so sad, jacks been naughty now not sure if we should have got him :(

help, jacks 10 months, weve had him 2 months. At the beginning he pulled horrendously on the lead, now hes not as bad, hes been toilet trained since we got him, but now hes peeing in the house, hes peed all over my favourite rug, i feel like hes ruining the house, it stinks of pee and poop :'( ive cleaned it but i still know where its been.

We never had a show home, but now i dont want people coming round as its so horrible, we are going to replace the carpet but have no money to do that at the mo so we have to just clean up as best we can, ive used pet deoderising carpet stuff you hoover over and sprays.

And just now he found human poop to roll in at his exercise place he got bought swiftly back and cold hosed in the garden with his shampoo, hubby is so cross with him hes thinking we shouldnt have got him.

i knew it wouldnt be plain sailing and hes very much in the dog house but what can we do to stop him weeing everywhere? i also suspect one of the places was scent marking as its also left a stain on the brown carpet whereas his other incidents have not.

He does get taken out and im careful not to leave him for too long on his own in the house, we open the door most of the day for him to be out to wee and poop hes only doing this when its night time or if ive been out, unfortunately the only place he can be left inthe day and night is fully carpeted, part to be relaced with lino as soon as we can but inthe meantime its all carpet. Should i get those training pads or will that say "its ok" to pee in the house.

yours a very fed up and confused about dog ownership human :'(

 

Re: so sad, jacks been naughty now not sure if we should have got him

So sorry you are having a bad day - we all have them with dogs around!

Dogs do roll in stuff (Human poo though? Do you mean there was a sewerage spill or something?). My boy is dreadful for rolling in stuff, as are lots of dogs. Yesterday it was fox poo, today a dead fish on the beach. But he is not being naughty, he is just doing what dogs do. I'm working on being able to call him away from really tempting stuff like fox poo and dead fish, but it is taking a while and I've got a way to go yet. In the meantime, I've just bought more shampoo! I find warm water makes doggy bath time more fun for everyone...

If he is only weeing at night, or when you've been out, maybe he is having trouble lasting the time? I know you say he is 10 months, but all dogs are different, and he is still a baby yet...

 

Re: so sad, jacks been naughty now not sure if we should have got him

Hi there, sorry you are having such a bad time. First things first - don't panic! This is a common problem in male dogs and usually fixable.

Reasons for marking can vary, sometimes anxiety or a bladder infection, but often in a young nearly adult male, it is simply a behavioural problem that arises with sexual maturity, and if this is the case, neutering your dog will probably put a stop to it. You need to make an appt with your vet to discuss your options.

Immediate steps to take are to get your dog off the carpets. If you can't keep him on an uncarpeted floor (in your kitchen?) using baby gates, then you need to buy or borrow a crate for him to sleep in when you leave him alone in the house, and at night. Many dogs this age are still crated simply because they chew things. You will be able to admit him back on to your carpets when you have solved the cause of the marking.

Do consider trying to resolve this if you can, you have made good progress with him in other ways, and poop rolling though horrible probably won't happen too often.

Hope that helps a bit

Pippa

 

Re: so sad, jacks been naughty now not sure if we should have got him

We could tell it was human poop because they had very handily taken their own supply of toilet roll with them.

Things have calmed down a bit now, but we have decided that things have to change. We are going to look at the way we behave around him and hopefully that will help him understand what we want him to do, a bit better.

 

Re: so sad, jacks been naughty now not sure if we should have got him

If he is doing that then i would say he ISNT toilet trained just yet.

I would go back to the very basics. Such as taking him out and giving a command "go potty" and rewarding him. Do it every 30 mins to an hour and REWARD him profusley for doing well.

Is he castrated? If not then i would REALLY consider having him done. If yes then maby he feels he HAS to mark around the house?

I would suggest restarting toilet training but also using an Anti-marking enzyme products such as natures miracle.

