excessive urination.

Question
I just got a 6 month year old swedish elkhound. i dont know much about him, since he has already had several owners.  his drinking and urination habits disturb me. he drinks a lot of water and is almost frantic about getting to it. he will finish of as many bowels as i give him and then he will desperatly need to pee a few hours later. and he will pee a huge river every time.he drinks a hundred times more than my other dog. i am wondering if he has kidney troubles?

also he goes crazy when he sees another dog, not in a aggresive way he just barks and barks, and since he is a big dog it scares people. Any suggestions on how to make him stop?

another thing is how i can get him to trust me and feel attached to me? he is with me almost 24 hours a day, but there is also another dog who is very devoted to me, and i find it hard to make him pay attention to me or sometimes even aknowlegde my existence. he seems like he simply dosent care who he is with or where he is.  I know I have only had him a short while, but I am wondering whether there is something i could do to create a strong bond.

thankyou.

Anna  

Answer
Hi Anna,

Because your new dog is drinking an excessive amount of water, and subsequently, urinating excessively too, you should have him examined by your vet. You are correct, it can be a sign of kidney disease, but it can also be a symptom of a bacterial  urinary tract infection. Obviously, treatments would differ greatly, so you need to find out what you're dealing with.

You've said that your new dog "acts crazy" when he sees a another dog, but you didn't say if this is happening when you are walking him or not. You can try using a Gentle Leader, or Halti head halter. They give you more control over the dog than a standard neck collar.
You can see these products here:

http://www.premier.com/pages.cfm?id=29
http://www.companyofanimals.co.uk/halti.php

One of the most important things to do with your new dog is to enroll in an obedience class. This class is important for many reasons: it establishes a working relationship and bond between you and dog, it socializes dog to other people and other dogs, it helps to reinforce basic training, even if the dog seems to know the basics, it helps to teach the dog that he must comply even if many distractions are present.

Make the time to pay one-on-one attention to your other dog. Take your original dog on walks, car rides, etc. without the other dog present. It's okay to leave the new dog behind once in a while. It's also okay to take the new walk on a special walk or car ride by himself too. These little one-on-one opportunities will show each dog how special he is to you.

You didn't say how long you have the new dog. It can take a dog as long as two months before it feels at ease in a new home. Since this dog has had more than one home, it may have made him a little wary. Keep in mind that every dog has it's own personality, this particular dog just might be more independent and aloof than your other dog.

I don't know much about the Swedish Elkhound breed, but if it's like it's cousin, the  Norwegian Elkhound, being  fairly independent with a mind of his own might be part of the breed.

Show the new dog plenty of love and kindness, and in time he'll be more bonded to you.

I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck,

Patti