Question about my dog. Please help!!!!
 

Here are the issues I am having, and then I will give you some background...
1. House training
2. Submissive peeing
3. Over protective
4. Snapping at any child other then my own
5. separation anxiety

Background...
My dog is 2.5 years old. She was a outside dog, never allowed inside. Her owner was a woman and her kids. When the couple split her husband brought the dog to the pound. We got her a few months ago. She is now a inside dog, and could not be happier with that :) She has really become part of our family, however there are some issues I need to fix, or I will have to get rid of her. She will not go to the bathroom out side. I have tried everything! I will take her out every hour on the hour. We will stay out side for 15 min. I bring her in, and no more then 10 minutes later she pees on my floor. If I am home she will sometimes go out on my deck. I could live with that! But when we leave she will go all over the floor, couch, anything that she can. She will also get into the trash, and pull diapers out. I know she has separation anxiety since I am always home with her, and she follows me no matter were I go.
I also think that she was beat by her last owners. She will slump down and shake anytime my husband looks at her. He has never done anything to her, so it is unfounded fear. She will submissive pee anytime you walk in her direction faster then a slow walk.
She is also WAY over protective. I understand we are her family, but if anyone gets in between my 1 year old and her, she will growl, and snap. I know that she looks at him like he is her pup, but it is getting really bad. My friend will come over, and pick my son up, and the dog goes nuts! But this friend comes over all the time, almost every night.
She hates all kids but my kids. She will snap growl, and freak out at any kid that comes near her.
I don't know what to do! My husband says that even though he really likes her, if she keeps using the house for a toilet we have to get rid of her :( I'm at my wits end! I know nothing about dogs. Please help!!!!:Sob:

Professional help
 

I think you need professional help. Even just establishing who is the dominant or head dog. (Forgive me) She is very mixed up right now and probably very unhappy hence the house soiling. She really doesn't know what is expected of her. Why not ask your vet about getting some professional help you you . Good Luck.

Billye

wow, my son has gotten a problem dog recently too.

get a lot of books and videos from your library on dog training- the Uncle Matty ones were my favorites

.


Crate training might help
or a smaller are where she stays unless someone is actively playing or spending time with her

Yes - one of you needs to become the alpha dog - but it doesn't mean being mean to her - just firm and consistent & confidant
It's the hardest thing to explain- it took me years to really get it and I don't know if I could fix a problem dog- it takes a lot of time & work to turn around a troubled dog

use time outs for her if she has a boo boo.
small room or crate for time out

the aggression to others is the most concerning - esp from a safety and legal standpoint:(

definite time outs for her - to a crate or small room until guests leave or before they come in -many people put their dog in a crate or laundry room, garage , kennel??
when they have company

She needs to have a place of her own where she feels safe and is secure.

and a designated potty area- when she wakes up- go potty , after meals- go potty

If she is unhappy should I give her back? There were a lot of other people that wanted her, but I requested her first. All I want is for her to be happy. She is such a good dog most of the time.

I asked the vet about her going to the bathroom, and she said she is a shy dog, and that she smelt other dogs out side. But it would go away after taking her to the same place every day. I take her to the same place but she still will not go.


Thank you both so much for the advice. I think I will go see what I can find at the library. Maybe I can find some Dog Whisperer DVD's, or something.

:hug:

I agree with crate training. It will give her a place to feel safe and to go to when you can't supervise her. I'd also recommend the book, "the Dog who Loved too Much" It's fantastic - and deals primarily with teaching you what to do in order the change your dog's behavior. I found it especially helpful when dealing with a dog with food aggression and separation anxiety. I was doing a lot of the wrong things and the book helped me fix this issues. Good luck!

I also agree with crate training. I have used crate training for all 4 of my dogs and they love it; I have never had problems with it. And I believe it is as the Vet said originally. Before dogs were domesticated they lived in dens. Hence, the crate actually becomes their den or rather a secure place for them. Mine lie in theirs even if we are home....they just like it. :) And I have always made the crates a play pen of sorts; making sure they could have things that would keep them busy while in there. Not necessarily treats all the time; I used those to train them. But more like puppy kongs or chew toys...things of that nature so they won't get bored.

I did want to say something about the submissive wetting. I have one Shih Tzu, a female, that will do that from time to time. What the Vet told me is that they cannot help it or control it at all. So, never, ever get onto them for it. And she does this especially when my daughter comes over. But again, she can't help it nor have I ever chastized her for it. I simply have to clean it up. Yes, you can take them out to go potty and such. But as for the submissive wetting it is a different matter. Again, they can't really control it. I think the reason it happens around my daughter is because my female Shih Tzu just gets overly excited when she sees her. So, we DO TRY to make sure she is at least not standing on the carpet. ;)

As for separation anxiety, I sort of handled it like I did when my daughter was younger. I would just leave for a short while while the pups were in their crates and then come back. And it all it had to be was just to leave the room for awhile. Eventually they learned that I always came back. So now when I have to go out for longer periods, I just tell them it is time to go to their houses and they are fine with it. :)

I also agree with crate training. My lab did wonderful and actually had anxiety when we decided to stop crate training. :D She is three years old and house trained.

