Our Male Maltese is a wreck.

Question
Hello,

About 5 years ago, we purchased a Maltese puppy. Basil was bought from a breeder who, as we later found out, kept her puppies and female dogs caged inside her home. She kept her more than 15 male dogs outside in a fenced area. So, when we received Basil he had been in a cage for the majority of his puppy life.
When we brought him home he was no problem. A year and a half later all sorts of problems emerged. He would pee all over the house and bark all hours of the night from his crate. We got tired of the peeing and restricted him to one room. He would bark and pee in there as well.

We tried alternating between letting him stay outside and in the house. It didn't work, and now instead of just peeing the room he's been confined to (which we scrub and bleach on a constant basis) He poos all over everything.

The other 2 dogs we have (two non-neutered females) sleep in their crates in the room with him at night. We had to remove the crates in the daytime so he wouldn't poo in those anymore.

Is there anyway to remedy this situation? We are very frustrated and can't think of anything to do. Basil started off so well and nicely house-trained. Now he's beyond anything we can think to do. (And no matter how frequently we take him out, he never seems to run out of pee!)

Any help or advice you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
A Family Of Four.

Answer
Hi Dee,

First, you didn't say if Basil has been neutered or not. Neutering can help with his marking problem. If Basil is not neutered, he should not be crated with intact females.

You should have Basil examined by your veterinarian to rule out a medical cause for his house training problem, since you say at one time he was house trained.

It doesn't sound as though Basil's problems stem from the fact he came from a sub-standard breeder, because you say he was just fine for this first year. The crux of the problem is, Basil should not be having the run of your home because he is not reliably house trained at this time!

When you can't be supervising him, Basil should be crated, outside in a fenced in yard, or contained part of a room (with the help of a child gate or two) that has newspapers on the floor. Not giving Basil the opportunity to soil in your home is the first step in getting him trained.
Give Basil frequent opportunities to go outside to relieve himself. Just letting him outside by himself doesn't count. You need to be present to praise him when he goes to the bathroom outside.

When accidents happen, clean them up without yelling or punishment. It's not Basil's fault you weren't supervising him closely enough! Clean the mess with an enzymatic cleaner, such as Nature's Miracle.

Increasing the amount of exercise Basil gets each day can help with his barking problem. A tired dog is a quiet dog! Again, this doesn't happen when he's outside in a fenced in yard, he needs to go for walks, runs, and play time with you or a family member.

Because you have tried to get Basil under control for some time now, and can't, it's doubtful that an email from me is going to resolve this situation. What you need is a live person who can evaluate Basil, and you, and offer suggestions based on their observations. You need to contact a dog behaviorist or trainer. Contact your veterinarian or boarding kennel to ask for a recommendation, or look in your yellow pages.

Best of luck,

Patti