Urinating in the House...
Question: Hello, I need some advice. My wife and I have a 7 yr old mini dach that she had before we got married, and we have a 5 yr old she got when we were engaged, which I raised pretty much solely myself. We also have a 3 yr old son, a 2yr old daughter and an 8 month old son. We’ve lived in the same house since we got married, which has been about 5 yrs. The dogs are house broken, (so I thought), and have been very good over the last 5 yrs until about 8-9 months ago. We have been finding pee stains, wet spots and even poop in the living room, sometimes in the kids rooms and on the hardwood floor in the kitchen. My wife is a stay-at-home mom and she lets the dogs out to play and go potty numerous times a day. With three kids to take care of she can’t keep up with the dogs messes’ sometimes. I bought her a steam cleaner and we are cleaning the carpets every week. The carpet in the living room is going to have to be replaced. I’m sure the dogs are either jealous of the kids, maybe they are trying to mark their territory, or they don’t get enough attention from my wife or myself any more, but whatever the reason, the potty in the house needs to stop, I’m ready to list them on your site if things don’t change.
Answer: Thank you for your email. First let me say that this behavior can be modified, but only if you work at it. So, before you decide to place them up for adoption, I think it is certainly worth trying to train them.
Since the issues began when your third child was born, it is possible that there is a connection. Dogs do not do urinate or defecate in the house out of jealousy, their minds simply don't work like that. They can, however, do this out of stress or anxiety.
The absolute first thing you need to do is to take the dogs in for a full, medical work up. Not just an exam, but a full work up including a blood panel and urinalysis to rule out a health problem. They may look healthy, but they are adult dogs and when behaviors change or appear out of the blue, the first thing you have to do is rule out a health problem. If they have a urinary tract infection or something else going on, medical treatment will clear it up.
If it turns out that it is not a medical condition they will need to be retrained. You must start from square one as if you are housetraining a new puppy. I would recommend getting them crates and having them sleep in the crate. Take them out first thing in the morning and then only have them loose in the house after they have gone or when you can supervise them. Use baby gates to close off areas of the house where you don't want them to go. Reward them when they go outside with a treat.
Dogs can exhibit behavior problems when their lives drastically change. If this is what happened they will need to be re housetrained, but I would also recommend figuring out a way to give them some time each day for attention or play just for them. You will need to make sure that they are getting enough exercise and stimulation. If they aren't, walk them more often, or consider hiring a dog walker to take them out for daily walks.
Female doxies can have a
Female doxies can have a tendency to be snappy. You need to let her know you are the pack leader. Do you have a crate? If not, a spare bathroom? When she bares teeth or growls, carefully pick her up and confine her for about 10 minutes. After doing this a few times she should get the message. Is she spayed? Dogs who are spayed/neutered tend to be less aggressive. Doxies are smart dogs and don't need to be "shown" their pee/poo. They know when they've done it in the wrong place. You can also tie her leash to your belt loop and any time she shows signs of circling/sniffing, take her out. Hope this helps!
Dxoies HATE rain in general
Dxoies HATE rain in general - I have had 5 over the years and they all would rather not go out in the rain. A couple of hints that have worked for us... unfortunatley for a while you will need a good rain slicker. Treats - the only thing that may be stronger than their aversion to water is their bottomless appetite. Really yummy (i.e. stinky) treats can lure them out into the rain - then reward generously when they go in the rain. Also, if you have a spot that is somewhat sheltered, lead her there and teach her that she can go and still stay dry - anything works - a spot under the eaves, under the porch, under a picnic bench. She will quickly learn to run there as fast as she can, so her business and come in to get a yummy treat.
We just inherited a female
We just inherited a female doxie, she belonged to my fiancee's ex-wife, whom recently passed away. Neither of us are sure how old she is. She has lived in this house once before. The problem we are having is she refuses to go to the bathroom outside. Usually she rolls over on her back and pees on herself, sometimes she just squats and pees, but she always waits until after she's gone outside and does it when you reach down to pet her. This morning she peed and pooped in the house, she waited until I was in the shower. Being that she is an adult dog how do I break her of this? Please keep in mind I take care of my soon-to-be mother-in-law, she is paralyzed on her left side as a result of having had six strokes, so time is at a premium around here. lol Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!
Ever since I starting using
Ever since I starting using the alpha roll my dogs NEVER question my authority. Like you I'm struggling with the house-breaking part but she never bares her teeth anymore.
I rescued a 4 month old
I rescued a 4 month old Dachshund about three years ago. She was very fast to house train as my Jack Russel Terriers helped. She has become weather related housebroken this last year and is on her last leg with us. Although we got her when she was only four months old she has always "threatened" to bite when being repremanded and has actually bitten my husband when he was reaching for her one day. This dog has never been hit, abused in any way. We rescued her from an 80 year old man that was keeping her outside and just didn't have the steam for a puppy. I doubt he ever abused her. She was the puppy of his beloved dog who had died from injesting a bottle cap. I want to make it clear that she has only tried to bite after an incident on the floor, way before we can even get her close to showing her the mistake. This is just getting worse as the weather gets worse. Yesterday I was gone for 40 minutes and she was outside. When I came home and let her in within 5 minutes of entering the house she squatted and peed by my foot in the kitchen. Since rubbing her nose in it is out of the question, we just tell her she is bad and to go outside where I have been leaving her for longer periods of time as punishment. One time she tried to sneak back in past us and actually bared her teeth and growled at us and was trying to insist she was going to go past us.
I need help with this problem as I need a housbroken dog. I cannot give her away as she does threaten to bite and it is my duty to not pass that on to anyone. I do not want to put her down but can't have her ruining my home because she doesn't like the rain.
She is 4 years old, spayed, healthy, about 25 pounds and only has this problem when it rains.
Thanks for any help you can offer.
Sincerly,
Linda Fernau
lindafernau@yahoo.com