BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Dogs New wetting problem

Hi everyone, I am new to this forum. I have a friend [seriously, this isn't one of those "yeah, um, this is MY FRIEND'S problem, not mine...." stories] who has a 2-yr-old Basset named Cletus, and a seven-month-old daughter.

Cletus was housebroken, and has just recently started wetting on things in the house. He most recently soaked their leather couch. My friend assumes it's a jealousy issue, and is not sure how to deal with it. She asked me for advice, and the best thing I can tell her is to ask people who know more about it than I do, because I've never had this happen.

My husband suggested that they may have to "re-crate train" Cletus until he gets back on board with the peeing-outdoors thing. Any other ideas or things that might be good to try would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Greetings, and welcome!!

It definitely sounds like Cletus has a jealousy issue going on... and re-training might not help if the root of the problem isn't addressed. This is their first child? He's probably used to being the center of attention and daily activities, and now finds himself pushed to the side.

How is he with the baby? I'd suggest trying to include him in all the daily activities... take him for a walk when the baby goes, make sure he's sitting there when she's holding the baby. If he's calm and accepting enough, have him hang out on the couch while the baby is being fed. The more she can do to remind him that he's still a loved and important member of the home, the less he's going to feel he needs to act out in order to get attention. Some one-on-one time would probably help, too -- when the baby goes for a nap, set aside time to play just with him and give him the attention he's been used to. Since he was well house-trained before, he probably still knows the routine and is just acting out.

Another thing she can do is get a new or special toy that is "their" toy... it comes out when the baby is sleeping or at a babysitter, and it's something that when he sees it, he knows it's something they share. Rekindle the excitement!

Hope that helps -- please post an update or other questions so we know how they're doing!

Thanks Debra! I will pass this along and see how things have been going. :-)