my out of control dog

Question
Hi Kristen,
   Thanks for checking back in with me.  I have been trying some of the things you told me.  I have been keeping her tethered when I am home.  She hates the tethering, but it is cutting down on some of the bad behaviors only to be replaced with annoying ones.  Whenever I tether her, she cries.  The other day I had her tethered while I was on the computer and she cried for a full hour.  Finally, I let her free because I couldn't stand the crying anymore.  This evening she decided to cry for awhile while she was tethered and then bark.  But we worked through that and she is now peacefully sleeping on my lap.  The good thing is that she is becoming more of a lap dog as she realizes she doesn't have full reign of the house.  She wants to get up on my lap and then she lays down and goes to sleep.  Much better than digging walls and carpet!

 

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Followup To
Question -
Hi Kristen,

Again, thanks for the quick response.  I will try your suggestion and keep her tethered to me and respond as you told me to.

She is paper trained.  She doesn't like for her urine to be visible and will take the pad that she eliminates on and try to cover it with her nose.  So, I usually change the pad as soon or shortly after she goes to the bathroom.    Her bathroom accidents are not consistent.  When I first moved, she had probably 10 accidents in the first two months.  Then we went through a period of no accidents for probably 8 months.  Recently, she has started having accidents again.  I would say three or four in the past month or so.  She doesn't have accidents while I am gone, they take place while I am home.    She doesn't do it in front of me, she usually does it when I have company or at night.  She is trained to go on the pad at night and knows where to go as she frequently gets up in the middle of the night to go.  

She went to obedience school when she was a puppy, but they really didn't teach much other than sit, down and how to heel when on a leash.  

Thanks for your help.   
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Followup To
Question -
Hi Kristen,

Thanks for the quick response to my question.  To answer your questions, my dog Casey, only demonstrates the bad behaviors while I am home.  I am almost positive that she doesn't do any of these bad behaviors while I am gone.  I can leave and she will be laying in her bed and and I can come back an hour later and she is still asleep in her bed.  The same thing appears to be true when I am gone for the whole day. She doesn't destroy or  bother anything while I am gone.    

As for discipline, I used to smack her on the butt when she was a puppy until I learned that she has the highest tolerance of pain of any dog on the face of this earth.  I do still occasionally smack her on the bottom when she pees or poos on the carpet, however that is pretty infrequently.  I don't want her to be scared of me and I know that smacking is a bad idea and I only resort to that for bathroom accidents.  I have never smacked her for any of the behaviors that I have told you about.  I used to put her in her crate when she was crated but she didn't really care about that either.  Then one day I discovered the squirt gun....the only thing that really works.  She does respond to being yelled out but it is usually only when I am telling her to get down off of furniture or something.  She doesn't respond to being yelled at when she is doing bad behaviors.  She may stop and look at me and when I go back to what I am doing, she turns around and starts the bad behaviors again.  Discpline these days usually just takes place in the form of yelling at her to stop the behavior, sometimes banging on the table to get her attention and at times forcing her to sit in my lap to prevent the behaviors.  More often than not, I can yell at her to stop the behavior and she just keeps on going.  I usually make her sit in my lap when I am on the phone b/c she pulls out every bad behavior when I get on the phone.  The behaviors intensify for some reason when I try to talk on the phone.  She used to have a problem with wanting to hump my arnm all the time.  I stopped that behavior when I learned that it was a sign that she was trying to be dominant over me.  Every once in awhile she attempts to hump, but I don't allow her.    

As for licking her urine, she pees and then starts to lick it up.  She is spayed and there have been no new changes in my lifestyle.  I moved about a year ago and changed jobs.  I moved from one apartment complex to another so the noise level is about the same, her interaction with neighbors is limited as it was in her previous setting.  My job hours are also the same, but I am home a little less in the evenings in this past year than I had been previously.  However, she had all these behaviors prior to my move. Also, there are no other animals in the home for her to compete with.

One other thing that I wanted to tell you.  When I go away on vacation, I leave her with my mother.  When she spends time at my mothers house, she does not exhibit any of these behaviors.  As a matter of fact, I left her there for several weeks this past summer and according to my mom she was a perfect angel.  I think she only exhibited these behaviors once or twice.  Granted my mom was around a little bit more, but even on the days when my mother was not home and my mother crated her, she did not demonstrate these behaviors.  Also, when I go home to visit my mother for a weekend, she doesn't do any of these bad behaviors.  Although, I think she is worn out from traveling as it is a long trip.    

I hope this answers your questions.  Thanks so much for taking the time to help me out!
  
