Help! I've got the DRIBBLES!

Dear Bentley,

I get a lot of people food and a treat every time I go out and do my business. I'm house trained and go on frequent walks, yet I still pee in mommy’s' bedroom. The treats are almost expected now and not really an incentive anymore? Help! What can A dog do? Thank you for offering your knowledge & wisdom!!

--Jack--

Dear Jack,

I know exactly what you mean. I used to get the “dribbles” every now and then too. Then…my mommy started taking me out all the time. Ha! Ha! I tricked her though. I could’ve actually held it, but I knew that all it took was a walk to the front door and she’d take me out. I also learned early on that the more I go out, even if I don’t do anything, I’ll still get a treat. Well…my mommy caught on to that. She limited the number of times I could go out a day. Just to show her how mad I was, I peed all over the floor. Mommy wasn’t happy at all! But she still didn’t take me outside 20 times/day. She also cut off my treat supply. I realized that it was finally time to start behaving, so I stopped peeing on the floor. This made my mommy happy and the treats started coming back. Some doggies have the “dribbles” and can’t hold it. Accidents will happen and your mommy knows that. This is why she isn’t punishing you by taking your treats away. What I was doing wasn’t an accident. That’s why my walks and treats were taken away. My advice is to ALWAYS let your mommy know when you need to go out. If she ignores you, bark really loud. My mommy sometimes ignores me when she’s watching TV or on the computer, so I bark my head off! Also, when you’re outside with your mommy, don’t let her bring you in UNTIL you’re completely finished. Sometimes when I’m outside, my mommy wants to come in too early. After all, a dog has to sniff for a while before doing its business. Finally, don’t drink a lot of water right before bed. Let your mommy know that she needs to put your water bowl out of reach right after you go outside before bedtime. Your mommy needs to be consistent and develop a routine. The new routine will take a while to get used to and you may have a few accidents along the way, but you should eventually stop having these accidents. Before you know it—the accidents will stop, the treats will keep coming, and your mommy will be very happy to have dry floors. Hope everything works out. Thanks for seeking my advice. Good luck!

Barkingly yours,
Bentley