seperation anxiety

Question
QUESTION: I have a 1 year old male neutered boxer that i got from someone who couldn't take care of him when he was 4 months old.  He was crated in his previous home for 10 to 12 hours a day.  He was not housetrained when we got him but is now.  Since we got him he pees when we leave him alone in a room or if we put him in his crate.  How to we get him to stop.

ANSWER: Hi Theresa,

How much exercise is he getting a day?  A healthy, 1 year old Boxer should be getting at least 2 20 minute walks a day...1/2 hour to 40 minutes would be even better.  Giving him an outlet for his stress, frustration and/or anxiety will help.

You can also practice making him more independent.  Don't coddle him or baby-talk him.  Make him work for affection, food, water, etc.  Google NILF...this method of training works wonders!  In a nutshell...the dog gets nothing until he does something for you.  It can be a sit, shake, down, speak...whatever 'tricks' he knows.  Don't use the same command all of the time, you don't want an automatic reaction, you want him to be obeying you.

Buster balls, Kongs, any type of interactive toy that occupies his mind will help as well.  Games such as 'find it' or hide and seek are good.

As far as the crate...how long are you leaving him in there?  6 hours a day for an adult dog is the max (I know if you have a full-time job, 8 hours can't be avoided).  If it's longer than that, see if you can come home for lunch or you can hire a dog walker.

Make the crate a good place.  Feed him in his crate, put his water in his crate (not when he's away while you leave), give him GREAT treats in his crate that he only gets in his crate (hot dogs, cheese cubes).

When you leave, change up your routine.  If you normally get your coat, grab your purse and snatch the car keys...change it up.  Dogs are great at reading cues.  If you leave the same way every day, he knows what's coming.  Put him in his crate while you're watching TV for 10 or 15 minutes...making sure the crate is w/in view.

Practice leaving.  Get your things, walk out the door, count to 5, walk back in.  Don't speak to him when you come back.  A true pack leader doesn't ask for permission to leave or make an announcement when they come back.  Don't make eye contact, don't touch him.  Ignore him for 5 minutes.  Then call him to you and give him a brief pat, tell him good boy, and go about your day.  Do this several times a day, gradually upping the time you spend 'gone'.  

Most separation anxiety occurs because the dog is not comfortable in his role in the household.  When a dog is secure in his position (and yours as leader) they have nothing to be anxious about.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: he is getting exercise a couple of times a day in the yard for at least 1 hour, we have 2 other dogs that give him more than the exercise he needs.  We try to only leave him for 6 hours max but not often he is in there for 8.  He does not fight going in his crate in fact he goes in there voluntarily at times.  Mostly he pees when we put in a room or we are not paying attention to him or he is trying to get to another room because we are in there or one of the other dogs is in there.

ANSWER: No, he's not getting more than the exercise he needs.  Running in a yard is not structured and not the same as a walk or a job beside you while you bike or rollerblade.  Many people mistakenly think that because a dog is ripping around a yard, that's all it needs.  This isn't the case.  This dog's well-being isn't the responsibility of your other dogs.

Telling me he's peeing when you're in another room or you're putting him in a room isn't enough information.  A dog doesn't urinate to get attention...from humans or other dogs.  Why is he being put in a room by himself?  

In your original post you stated that he urinates in his crate and when you leave him.  You've revised your post to state that he 'mostly' pees when you're home, in another room.  These are 2 different situations.

Please give some thought to your situation and explain it more clearly in order to gain valuable advice and assistance.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: he is in the room with us but if we have to quick go answer the phone or someone is at the door we shut the door that he is in and that is when he pees because he is in there and we're not.  When he pees it is not a puddle in one spot it is like a stream. Another incident is we had the carpets cleaned profressionaly so we were all in the basement with the dogs and he peed on the stairs up by the door because he wanted to get out. We just figured out that he is peeing in his crate because his blanket smells like urine so we took it out and he doesn't have anything in there now and so far it doesn't smell like he is doing it in his crate but this is only day 3. I do not know how often he was peeing in his crate as i would wash the blanket a couple of times a week and it is in small quantity of him peeing.

Answer
Like he's walking when he's peeing?  Does it seem as though, even though it's not a puddle, he's emptying his bladder completely?  I'm curious if he's truly house-trained.  Have you spoken to the person you took him from and found out his bathroom habits (out of the crate) in their home?

If he truly had separation anxiety, he'd not pee when you are in the room (as he's not separated from you).

My first suggestion would be to have a urinalysis done.  Explain to the vet when he's urinating, being sure to explain that there are times you're in the room.  Ruling out any physical problems (weak urethra, stones, infection)...I would get to work on making him independent and confident.  The advice I gave you in the beginning stands.

This doesn't sound like typical marking behavior but I would still clean the house with a good enzymatic pet cleaner or with a bleach solution.  Normal household cleaners will get rid of the smell to us but not to a dog.  The smell of urine can be an attractant.

I'm not sure why you feel the need to shut him in a room so you can answer the phone or the door but if it's because he has bad manners, teaching how to behave properly so you don't have to shut him in will go a long way.

It can also be that his natural instinct to keep his 'den' clean has been damaged.  If he was allowed, for 4 months, to go in his crate, he's lost all sense of urinating is for outside...you'll have a lot of work to do.

Using the NILF method, exercising him and even doing obedience with him will help him gain confidence.  Using the bungee method (tying him to you and keeping him w/ you throughout the day) will also help.

If these things (after a physical exam) don't work, you'd do best to have him evaluated by a dog behaviorist...in your home if possible.