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Followup To
Question -
I am the proud owner of a 4 yr. old daschund.  She is an inside dog and she eats purina dog food with the exception of a few table scraps that I throw her way.  My question relates to the fact that she is out of control.  I am gone most of the day at work and sometimes at night so she has learned to be pretty self-sufficient.  However, when I am home, she is a living terror unless I am giving her my utmost attention.  I understand that she gets lonely, but when I am home she digs at the furniture, the walls ands licks the carpet.  All because she knows that it will get some sort of negative attention from me.  I try to hold her on my lap, but she doesn't seem content doing that.  I also try to play with her but she won't play for just a few minutes, it is never ending.  Unfortunately, I can't devote every free minute to her when I am home but I don't want her to be deprived of human attention either.  I try to take her out for walks when the weather permits but that only temporarily tires her out...for like the 15 minute nap she takes when she gets home.  And it takes a good 2 mile walk for her to get worn out.  I also give her rawhide bones frequently but she won't chew them during the daytime or in the evening, she saves them so she can bring them to bed so I can hear her lovely gnawing to soothe me to sleep.  The only discipline that she responds to is getting squirted with a squirt gun.  She was a holy terror as a puppy and things have only slightly calmed down.  I love her to death but some days she just drives me crazy.  Also, she has taken up this new habit of licking her urine.  Do you have any suggestions as to how to stop her unruly behaviors and to get her to stop licking her own urine.  Help!  Thanks!
Answer -
Wow, Danielle. I commend you. Many people would have just given up and taken her to a shelter by now. I'm glad you're not one of those people.

I have lots of questions to ask you before I try to answer your questions. Here goes:

Do you know for a fact that she only behaves the way you have described to me when you're home? She doesn't do these things while you're gone, as well, does she?

What other methods of discipline have you used other than the squirt gun, and when/how have you actually administered the discipline?

Also, when you say she has begun licking her urine, do you mean she'll pee and then lap it up, or do you mean she licks herself?

Is she spayed?
Is this a new behavior pattern or has it been going on for a while?
Has anything in your life or her routine changed? A move, a different job, new neighbors, new outside animals?

I need to know the answers to these questions before I can accurately begin to help you.

Thanks,
Kristen
Answer -
Danielle, I have a few more questions regarding her bathroom habits:
How often does she have pottying accidents in the house, and does she do it in front of you or while you're gone? Is she paper trained or do you usually take her outside to eliminate?

I just wanted to let you know that I'm doing some research and speaking with a few behavioralists about your problem, so it may be a few days before I am able to get back to you with some good, concise answers as to why your dog may be acting this way, and what you can do to nip them in the bud.


In the meantime, you may want to try keeping her tethered to you at all times while you're at home (with the exception of bedtime, of course). I've found the easiest way to do this is to use one of those "climber's hooks" (they are also sold as keychains) and hook it through the looped end of the leash and through one of your belt loops. Carry the water bottle around with you, or hook it into one of your pants pockets. Any and every time she starts to act up; whether it be starting to scratch or lick at the carpet, or digging at the walls or furniture, or whatever; give her a verbal "NO" in a low, stern voice (do not yell it) and squirt her once or twice with the water bottle. When she stops the behavior, change your tone of voice into a happy, higher-pitched, praise tone and tell her "Good girl! Yay!" or whatever and pet her. You want to associate bad things with the bad behaviors and good things for not doing the bad behaviors. By tethering her to you, she will be within 4 or 6 feet of you at all times, and you can immediately correct the bad behavior. You won't have to force her to sit in your lap while you're on the phone, because she won't be able to run off and do the bad behaviors; she'll be right there and you can say "NO" squirt, squirt, "Good girl!" Of course, the person on the other end of the phone may be really confused at this point, so you'll have to explain what you're doing, but I'm sure they'll understand. If not, or if she becomes really bad while you're on the phone and doesn't respond to the corrections, or if the phone call is a long or serious one, you can crate her until you're through talking.

At night, take away all her rawhides so she cannot bother you with them while you're trying to go to sleep, or crate her with one of them.


Kristen

PS - Has she ever had any kind of obedience training?
Answer -
Hi again. I just wanted to know how things were going so far, and to let you know I haven't forgotten about you!

Have you had a vet check her out to rule out a bladder infection or urinary tract infection, or something of the sort relating to her incontinence? Often, these things can cause a dog that normally has excellent potty habits to 'slip up' or have 'accidents'.

Kristen

Answer
I'm glad things seem to be going better for you. The behavioralists that I spoke to both agreed that her behaviors were behaviors associated with dominance to an extent. Her behaviors were her way of challenging you - she was 'testing' you, so to speak. They also agreed that what I told you would have been what they would have suggested, and for you to do the tethering and reinforcement of obedience commands that she knows already. As for the crying and barking - you'll just have to try to ignore it at this point. Eventually she'll learn that it doesn't get her out of being attached to you, no matter HOW LONG she does it for, so she will stop.

It may take a month before she is showing significant improvment (ie, not barking while tethered and no longer doing any of the before mentioned behaviors), but with time I think she will become a loving family pet instead of an annoying dog. :)

Let me know if there's anything you need!
Kristen