Potty Training & Demeaner

Question
I have two questions: The first one is that my male Maltese is 18 months old and has been neutered since he's been 4 months old.  He has good days without going potty in the house and then he has bad days where he pees and poops.  I'm tired of cleaning up after him.  We reward him when he's a good boy and goes outside and we scold him when he's bad.  He just doesn't seem to get it.  How can we stop him from going in the house?  He also marks his territory as well and I thought neutering him would stop him from doing that?  Also, he is very territorial and jealous.  If someone comes in our yard, he goes after them and the same goes with other dogs.  Since he's been a puppy we have taken him around people and other dogs, but he barks high pitch like crazy as if someone is hurting him or my husband and I.  Are Maltese's aggressive dogs and how can I break him of this bad habit?  Please help, we love our baby and need some guidance on how to break these habits.  Thank you!

Answer
First of all, Maltese dogs can be fairly aggressive, especially if you get a male dog. That's why these dogs are not meant to be around young children. Usually, local kennels won't take my male, 1 year-old, vaccinated, neutered, 15 pound maltese. I go to Best Friends, and even then, they still won't do all that I pay for! (Plus, they injured my dog in the eye ("shampoo chemical burn/corneal ulcer") and the tongue ("He licked the scissors"); I'm not sure where to put him next time. It's a long story.)
Just beware that the maltese breed bites way more than the average dog. Fixing this requires special, in-home trainers. The dog must earn your trust completely.

And, about the yard problem, that is normal. He is protecting his turf. My dog does that, too. I have a trail in the back of my property and he barks at every passing person. I am suspecting some day I shall get a 'barking' homeowners card. Then, I will have to teach my dog not to bark! (If you don't like barking, you may want to teach your dog not to bark. This is out of my expertise and takes a very long time to master. Good luck!)

About the screeching barking, that is just what comes with the dog. Look on 'youtube' or 'yahoo videos' and there are lots of videos of maltese screeching, protecting their turf, and even one where a robot vacuum is 'invading'. The dog doesn't know what to think of it! If your dog hears the dogs on the videos, he will probably bark back, just like mine did when I was listening to the video.

About the potty training situation, my dog wasn't fully trained until 6 months old. The Maltese breed is one of the hardest breeds to house break. Forget the wee-pads and all of that other junk. If you don't already have a 'crate'...get one! Crate training is highly recommended and I used it myself. We later got a super large plastic grey-blue pen for my dog at Petsmart that he sleeps in at night on the tile floor. It works out great. He only pees in it if he can't hold it in in the morning. (I wake up too late sometimes...)

If he's just peeing and pooping on rainy days, I recommend paying extra attention to the dog on rainy days & get a rain coat (or lounge chair, like my dog prefers. He just goes under it and does his business in the rain.).

I think your dog will be more receptive to treats if you get the chicken pieces at Sam's Warehouse or Walmart that are very addicting. Give him a quarter or half of the treat each time he does his business outside and he will train faster. We tried just giving him the regular Alpo treats, and it wasn't tasty enough to give him incentive. The chicken pieces give the dog cravings. We keep the chicken treats in a 'cookie cabinet' in the house and every time he does his business, he rushes to the cabinet to collect his prize! He won't accept regular treats, and can get addicted to the treats, so use these sparingly during the day. (the bacon treats work good also, but they can give the maltese pancreatitus when used improperly. Beware!) Teach your dog "cookie cabinet", "chickie", and most importantly, "out" by repeating it everytime he goes to those places or sees the item. The word "ball" may also be a nice word for him to learn, too. When he actually brings the ball, give him a "chickie". Don't forget to say "chickie" before and during the eating process! I say, "Do you want a COOKIE?" or "CHICKIE?"...."Bring me your ball!" ..."Let's Go OUT! (run to the door or bring the leash over)"
*Emphasize the words in CAPS.*
*Go outside with the dog. Sometimes my dog becomes afraid to go outside due to fireworks or weird situations. I have caught my dog checking the weather with his nose, too.*

If your dog lifts his leg, check out "belly bands"...I have heard these work on a small maltese.

If you have a maltese less than 5 or 6 pounds, the potty problem is probably more related to him not being able to hold it as long as a larger dog. (He has a smaller bladder & needs to be taken out frequently. My dog is not obese, but is 15 pounds and tall, and can hold it a considerable amount of time...6-9 hours!) Put a bell at the backdoor and use better incentives for the dog to actually go outside or alert you. Going out with him will also give him more confidence. I come out with my dog and now he waits for my signal to "go pee-pee". All I did was not let him back in until he understood what I meant. When he does the business I say "Ok" and open the door during the potty process to show what peeing will do for him--it unlocks the backdoor to air conditioning! I live in a hot region and my dog has become so accustomed to air conditioning. When I first got my dog, I didn't have a fence, so I went outside with the leash every hour like clockwork and let the dog look around. Front yard, back yard, down the street--the neighbors couldn't believe that I actually successfully potty trained my dog like that... I was determined since my family couldn't keep him if he wouldn't potty train fast enough...Once the chickies and the fence showed up, he made even more improvements. I think going out there with him almost all of the time helped encourage him. You can't just drop the dog out the door and expect him to know what to do. Guiding the dog to a previous spot and talking the dog helps. I pat my dog and walk him to the 'cookie cabinet' in the house once the deeds have been done. He knows right where to go, and I didn't teach him that one! He also goes there when he's hungry. It indicates to me if he wants food now or later.

