urinating/coughing

Question
hi, i have 2 questions, my toy male poodle is about 8 months.. since he was little he has made a sound kind of like coughing up a furball.. he does this when he pulls on his leash and sometimes in the house. I asked his vet why he may be doing this and she said it maybe due to his trachea not being well developed? have you ever heard of this condition? it worries me.. the vet says he's healthy but the hacking sound just won't go away.
second he has been urinating in my bed.. where he sleeps as well.  any clue why he may be doing this?  during the day I have tried confining him, because he occasionally urinates on the carpet.. and he makes a huge mess in the bathroom.. he some how gets feces all over the bathroom floor. I then tried confining him to the kitchen (bigger space) and he scales the baby gate I put up.  I dont know what else to do ..help please!  I've made an appt to have him neutured.. think this will help?  
thanks
rehnee

Answer
First of all - YES - the neutering should help some.  The sooner the better.  The peeing in bed could be that he just can't hold it - or that he is marking you as "his".  Is it a great big pool of pee or just a spritz?  OFten, male dogs try instinctually to assert dominance.  You are the "alpha dog" and he wants to make a play for your spot.  When you're gone for several hours, you may want to get a crate to put him in. I know that sounds barbaric, but dogs like it, seemingly like a small personal cave.  They don't usually mess in the crate (unless it's a LONG period) and as soon as you get home, if you let them out to piddle and poop, it usually works out.  (By the way, if you do laundry with soiled linens, add a little vinegar to the water - a cup or so - it will neutralize the scent for the dog).  USing a 1:3 vinegar:water solution to help clean up after an accident helps too. It neutralizes the smell to the dog so he won't find that spot again and piddle there.

As for the hacking cough, when he pulls on the leash, it would put pressure on the trachea, probably causing the cough.  Mine do the hacking occasionally too - a nonproductive (no sputum) cough for no apparent reason. It could be allergies or dust or just an irritating tickle. Just like humans, sometimes it happens.  If it continues you might try a little children's benadryl.  GEt a syringe for administering liquid and just squirt it down his throat.  I have one dog who sneezes and coughs alot and when he does, I just give him a little benadryl and it seems to help.

I hope this helps some! I wish you luck! You may want to talk to a reputable dog trainer to help you keep the li'l guy in order.  They're like kids in so many ways and it sounds like he may be trying to test you a bit even though he loves you.

Warmly,

Kathryn

PS - as a way to deal with negative behavior that is not detrimentally negative, I'd suggest keeping a spray bottle of water around.  IF you catch him in the act (doing something he shouldn't) just say (in a LOW DEEP firm voice) NO and spritz him with the water in the face simultaneously.  IF you use a high pitched voice as many of us tend to do, he just hears excitement and noise. A low deep voice signifies a growl from teh alpha dog.  And the water tends to "offend sensibilities".  All I have to do now is say "you want the water?" and they cease whatever they're doing that isn't appropriate.