That will take the scent of the urine out the carpet. The smell of his own urine is what is driving him to do it again! Maby even remove his poops from inside to an area you DO want it. So that area does smell of him.

You may also try a calming collar or adaptil for him.

He has just been uprooted and put into a new home. This is very stressfull for a dog and stress can cause marking.

Is he dog aggressive btw? If he is this could also be a factor.

The calming collar contains pheramones. The bitch produces this when the pups are blind and deaf still to sooth them and keep them calm.

I used a cat calming collar and they WORK!

So plan of action if it was me.

Castrate him. Socialise him well with other dogs. If aggressive then with the aid of a trainer. Get a cleaner that removes emzymes in the urine from the carpet. retrain him toilet training. EXCERSISE! A sleepy dog isnt going to want to run around marking. try a calming collar. If it is anxiety based from moving etc this will help relax him!

As to the walking. My dog has been giving me real issues on a lead lately! I tried walkiing backwards, walking in circles, stopping and starting, walking in oposite direction, different leads, collars and haltis.
I tried using toys or food and neither could hold his attention long enough and he would completely ignore me and forge ahead.

But i have recently started training in a new way with success!

To start with the lead. Pick the lead up and have him sit for you. If he whines or goes mad put it back ignore him and sit down. Do this each and EVERY time he plays up.

When you can finally sit in front of the door calmly without him whining or getting excited then walk in the oposite direction!

Have him walk by your side with some treats and say "heel". use the food as a lure to get him in the right position if need be. When he gets it right, keep rewarding him. When you are finally walking around with him at heel in the home (which shouldnt be too hard, use a hallway if you have to so less room) you can now exit the house

Open the door then have him sit. You step out the door first then he can after you!

Right now here is the fun part!

Once your front door is closed wait for him to look up at your face. WAIT till he does. If in still 5 mins he has not done it then whistle or make a noise. When he looks at you. Go barmy and praise him. At the same time take a few steps forward! If/when he forges ahead again. STOP and wait again. Only move when he looks up at you, and reward him for doing so.

He will catch on fast that in order to move forward he will have to keep his attention on YOU!

If he starts to pull near where you let him off or at any point on the walk, but ESPECIALLY where you let him off. Turn in the opposite direction and go home. You may find you will only get to the end of the road before you come back but you will find you will be able to go further every time. He will learn by that rushing you makes you turn back and that isnt what he wants.

Give it five mins and try the walk again. You may find you will have to do this mmmmmm 10 times a day or more. Keep at it though! nIts working for me!

Hope this post helps!

 

Re: so sad, jacks been naughty now not sure if we should have got him

So sorry you are discouraged. I understand completely, and I'm sure all of us can, too!!

I think it's a good idea to have a good look at your training and where perhaps the problem is arising. I do think it's a good solution to have him in a crate overnight or for when you go out. Have a look at the crate training tips on the main site so that this will work for you - you can't necessarily just throw him in there and expect he'll be happy. I know that I would have found it very difficult to housetrain my dogs without a crate, that's for sure!

Looks like Pippa has given you another idea - to check with the vet about neutering. Especially since you say he has previously been toilet trained and now he is going in the house.

I have found the Nature's Miracle spray works well on carpets, to get rid of both smell and stains, but it's real bonus is that it removes the enzymes from the stain, eliminating the odour the dog is using for a marking spot.

In the meantime, hang in there! Let us know how you are getting on - come on the forum for venting or questions - it really does help!!

 

Re: so sad, jacks been naughty now not sure if we should have got him

[quote author=blackjack link=topic=2650.msg26957#msg26957 date=1379785423]
We could tell it was human poop because they had very handily taken their own supply of toilet roll with them.
[/quote]

Blurrrgghhhh!