About the territorying, he thinks he 'owns' the house, and shall mark it as his to prove it. My dog only does it on light poles, fire hydrants, and trees. Before neutering him, I think he probably marked inside the house both for territory and spite reasons. Since your dog is still doing this territory business at 18 months, don't expect anything to go away overnight. Perhaps your dog has overactive hormones or was neutered to late. It is recommended to do the neutering process earlier than 4 months. I neutered my dog when he actually started ejactulating on pillows (it was the dog's pillows, not mine! Thank god!) and had just started to lift his leg. Once the lifting of the leg is a common practice, I wouldn't expect any male dog to return to peeing downwards without using a belly band. (Belly bands are used by show dogs, too!)

Neutering doesn't really guarantee anything but one thing: the dog can't have children. The vet cleans out the balls of all sperm. If there is some left, the whole system can rejuvinate itself and he is back to where he was in the first place. The balls will actually reinflate--this is the time where I would expect you to go ahead and look for reinflated balls by the anus area if you haven't already done so!) This normally doesn't happen, but I am sure every vet encounters a comeback from a dog somewhere in their career more often than you think. If the dog is neutered too late or the dog has overactive hormones due to a late neutering or other reason, territorying will most likely continually happen.

There is no magic surgery that can cure bad behavior--don't let anyone convince you that neutering a dog makes the dog less aggressive. Obviously, neutering is a good idea with dogs that follow their urge to have puppies consistently, such as the doberman or the great dane. These dogs can kill when they are in heat, even when they are neutered. There are no guarantees, just like I said.

Your dog is probably not in pain unless he is whimpering or he gives 1 (that's a one!) screech when you accidentally close a door or step on his foot. (Oops!) There is a difference in the screeches, and the frequency of the screeches is a big factor in all of this.

Obviously, your dog likes to be aggressive. Mine does, too. The trick to all of this is to earn his trust by using a specialist in the aggressive training. Most trainers will make the dog have a muzzle since they will be trying to temper the dog and accidents do happen. All I can say is you need to understand where the trainer is coming from when he is performing his specialized training. I would recommend "Bark Busters" if you can. I have not used them, but I have had several vets and vet assistants use them and praise them for helping their trouble dogs. They are online and I have a "Bark Busters" magnet if you need more information.

Now, I hope you weren't looking for step by step instructions about how to train your dog to be better. I can't see your dog in the real flesh and every situation is different. For simple training, I have a link in my profile for an Iams site with a renound dog trainer. I don't like Iams myself (they have been caught hurting and testing on animals for no reason or even approval), but this resource was too good to pass up. I used the  training techniques on my own dog.

In conclusion, for the pee problem: use a better incentive and a rain coat. If the dog is peeing and pooping in the same places, disinfect WAY better. He looks for his last pee place. If you are suspicious of pee stains you don't know about, get an ultraviolet light and shine it on the carpet. This is what hotel critics do in hotels to rate them. This light doesn't tend to be cheap, but the future owners of your house may actually check out your carpet with this light before they buy your home. Not good for you! I would rather have the advantage than the disadvantage in that kind of situation.

For the territory problem: check his hormones, get a belly band, and definitely get some sort of dog repellent (apple bitter spray) for the furniture and other household items. The barking and chasing are normal. If the dog REALLY knows stay or sit, he should obey you when outside. Some dogs tend to obey the owner only inside and not outside due to all of the distractions outside. He may want to re-learn 'stay' outside, in case he was only trained only in the inside. This should help and he should listen to you.  

If all else fails, talk to the vet about the territorying and all of the aggression. They are most likely linked together. If the dog is in true (but secret) pain, a dog may also be cranky or more aggressive than usual. A vet will take this in account, especially if your dog likes to mope around. Moping is not a good sign in such an active, jumpy breed as this.

Remember, patience is key. I wish you and your furry maltese lots of luck in the future. You may always give me a follow-up about the weight of your dog, what you have tried in potty training, and how often accidents happen in your house. If it happens once every 2 weeks or more, your dog isn't fully potty trained quite yet. You want to make it 17-20 days without an accident before you proclaim that it has finally clicked in his head. :)

Thank you for the question, and I would love to hear back from you in the future.