Yes, definitely a good point. This article is about a dog peeing on the floor no matter how long you were gone – even if it was just 5 minutes – but expecting an adult dog to hold it for 10+ house is asking for trouble. One may very well come home to find a mess on the floor because they couldn’t hold it.

So after we (boyfriend and I) came home to the mess, we fussed at him (not too much and he already knew it was wrong from good training years prior and was immediately remorseful/sad eyes.)

One day I left a already stained used towel on the floor by accident, and when I came home he went to the bathroom ON the towel and seemed to drag it around the ground to absorb more!

Now that got me thinking. So now what I do for now is buy puppy pads or let him use old towels when I leave for work. I consistently lay it out in the kitchen which is easy to clean and a big area if it sprays, and he somehow trained himself to use the pad or a towel on days I’m gone for looooong hours. I’ve even left bags before and he’s attempted to put his number two in the bag! (That’s how i always clean it up so so guess he thought that would be right too?) I didn’t train either habit but I did reinforce it with praise, and yes I still have to spot mop daily, but you know what? It works for us.

Someday when we have a home (currently saving for a down payment) and a doggie door, I feel confident the issue will go away when he can let himself out. (We plan to have a fence AND additional shock collar perimeter beyond the fence should he feel… jumpy) ((He also never goes inside if people are here he scratches at the door which is why so feel the indoor use is the best we can get until we move next year))

But I say all of this because I want you to consider:

Is my dog anxiety peeing/being naughty, or have I been gone for so long that they actually really really had to go?

If it’s the later.. I’m not sure how much training will help. Humans expect each other to go in a 12 hour period, so we should super expect our animals to have to do the same, or more. There are many dog sitter services in many areas. If this is you working long hours dealing with messes, you may want to considering hiring a dog sitter to come over for a little to let them out/ feed them/play/ walk etc to help with your long work days.

It’s easy to forget TIME as a variable and if you have a mop and hardwood floors, you may find some variation of this method useful.. and cheaper than a dog sitter. At least it’s partially cleaned this way, and you’ll know where to find it when you come home.

Just consider really, how long you were gone before you go losing your mind or getting rid of your family member.

Thanks all, stay safe and take care.

Hi Judith. I’m not clear on what issue you are having with my website. There is nothing to “join”. If you have a question or need help, and are trying to leave a comment, those are held in moderation until I approve them. That means I receive any comments you post here but they won’t show up right away for you to see. It’s not because my website is broken. That’s how it is supposed to work. You can always comment like you did here to ask your question or email me directly at Jessica@pettalkmedia.com.

Hi Sallie. That definitely sounds like separation anxiety to me. Good luck. I hope you can find a way to help.

Hi Jan. You are not alone and rest assured you did nothing wrong. Separation anxiety has become a huge issues for many, many dogs since COVID and owners being home more because of it. This article actually offers some help in the last section. These articles can also help: https://youdidwhatwithyourweiner.com/your-dachshund-may-not-be-peeing-in-the-house-for-the-reason-you-think/ and https://youdidwhatwithyourweiner.com/stop-dog-separation-anxiety/. Good luck to you.

Hi Gayle. This article is about separation anxiety as a cause, which can affect dogs of all ages. With senior dogs, it’s often medical related like incontinence or dementia (as was the case with Chester when he got older). If you haven’t already, you might want to also read my article on elderly dogs peeing in the house: https://youdidwhatwithyourweiner.com/old-dog-peeing-house-help/. I hope you can find the cause and it’s something simple.