've noticed that these are intentional pees; she goes to her bed or her things on purpose to urinate when she's not using them for sleep.
Just now, while her bed was drying, I moved it to a different spot and she went over to urinate in it, even though we had just come back from a walk 2 minutes earlier.
She's eating well and isn't stressed in the slightest...
I'm not really sure what to do, I have the impression she's associating the "bed" with a litter tray. I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt regarding the blankets for now, perhaps she really couldn't hold it in.
Do you think I should move the bed to where her food bowls are (or even put the bowls in the bed) so she understands the object isn't for going to the toilet?
Does anyone have any other suggestions?
Have a good evening.
