Dog has chosen the floor as her toilet

[LinZ]

The family dog Nikki has taken a liking to using the garage floor as a toilet for about a month now. When my mom wakes up in the morning to walk her, she finds that Nikki has peed on the garage floor. And when she comes home for lunch, she finds the same thing. Nikki refuses to pee outside anymore, and sometimes she even poops in the garage too.

My mom is now threatening to not give Nikki any water at all to keep her from urinating altogether.

.................

Any advice on Nikki? Perhaps we're just walking her at the wrong times in the day?

..........

LinZ

[JMM]

Does the dog live in the garage?

She does not know it is inappropriate to urinate in the garage. How long is she in there? She may not be able to hold it for that length of time. If she is urinating more than usual, she should be evaluated by a vet to rule out a physical problem like kidney disease or a UTI.

If indeed it is simply behavioral, bringing her in the house, not giving her the opportunity to make mistakes, and praising her for eliminating in the correct spot should help.

[Traci]

DO NOT withhold water, if she has a urinary tract infection or potential kidney problem, withholding water could be detrimental. I agree with JMM, if she is confined to the garage, she may not be able to control her bladder.....it's up to you, your mom, or whoever, to let her out at designated times throughout the day.

[Tambrey]

I remember when our Great Dane suddenly began to have accidents in the house...we got a urine sample and took in and sure enough, he had an infection...as soon as he got on meds...he did not have another accident...

I would strongly recommend getting your dog to the vet with a urine sample, and make sure nothing is physically wrong...and do not withhold water...it does not take long for any creature to dehydrate without water!!