Phoebe our new rescue

Question
Hi we have a rescue that we have adopted, and she is having a problem with marking in my kids rooms. I have tried to take her out, she doesn't want to go and then a few minutes later i will see her in the room, urinating. What is going on? We take her out frequently, and give her praise when she does go outside. She is a 3 year old lab/chow mix, and is very sweet. She also has problems with barking, other animals( she goes after cats and dogs) and jumping up onto us.I would appreciate any feedback and thanks.

Answer
The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts.  Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog.  Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones.  You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/  For more on being top dog, see http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm  She is telling the kids she outranks them.  You can find more on that last site on dogs and kids.  

With somebody the right age in the family, 4-H dog training is a great idea.
In my area, clubs form soon after the first of the year.  Even many urban
areas have 4-H.  For info look in your phone book under government listings
for extension or cooperative extension offices.  Ask specifically about a dog
or canine club.

Consistently is very important in correcting jumping and other problems.  Quickly correcting him each and every time he jumps on somebody is very important.  He must never get the affection he wants.  A number of things have been used.  One of the most gentle is to grab his front paws and hold him up.  The traditional knee to the chest or step on his paws are fading from use.  As part of the the trend away from negative methods, just step backwards leaving his front feet to fall to the floor.  After a few tries, the dog may just stand there looking confused.