Greyhound continence

[CrazyMare]

I have a 4 year old ex racing greyhound. Spayed last October at 3 after her racing career.

She has what we call "toddler bladder". She can sleep for hours, and hold her wee for hours but when she needs to go, she needs to go *now*. She won't wee just because she's gone outside like the other two.

She often won't wee til a good 5-10 mins into a walk, but then literally stops dead and goes *now*.

I'm not sure it's an incontinence thing, although I'd probably describe it as an urge incontinence in a human.

We treat her like a puppy, she gets up so gets put out, she eats so gets put out. She doesn't always wee though and it can be a 10 minute stand off.

Trying to stop the accidents in the house! So any thoughts welcome!

 

[AmyMay]

Does she have accidents in the house? How long has she been out of kennels?

 

[CrazyMare]

Does she have accidents in the house? How long has she been out of kennels?

Yes intermittently.

She stopped racing June/July 2021, came to us August 2021 straight from her trainer. We had her spayed once her medication finished as per vet advice

 

[Red-1]

Could she find it tricky or painful to assume the position? So leaves it until 'now' is the only option?

 

[CrazyMare]

Could she find it tricky or painful to assume the position? So leaves it until 'now' is the only option?

I hadn't considered that option. I don't think so. She sleeps in some pretty contorted positions and spends far more time racing around running her own races than the others do.

On a walk, you can be walking along and she will literally stop dead, squat and pee. No sniffing around, no considering it. Just stops. That can be in the middle of the road, or almost on your feet, but it's really abrupt

 

[Red-1]

I hadn't considered that option. I don't think so. She sleeps in some pretty contorted positions and spends far more time racing around running her own races than the others do.

On a walk, you can be walking along and she will literally stop dead, squat and pee. No sniffing around, no considering it. Just stops. That can be in the middle of the road, or almost on your feet, but it's really abrupt

Mum's greyhound did the same. We just presumed that it was a long way down so more effortful/uncomfortable for more preamble!

I guess their legs are more for pushing than holding a squat as she also went right down with a bang, so she was supported by her legs resting on the other part of her leg.

She didn't have continence issues.

 

[fiwen30]

I hadn't considered that option. I don't think so. She sleeps in some pretty contorted positions and spends far more time racing around running her own races than the others do.

On a walk, you can be walking along and she will literally stop dead, squat and pee. No sniffing around, no considering it. Just stops. That can be in the middle of the road, or almost on your feet, but it's really abrupt

I’d wonder if there’s a part of her that still associates concrete or other hard surfaces as being for toileting, and so she’s not bothered about crossing her legs until getting to grass?

 

[skinnydipper]

Teaching her to wee on command might help.

When she is having a wee outside, name it, something like have a wee wee. When she is finished, lots of praise and treats.

Do this every time you are with her and she is peeing outside. Lots of repetition and the penny might drop, so to speak

 

[Magnetic Sparrow]

My female, unspayed greyhound suddenly drops and wees without warning, on or off lead, any surface. No continence issues, housetrained now, but not when I got her. I just assumed it was how she rolled

 

[AmyMay]

My female, unspayed greyhound suddenly drops and wees without warning, on or off lead, any surface. No continence issues, housetrained now, but not when I got her. I just assumed it was how she rolled

Daisy will often drop and wee also. No issues with continence either (spayed Bichon).

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

Ivy (greyhound) does the stop drop and wee too. Sometimes you don't notice until you hit the end of the lead and realise she has stopped dead!

She has nearly driven me to tears of frustration with toileting, especially when the weather is wet and she hasn't 'been' and I'm thinking surely she needs to go by now?! We've had few accidents. Most recent where she had held on too long because of not wanting to go on her walk and not wanting to go in the garden because of 'scary things' (one was a firework which was kind of fair enough).

How often is she having accidents in the house CrazyMare?

 

[CorvusCorax]

My entire bitch drops and wees as well, just thought it was a female thing.
Mine is two and my older ones are into double figures, I always take them out for a wee immediately after meals/eating.
Some dogs definitely need a leg stretch/a run around before they go.
It's why I never get to sleep before midnight ?
Agree the floor surface and weather might be a thing. It was rotten here last night and neither male did a number 2, which isn't like them.

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

Haha this thread has just reminded me of when we first got Ivy and she squatted for a wee and OH asked "where's the poo?" and was like...whut?! Turns out he did not know that the girls don't do the leg lifting thing to wee.

 

[Bellasophia]

Racing dogs and ex breeders have one thing in common..they become conditioned to their timetables..their “ outs” are usually programmed and they learn to wee( often a full ,retained bladderful) on these outings.
I have in effect taken on an ex breeding dog..she’s a champion,ex show dog.However, I have realized she’s been over crated and simply let out when possible to do her business.
She has been with me for 5 months now and goes out for two or three long,walks a day..when she goes out she squats and floods a huge wee.I I let her out,in the garden regularly ,she does very little..she never poos,in the garden.
I am slowly getting her into a hygiene routine..I walk until she has both pooed and weed twice a day.( mornings and afternoons).Midday I take her out,even to do a minimal walk..and she may wee.My hope is to recondition her habits so her bladder is not holding urine for many hours at a time..in the schnauzer breed the risks of stone formation is high and under these circumstances ,more so.
Bless her,she’s never soiled in the house ,but prefers to hold herself until she is out,on the “ right surface” when she feels ok to let loose . I lavish praise,on her and she knows she’s done well.
I always get up around three am to go the the bathroom..both my dogs are let out in garden to have a wee..the poodle boy always performs and gallops back to bed.This little girl does nothing,but at least she is always given the option to go.My hope is ,given time and repeated options ,she will feel comfortable to get on with things and slot into a healthier routine.

