[BayAreaDesigner]

Originally Posted by Rainbows

You might find that having the dogs their own seperate xpens and pee pads will help...If the alpha is the one having potty problems, it's because of behaviour and marking her territory and the other dog knows better than to mark over it so goes in his own spot. They need their personal space, even from each other so having their own xpen and their own crates to be in and their own potty areas makes it easier for them. If you can't do that, then as a last resort you could pick up a small vial of fox urine from a sporting goods shop a lot of vet's swear by this technique, spray just one tiny spray of it on the pee pad, usually the dogs will pee on it to mark and when they do that praise them and reward them especially the alpha dog. When you see the dog going anywhere else but on the pee pad, yell NO at her and put her nose to the pee so she can smell it..but don't rub it in the nose or anything like that because she will smell it an inch away from her face and know it...then lead her to the pee pad...lead her there, don't pick her up and place her there or she wont learn properly, lead her there playfully or with a treat and keep her there until she pees on it then reward her. After she's done that, let her play and clean the spot she peed or pooped on.

Does the xpen have a door? Do you use a pee pad holder? If not, I think its a good idea to get one because it will keep them from accidentally peeing on the floor, sometimes when they go on the pad it can seep to the side or get soaked in an area and leak onto the floor, or they play with it...the holder stops all this. Plus the holder has a certain feel to it they associate, and they can confuse just a pee pad with carpet. The xpen with a door is good, stick the pee pads in the xpen and let them out to play but make it clear to them if they have accidents off the pad they go into the pen. Make sure the pen has only enough room for bed and pee pad, that way they have no choice but to pee on it. You don't have to lock them up in a tiny crate to train them where to go. I use the Japanese indoor potty training method, it works pretty miraculously even with big dogs. It's much easier to train them, and is way friendlier than a crate. One side has toys and bed, the other the pee pad tray. They eventually learn to go where their pee pad tray is plus you can leave them there until they pee because it is caged in, then allowing you to reward them with treats and play time which works really good. Just to show you, this is the Japanese training method set up.

http://blog-imgs-12.fc2.com/p/o/o/po...i_suta-ta-.jpg
http://image.space.rakuten.co.jp/d/s...e.46.1.8.2.jpg

Firstly THANK YOU for your response!!

And WOW - That is a really pretty pen! Stylish looking too. Looks better than my xpen and has a floor. Is that one yours? How much are they?

And are you suggesting that I lock them in the separate pens ALL DAY while I work????

Here are the answers to your other questions:
I have a large folding xpen . They each have a side with their own mat and bedding (before they ea had a crate on each end) the pee pad is in the middle along with separate dog dishes and 1 water dish. Currently it is left unlocked because I don't have carpet so they can run and play. I just clean up pee mistakes when I get home


When I try to separate them for anything they whine and cry and want to be together.

Now- Flash to tomorrow- I'm moving. the new apt is carpeted.



If I go the old xpen route - Tomorrow I will need to go to Home Depot and buy plywood for under the xpen, then cover it with linoleum on top so if they don’t pee on the pad it doesn’t get on the carpet. Once we get the xpen under floor done its pretty permanent and can’t be moved from place to place. And, it takes up a lot of space in my living room/dining room, So I wish I did not have to use it. I like the idea of personal space.



Yes, I had a pee pad holder. Don’t use it any more because I had to change the pads so often and pee would be on the sides and the ends and I had to constantly clean it. It’s not that the alpha dog misses the pee pad (I could understand that) its more that she just disregards it and pees in the hall or in front on the xpen at the door or just wherever. They don’t seem to play in the pee or even step in it. When I get home its usually dry on the floor.

if there are 2 different pee areas and leave the door open I think the alpha dog will pee on both.

Boy do I feel guilty!!!