Post by DogGoneGood on Jun 26, 2009 17:31:51 GMT -5
Elimination Problems With Dogs
[/size]By Shara Slorstad, Obedience and Master Trainer of Dog Gone Good Training
One problem that ranks high among dog owners is their dog eliminating in the house. When a dog eliminates in the house the owner quite often becomes angry, frustrated, embarrassed and disgusted which can cause the owner to overreact and not think clearly enough to observe the underlying problem.
If your dog is eliminating in the house you have to first ask yourself several questions; is the dog fully house trained? Is there an underlying medical condition that could be causing this? What circumstances are surrounding the events? Is the dog getting proper nutrition? And is the dog being given the chance to go outside to relieve himself often enough?
I will not go into detail on housebreaking because this is not what that article is about. This article is written under the assumption that you’ve already ruled out that your dog IS fully housebroken. If he or she is not, you should finish this training before considering that your dog “has a problem”.
The second question is whether it’s a medical problem or not. No matter what you should always take your dog in to see your veterinarian first if you are experiencing problems with a fully housebroken dog eliminating in the house. There are several medical conditions (including poor diet) that can cause these problems.
If all medical causes have been ruled out by a veterinarian, it’s time to keep track of when your dog is doing this and under what circumstances. Is he doing it only while you’re away? If so, how long are you gone for? As a rule of thumb, a full grown dog should NOT be kept in doors for more than 4 to 5 hours without a break to relieve himself outdoors. If your dog is indoors for longer than this he is relieving himself inside because he needs to. It is your responsibility as the owner to make sure you or someone else brings the dog out to relieve himself if he needs to be in the house or in a crate for a long period of time. Keep in mind, every dog is different so for some dogs even 4 hours is too long. This especially applies to smaller breeds that have smaller bladders! If you can not go home to let your dog out, or do not have someone who can do it for you I suggest looking in to a Doggy Daycare that may be available in your area.
Other circumstances, specifically for urination, may be as soon as you get home, when you call the dog to you, raise your voice, or when someone reaches to pet him he urinates uncontrollably. This is generally what is referred to as submissive urination. Submissive urination generally occurs in a dog that has had traumatic past experiences or is genetically predisposed to being a “soft” or “submissive” dog. Some breeds of dogs are more likely to act this way; the softer breeds such as herding dogs. Keep in mind though, all dogs are individuals and breed doesn’t always mean everything.
Submissive urination can be dealt with by using a soft tone of voice and gentle hand when dealing with the dog. When you come home from work or are playing/working with the dog do not become overly excited as this can cause the dog to become overly excited which can result in urinating. When a correction is needed to be given, or when the dog has wronged in some way (maybe he chewed up your favorite pair of shoes?) discipline should be enforced without angry emotions (as you should never let your emotions get the best of you when training any dog for that matter). Keep in mind also; when dogs do something wrong such as chewing our favorite shoes, it is pointless to scold the dog unless it has been caught in the act. Scolding the dogs hours, or even minutes after the accident happened will result in a frightful dog that has no idea why he is being yelled at. He does not “know better”. He is a DOG. You are the HUMAN. It is YOUR responsibility to keep your favorite pair of shoes out of your dogs reach. It is YOUR responsibility to keep your dog from harm and teach him right from wrong.
Submissive dogs require a soft hand and gentle heart. They do not require force and demanding to teach them right from wrong. They require you to respect them and teach them in a way that they can understand and that will not overload them. Overloading means that if you are yelling at a soft, submissive dog he is likely to become frightened and won’t understand or hear a word your saying. If you talk to him much calmer he is more likely to be receptive and responsive.
Another urination problem that most owners are completely unaware of affects spayed females. Sometimes when a spay procedure is done a little more gets “snipped” than is necessary. If this is the case it may cause the female to “dribble” when she becomes excited when she would have otherwise not (regardless of personality). Talk to your veterinarian and if this is the case with your dog he can prescribe medication that will tighten the muscles and prevent this dribbling from occurring.
When your housebroken dog defecates in the house it is either that he has been left inside for too long or he has a medical problem. A dead giveaway on whether or not it is a medical problem I the texture. If his poop is runny or the wrong colour I highly suggest getting him in to see a veterinarian as soon as possible! If it is a regular stool and there is no obvious medical problem (or he did not eat something he shouldn’t have) think about how long he’s been inside for. He may have been in for only 20 minutes, but what did he do while he was outside? Some owners let their dogs out into the backyard and give no mind to what the dog is doing out there; they automatically assume he’s using his time wisely to do his business. This isn’t always the case. To guarantee that your dog is doing what he needs to do you need to supervise him. The outside world is a wonderful place to dogs full of interesting smells. If the dog has learned in the past he only has 10 minutes to do his business outside he’s going to likely spend the first 9 sniffing about. So, to guarantee that your dog is doing all his eliminating outside you’re going to have to supervise him!
If you supervise him, he’s doing his eliminating outside, and he’s been to the vet to have all medical conditions ruled out, take a step back and look at how your life is working. Has there been any major changes? New people in the house? People leaving the house? New furniture? Maybe even a new house? Any of these kinds of changes can upset your dogs routine in life and cause him to “forget” or become “confused” regarding his housebreaking. If this is the case, it’s time to start from square one all over again.
These are just some of the more common elimination problems regarding dogs. If your dog is eliminating in the house when he shouldn’t and you’ve ruled out all above causes talk to your local veterinarian, trainer, and behaviorist and do your own research. There may be a different cause for your dog’s specific problem and it never hurts to dig a little to find the answer.
Link to: House Training Your Dog