 

Re: so sad, jacks been naughty now not sure if we should have got him

Hi Blackjack,so sorry about the awful situation with the human poo, some people never cease to amaze me if it's any help we rescued Charlie at 9 months and he would wee on my lovely rug and it lasted about 3 weeks, then he settled but he is already neutered. I hope the situation improves with Jack, which I am sure it will just hang in there. Helen x

 

Re: so sad, jacks been naughty now not sure if we should have got him

My sympathies Blackjack - sorry I don't have anything more useful than re-iterating Pippa's suggestions - particularly the crating (cheaper than new flooring to get things started).
Lilly is an inveterate fox poo roller, but thankfully we do't come across the human variety very often. I am quite convinced though that the once we DID, no rolling in it, but she did eat it. Urrgghhhh!
I really do hope you start having a better time of it soon.

jac

 

Re: so sad, jacks been naughty now not sure if we should have got him

Jac,

are you saying that youve come across this before?? urgh im very shocked that we came across this at the dog exercise place! luckjing JD and hubby appear to be making up!

we are planning a few changes though to show whoes boss, fingers crossed for progress

 

Re: so sad, jacks been naughty now not sure if we should have got him

It really depends on what the issue is really. If it is anxiety based then cracking down on him may aggravate the suitation further.

 

Re: so sad, jacks been naughty now not sure if we should have got him

morning all, have come down to jack this morning early 5.50am blergh to let him out in case we were sleeping in too long, he was in no rush to go outside and also hasnt messed in the house

the previous pooping was when he had a poorly tum so i cant be too harsh on him for that, but weeing is not on.

After various streams of advice we have decided to look at the pack order of things and an immediate change is hes not allowed on the sofa unless invited up. This one so far seems to be working. He clearly understands that hes in the dog house as hes being better this morning.

Where will i find the natures miricle spray? as i will try and get this today and try to eliminate the enzymes.

 

Re: so sad, jacks been naughty now not sure if we should have got him

Hi there, I think there might be a bit of confusion here.

Keeping the dog off the furniture might reduce scent marking, at least in the vicinity of the furniture. Dogs tend to scent mark things and places that they like, or consider part of their territory.

But, I am not sure where the connection with dominance, or knowing who is boss came into it. This is most unlikely to be a dominance issue.
Check out this article: Is your Labrador in charge for more information on dominance.

Dogs have no concept of being 'in the dog house' of 'guilt' or of being 'responsible' for their behaviour. But rather they alter their behaviour in response to the behaviour of those around them - in a way that can give this impression. More information here: Do Labradors feel guilt


Pippa

 

Re: so sad, jacks been naughty now not sure if we should have got him

By all means try not allowing him up but i doubt he will put 2 n 2 together really.

My dog if allowed on the sofa will start peeing in the house again. He doesnt seem to understand he shouldnt do it. So we stopped allowing him up.

How long have you allowed him up? Is it a recent thing?

Here is natures miracle on amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/Natures-Mir...id=1379843286&sr=8-1&keywords=natures+miracle.

Expensive i know but it will help.Maby try find a cheaper source online? Maby a local vet/pet shop will sell it too?

You deff did the right thing by coming down sooner. I would deff start again with house training from scratch! No sofa! just floor and bed. Dogs naturally do not want to pee in their own living quarters/beds. So maby....... a dog allowed up on the sofa will no longer view the floor as his space and think its ok to potty there now? But if he isnt allowed up he will consider the floor his space.

I would have him fixed too! If you are low income then tell the vets. Alot of vets charge £30 to fix a dog with people on low income. Just take proof of your income.

If you are considering breeding from him you would need to have various health tests done to make sure he is healthy. These are very expensive. People do not tend to breed from dogs without these either.

You appear to be looking at it from a dominance point of view. Try to look at it this way. Your dog is a teenager and will be for a few monthes yet. Now what are teens well known for? Being naughty and getting up to no good. Pushing ALL the boudaries to see how far they can push things. It isnt a domant thing to do this. It is a "right i have to find my own two feet in the world, how should i go about it? What am i allowed to do? what am i not allowed to do? Will they let me do things i am not allowed to do if i push or whine enough? LETS SEE!"

