Cash

Question
QUESTION: Help. Cash is a 3 year old Cairn mix. we rescued him in July 2007.My husband and I both work. Cash pees and poops in every area large and small that we put him in when we are at work. he goes out before we leave for work and always does his business.  When we are home he is house trained perfectly.I don't want to have to give him away, but we can't come home to the messes every single day.

ANSWER: Dolores -

Are you crating him ?  What size and kind of crate ?  How often are you feeding him ?

These answers will give me a much better idea how to best answer you.

Thanks

-Beth

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Cash   QUESTION: We used to crate him, but my husband does not like to leave him locked up all day. He thinks it is cruel. Cash sleeps in his crate at night.He puts hiself to bed when he is ready.It is wire with a plastic bottom and his bedding. It is large enough to turn around Cash is a grazer. He might eat 1-2 cups of dry food in a 24 hr period and a treat or 2. He weighs 11.5 lbs. When we used to crate him. He has messed in his crate in the daytime before but not very often. We now keep him in a northgate play yard. It is a six sided plastic thing.If we leave him in the house, he pees on the couch. If we put the play yard out he pees and poops more often than not. We now put the playyard out in the basement with the TV on with a bed and some chew things in it.. The vet says he is very healthy. He also chews on his feet and legs but the vet can't figure out what allergy he has.

Answer
Dolores -

Your husband is wrong about the crating.  Most dogs like their crates - indicated by the fact that Cash goes into his on his own.  If he wasn't comfortable there, he wouldn't go there on his on in the evening.

I really think crating him will solve 99% of this problem, combined with regular trips outside, and praise when he does it outside.

I see from the photo that he needs some of the long, dead hair removed from his coat.  Leaving it on him may look cute, but it does make them itchy sometimes.  Here's a tool that's very easy to use that I recommend:

http://mall.cairnrescue.com/mdse/show_item.php?itemno=G01

Far and away the most common cause of cairns chewing their paws and legs is a food sensitivity.  Cairns do not tolerate food that contain corn, wheat or soy very well and it can make them itchy, cause ear infections and blackened or thickened skin.  I have seen dogs who had virtually no hair and a systemic yeast infection simply because being fed grocery store dog food.  A simple change in diet and the dog healed up in a matter of weeks.

I hope this gives you some ideas for getting started.

-Beth