I have only once had a spay incontinent female..she suddenly started to lose urine,even in sleep..I gave incurin tablets daily,then thrice weekly etc and slowly weaned her off them after a dry six months..it never reoccurred.
I don’t think this greyhound has spay incontinence,but is needing to learn a new routine ,with new triggers( praise,treats etc) to target her instinct to wee.
Good luck and don’t give up.

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

Racing dogs and ex breeders have one thing in common..they become conditioned to their timetables..their “ outs” are usually programmed and they learn to wee( often a full ,retained bladderful) on these outings.
I have in effect taken on an ex breeding dog..she’s a champion,ex show dog.However, I have realized she’s been over crated and simply let out when possible to do her business.
She has been with me for 5 months now and goes out for two or three long,walks a day..when she goes out she squats and floods a huge wee.I I let her out,in the garden regularly ,she does very little..she never poos,in the garden.
I am slowly getting her into a hygiene routine..I walk until she has both pooed and weed twice a day.( mornings and afternoons).Midday I take her out,even to do a minimal walk..and she may wee.My hope is to recondition her habits so her bladder is not holding urine for many hours at a time..in the schnauzer breed the risks of stone formation is high and under these circumstances ,more so.
Bless her,she’s never soiled in the house ,but prefers to hold herself until she is out,on the “ right surface” when she feels ok to let loose . I lavish praise,on her and she knows she’s done well.
I always get up around three am to go the the bathroom..both my dogs are let out in garden to have a wee..the poodle boy always performs and gallops back to bed.This little girl does nothing,but at least she is always given the option to go.My hope is ,given time and repeated options ,she will feel comfortable to get on with things and slot into a healthier routine.

I have only once had a spay incontinent female..she suddenly started to lose urine,even in sleep..I gave incurin tablets daily,then thrice weekly etc and slowly weaned her off them after a dry six months..it never reoccurred.
I don’t think this greyhound has spay incontinence,but is needing to learn a new routine ,with new triggers( praise,treats etc) to target her instinct to wee.
Good luck and don’t give up.

I'm glad this thread started and this post is good for me to think about more. Our routine is all over the place at the moment. I'd assumed Ivy would go in the garden if she needs to enough and sometimes she does. However today she has been getting unsettled, keeps whining but then not going out when I open the door. In the end I've taken her out for a quick spin round the block; she's done two huge poos and a great big wee and funnily enough she seems more settled now! Just tricky if she won't go out in the garden but also we're being careful about evening walks with fireworks increasing in frequency plus she is still having moments of refusing morning or daytime walks. Gah!

 

[Bellasophia]

Saddle psyched....absolutely everthing you’ve written above rings true with me..the garden routine works for a pup, but not so much for a mature dog whose been conditioned to go out ,probably with others,reacting to their marking scents etc..
If she’s in the garden,stay with her and praise any sniffing she does..if I stay by the doorway,my girl wants to come back in at once..

I also resort to the quick outs….ie your quick spin…for us is .a trip to the big recycling bins down the road ,which often gets results for me,
(especially when it rains.).or we may drive the dog to a popular dog area where scents abound and she willingly does a wee.
Its getting much better as time goes on..and I do find it helps telling yourself it’s “not you,it’s the dogs prior lifestyle.”
I also believe with constant repetition and a good schedule you will find she should get better.
Also try to keep your feeding routine on schedule as well.

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

Saddle psyched....absolutely everthing you’ve written above rings true with me..the garden routine works for a pup, but not so much for a mature dog whose been conditioned to go out ,probably with others,reacting to their marking scents etc..
If she’s in the garden,stay with her and praise any sniffing she does..if I stay by the doorway,my girl wants to come back in at once..

I also resort to the quick outs….ie your quick spin…for us is .a trip to the big recycling bins down the road ,which often gets results for me,
(especially when it rains.).or we may drive the dog to a popular dog area where scents abound and she willingly does a wee.
Its getting much better as time goes on..and I do find it helps telling yourself it’s “not you,it’s the dogs prior lifestyle.”
I also believe with constant repetition and a good schedule you will find she should get better.
Also try to keep your feeding routine on schedule as well.

This is really helpful, thank you. Thinking back we did go through this when we first had her and even with 'bedtime wee' walks she wasn't always going either. We did eventually get to the point of reliable bedtime wees in the garden!

The scent mark thing is interesting. We've noticed she does lots of little wees (scent marking?) in grassy areas likely lots of other dogs have been.

 

[CrazyMare]

This is all super interesting. I really didn't feel it was a spay incontinence.

I think there's definitely some things to take forward.

She will wee and poo in the garden but she's not like the others who nip out, do and leg it back in. She's often just wandering around or doing her races ?

More effort for a wee command on our part too

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

Perhaps she will be more motivated to get a move on as the weather gets colder? The sooner she's done, the sooner she's back in the warm!

Having flashbacks to freezing in our old garden in jim jams, boots and coat, waiting Ivy out.

OH feels he has taught Ivy 'toilet', I'm not so sure although I did step out into the garden with a bit of chicken skin the other evening and she got to work very quickly so maybe he has?!