What I am getting from your post is this. One, the dog is afraid, not of you, but of what may happen. She may have been beat and is afraid it could happen again. Also, everything she knew at the other house is bad (from your suspicions) so she is avoiding those familiar things. Third, the over protective attitude is possibly showing you she can be a good watch dog and is trying to gain your approval.

I know this all sounds so out there but I truly believe an animal can feel certain things and remember bad things. You say she crotches when hubby looks at her. Maybe he should start establishing being the "alpha" of the family. Have him feed her, take her out and discipline her. This wont have to be forever, just until she knows who is in charge. The main goal here is that she know she is not in control.

Whenever she pees on the floor, take her immediately out. Scold her if you catch her in the act but not if you didn't. She'll be too confused by that. Don't use the crate as punishment either or she'll think of it as a bad place.

As far as friends go, when you have your friend over, you hold the baby. Have your friend sit near you and call the dog over. Don't pass the baby over to your friend until your fur baby feels secure that she will not hurt the baby. If she continues this behavior you may have to crate her while company is over. Just make sure you do it before the company arrives so she doesn't think she's being punished.

If you must leave, crate your fur baby and leave a toy with her or something that reminds her of you. Make sure of course, that it isn't something she could choke or hurt herself with. Maybe a pillow or something like that. My lab loved laying with my pillow if I left. She could smell me on it and it relaxed her.

I think that's about it. I would also take her to the vet for a good check up just to be sure nothing else is going on. She may need a doggie downer or something to relax her until she is fully acclimated to your home. The submissive peeing is something that I also agree is not in her control. My friend had a dog who peed everytime I came by, only with me. lol I would not scold her for that at all.

First, I want to say that giving your dog away will only reinforce her anxiety. Do you like her? Then keep her and work with her.


I would take 15 mins and do this...

Put a choke chain on her and a leash. YOU go out the door first, then let her follow you. Go for a short walk, keeping her at your heel. Give a short quick yank and a NO if she pulls ahead of you. If she does well, you can practice SIT (Say it, put your hand out and tell her good girl when she does it), Stop, and all that stuff.


The walk is important to get her mind away from THEN and here, to NOW, with you and her new people and home.

Don't dwell on how bad her life was. Don't feel sorry for her. Don't talk about it. That was THEN, this is NOW. She is safe, you are in charge.

She will be confident on her leash because she has a pack leader. She will feel good about that. She will respect you when you have that leash in your hand..

And she will respect anybody else who has that leash too.

Put a picture in your head about how you want her to be, without anger or frustration, you tell her NO when she does wrong, tell her Good when she does right.

Expect her to succeed.



DO NOT pet or hug her when she acts afraid or upset, or gets agressive. This will tell her you want her to do those things.


If NO is not enough to stop her, you can keep the leash on her when she is out of her crate (I don't crate, I only put them in the bathroom at night because I'm here allllll day lol) and just a quick yank and release and NO should stop her.

My dogs mostly respond when I snap my fingers and say SHHH! If I have to say HEY! They know they're going to the bathroom if they keep it up. Like little kids.... the naughty corner.

:p



Rudy had been beaten. He is about 10lbs - who could do such a thing?

But the thing is, he used to fear nip. He picked up other people's sense of how he was supposed to react, and fed on that. If WE felt he was going to be afraid, he was.

You'd go near him thinking he should fear you, and he would.

Now, you can bathe him, brush him, anything, and he sits there smiling. Why? Because I expect him to be happy - and so he is. I think *I'm a nice person and nobody is going to hurt this dog as long as I live. He is safe. He's a cool dog.*

And Rudy believes that.

Thank you all so much! I did a few thigns, and you would think I have a new dog!
The first, and I did not think it would help. But we shaved her. She had so much fur and it was getting so hot. She has been so much more active, and less grumpy.
I also took her over to my moms house, and we left to go do a bunch of stuff in town. We left the back door open so she could run in and out of the house all she wanted.
The lest thing I have been doing is to put her on a lead, and make her follow me. No matter if I am in the house, or outside.
Thank you all so much again. She is doing so much better, she even gave my husband a kiss this morning.
:p

O)h I forgot, I have not had a chance to get her a crate, but she loves to sit under my work desk. So I took some card board, and blankets, and made her a area that she can go into and feel safe. She loves it!!!!