Miniature Schnauzer Urine Control

Question
Hi, I have a miniature schnauzer who is male and is 10 months old.  We are having a hard time training him.  He will go outside but will also do it in the house--bowel movement & urination.  We have tried just about everything and find that he is difficult to train.  Also, when we go to take him outside, he often urinates before we get him outside. He is also aggressive to other dogs and people and he whines a lot when we put him in the crate. I am afraid that my neighbors might start complaining about the noise he makes. Any thoughts?  We don't want to give him up because we love him.

Answer
Your dog needs training in more ways than one. Get him into ongoing obedience classes and start practicing "Nothing in Life is Free" with him. http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm

The aggression problem is because your dog has not been properly socialized with other dogs and people. Training classes should help that. Have strangers offer him treats.

When tackling any in-house urination problem, first make sure that the dog does not have a bladder infection, so a urine specimen needs to be taken to the vet for examination. If that is normal, then begin again with house/crate training.

Just pretend that you just brought home a nine-week-old puppy: http://www.inch.com/~dogs/housebreaking.html  Keep him confined in a crate when you cannot watch him; let him out first thing in the morning, after he eats, after he wakes up, after he plays, and just before bedtime. If he is apt to eliminate before reaching the door, then carry him outside. Your dog is still a puppy, so don't assume that he can "hold it" for hours at a time. Possibly he has a smaller-than-normal bladder; it can happen.

You might try keeping him on a leash that is attached to you so that you can keep better track of him and learn what his signals are when he needs to potty.

Some people also put a bell at the door and teach the dog to ring the bell to tell his owners when he wants to go outside. The problem with this is that the dog MUST be let outside *every single time* he rings that bell.

Also be sure that you are feeding a high-quality premium food such as Eagle, Canidae, Solid Gold, Wellness, Flint River Ranch.

Karen