You think how you behaved when you was a teenager! I know i thought i was right, the whole world was wrong etc and wanted to see how far i could push my mum before she grounded me LOL!

You have a teenager thats been tossed from pillar to post. He was rehomed 8 month or younger right? Thats when puberty(the teenage stage) hits usually. So the other person didnt want to bother laying the law down for him and he was passed on.

This is a phase and WILL pass as long as you provide clear firm boundaries. He isnt trying to dominat you in any way shape or form. He is looking at how indipendant he has to be for an adult. Being a naughty boy.

But the house training is just you and him misundastanding what is acceptable and what isnt IMO

 

Re: so sad, jacks been naughty now not sure if we should have got him

If not natures miracle look for a urine destroyer.

I found this. http://mistralie.co.uk/collections/pet-products/products/urine-neutraliser.

What do you guys think of this?

 

Re: so sad, jacks been naughty now not sure if we should have got him

I haven't any experience of using these products, unlike Newpuppymom.
My second or third hand knowledge of them however is that they may get rid of the smell for the human nose to detect, but dogs still can smell their scent.
Hopefully someone else that has used it will be able to be more help.

 

Re: so sad, jacks been naughty now not sure if we should have got him

I've used the Nature's Miracle....to be honest, it was more to get rid of the stain after a vomiting episode or a wee....it did seem to work for that aspect, for sure. It says that it will destroy the enzymes which carry the scent...my dogs have not been house-peeing dogs, except in the early stages of housetraining. You also have to use quite a bit to truly eliminate the odour (it recommends thoroughly soaking the spot until it's gone down through to the underlay) and keeping it that way for a few days, even.

As.I re-read through your posts, I'm thinking in your case, where there have been quite a lot of "episodes", this is not practical. Perhaps you could rent a steam cleaner and do your carpets, just to help with the odours that are evident to human noses? We did that this summer after an unfortunate episode where pooch got enclosed in a closet and got frightened, resulting in some unfortunate consequences

The articles that Pippa suggested on dominance, etc., are good ones. Do have a look. He is not trying to dominate you or take over "alpha" position.

 

Re: so sad, jacks been naughty now not sure if we should have got him

For small accidents I swear by the unscented dettox disinfectant. Clean the area as much as possible spray with dettox, work into the area, lift and dry before a final brief mist over the area and a little over the immediately surrounding clean area.

We've used this for years for both puppy and adult accidents and so far it's done a good clean up job and does seem to remove the scent or at least distort it long enough for it to fade preventing remarking.

I'm not sure I'd fancy using it to tackle a large area or a long standing problem but I'd definitely recommend for any new spots.

Kerryn

 

Re: so sad, jacks been naughty now not sure if we should have got him

thanks for all your comments.

Ive checked one of the sprays i have and thats for neutralising the smells so i think that will be ok. I will have a good look at the articles in the link and see what we can do from there.

Yes we got jack at 8 months so have only had him 2 months although to us it feels like a lot longer, i guess from his point of view its not that long and as suggested maybe he's pushing boundries to see if we will also re-home him too, i really do not want him to go, and luckily hubby has calmed down a lot now. Maybe as it is only a short time for him then the weeing/marking is a stress thing?

It was suggested that he shouldn't be allowed up on the sofas unless invited to show him whos boss, not because he peed near them. He was initially not allowed up when we first got him, but then we liked having him up for cuddles so allowed it.

Will read the article on guilt, as he's definitely changed since the weekend or is it because we have changed with him so he has changed??

Who knew it could be this hard!

 

Re: so sad, jacks been naughty now not sure if we should have got him

hmmm ok have read the articles on dominance and guilt very interesting and i guess allowing on the furniture will not make a jot of difference to his behaviour.

i will clean up the marks, get him up earlier and hopefully it will all settle down after all i suppose it is still early days for us all