toileting in the house

Question
QUESTION: After my mum passed away I took her 5 year old miniature dachshund. Mum got her when she was 2 and she was extremely timid and anxious. Since she has come to me she has gained some confidence but remains a very timid dog. BUT about a month ago she started leaving a little mess under my dining table and this has become a habit.  I have another dog who is at home with her during the day so while she no longer has human company she does have the other dog, who she loves. The other dog,Schatzi, is very reliable and uses the doggie door when she needs to go. I note that it is getting very cold here and I suspect this has something to do with it because she wasn't doing it before.  However I also have been out of the house a little more.  I have tried putting her bedding down in her preferred toileting area and feeding her there.  She just moves to an adjacent area.  I take her out and when she goes I praise her but the problem is, I work and obviously this happens while I am away - though I did catch her once.  She is very shy and doesn't want to do anything in front of me so when we go outside I tell her to toilet then look away and she finds some privacy.  I am trying to be more dominant, she has to work for treats now, i am training her to sit, stay on her rug until I allow her off...I try to keep a calm tone if she needs correction and I don't yell at her.She panics and wees herself. But she is stubborn and gets on the couch or continues with her chosen behaviour if she wants to. food does not motivate her.  she gets lots of pets for good behaviour. Yet I am still demoralised to come home to a little mess. NB She has wet once when she couldn't find the doggie door behind the curtain but otherwise its only pooh. Why is one OK and not the other? Appreciate your advice.  I don't want to increase her anxiety but I do need to get her under control.  Many thanks from tracy

ANSWER: Hi Tracy,

I'm wondering how long you have had your mum's dog. Is she still getting used to your mum being gone I wonder and her new surroundings?

Contrary to what you may have heard, you should never correct your dog for house soiling since she is likely to make the unintended association between your presence and the house soiling and choose to go somewhere else instead of in your sight.

Is there anyone you can ask to come let your dog out when you are gone at work? That might help. Perhaps she is having a hard time being without a person for that length of time.

The other thing you should do is take your dog to a veterinarian for an examination to make sure she does not have an underlying medical cause for her house soiling such as a urinary tract infection.

You may be right in that your dog does not want to go outside in the cold. Can you put a sweater on her on colder days? What did your mum do get her to outside on colder days? Do you know?

Make sure you clean up any soiled areas with an enzymatic cleaner that will break down the proteins in your dogs urine and feces so that she cannot smell it and be attracted to the same spot to eliminate again.

You might also try blocking off her access to the area under the table.

Please do not use dominance or correction with your dog. Please see these position statements by the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB):

Use of dominance in behavior modification: http://www.avsabonline.org/avsabonline/images/stories/Position_Statements/domina

Use of punishment in behavior modification: http://www.avsabonline.org/avsabonline/images/stories/avsab%20postion%20s%8Ant21

Punishment is the same thing as correction.

Please read my articles about positive reinforcement training and clicker training:
http://www.animalinfo.com.au/fact_sheets/view/2/25/177/Positive_Reinforcement_Tr

http://www.animalinfo.com.au/fact_sheets/view/2/25/175/What_is_Clicker_Training

Please also read this article about differences in methods of training: http://findingfuzzybuttfour.blogspot.com/2011/10/different-theories-of-training.

I think if you start using clicker training with your little dog and stop using any correction or dominance you will see a turn-around in this little dog's confidence level.

Another thing I recommend if you think your dog is having some anxiety is the original Anxiety Wrap: www.anxietywrap.com. I love this product. I first used it on my own dog a few years ago and have been using it successfully on my client's dogs now since then. Do not get the Thundershirt - the Thundershirt is a knockoff and not made nearly as well, nor is it as effective.  Make sure to follow the manufacturer's recommendations if you get one.

Another thing that comes to mind is to ask you about your feeding schedule. It is best not to free feed (leave food out all the time) but rather to feed on a schedule to help regulate your dog's bowels and make her bowel movements more predictable. A 5 year old dog should eat once or twice a day at regular times in the morning and/or evening.

I hope these tips help you!  Good luck! Let me know if you need clarification or have any other questions.

Cindy







---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Cindy
On Saturday I had a bit of "luck" and caught Jedda in the act.  I calmly said no, picked her up and took her outside. I used the command "toilet" and when she went, praised her to the skies and gave her a liver treat. Over the next three days, I took her out every morning and evening and she very quickly got the hang of it. All went well until I went back to work today. I took her out before i went to work and she "performed" immediately but when I came home there were a couple of little packages.  I suspect Schatzi may have decided the rug was the toilet too.  I was so disappointed and though I said nothing they knew I wasn't pleased.  I made them wait for dinner til I cleaned up etc. Then I took them out and both did a wee on command.Each night we have practiced some commands and I still did that tonight and Jedda is now falling in line with that.  
So it all seemed to be going so well and I was so disappointed.  What has gone wrong?Although I was at work today from 8.30 to 6pm, I was out a lot on the weekend eg Saturday 11-3.30 and 5-10, sunday 9-5pm and monday 10-5pm and all went well (there was no change in the weather that would have put jedda off today).
To answer some of your previous questions, my mum died in February 12 but Jedda had been with me since dec 11 because mum was ill.  She didn't show any separation anxiety.  When she saw mum she was pleased but came home with me happily. In fact I think she seems less stressy, as strangers used to freak her out but now she is merely wary. I give the dogs a scatter of kibble in the morning, just enough to think they got something and they are fed when I get home at 6.30 when I get home. this might vary slightly if I go out.  I am wondering if it would help to feed them in the morning instead of the evening?  The dogs have a doggie door and schatzi has always let herself in and out as she needed.  I live in a terrace house so I can't shut them in the laundry and I cant shut off the dining area as my house is open plan. I think jedda used to go occasionally under mum's dining table.  Mum didn't do much about it. I think the fact that mum was home most of the time and she couldn't sneak it very often, meant it wasn't a huge problem.  Mum was prepared to tolerate what I am not prepared to tolerate however.I am ordering an anxiety wrap btw.  I would greatly appreciate your views.  I don't know if she is stubborn (dachsies are), lazy or what.  I find it hard to believe its anxiety because she adores schatzi and she does not even get out of bed when I leave in the morning, while schatzi always does. regards
tracy

Answer
Hi Tracy,

No, I don't believe your dog is stubborn. I think she is simply untrained. If she got away with house soiling with your mum, she is likely to continue to repeat that habit.

I think the reason she is house soiling while you are at work is because it is such a long stretch of time and she is not confined, so if she needs to go, she just does. We would all do the same if our mums had not taken the time to properly toilet train us.

I'm glad to hear you purchased an Anxiety Wrap. It is a great product. Be sure and complete the short survey they send you so that they can send you behavior modification instructions. This is just one of the many plusses of ordering the original, patented Anxiety Wrap versus a cheap imitation.

I do not recommend that you feed the dogs in the morning as this will likely result in an urge to eliminate while you are gone. You can however, give them Kongs filled with a small amount of moistened food if you think they are getting hungry or bored. You can also try some interactive toys such as a Kong Wobbler (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTXuKaNOdWY)or a Tug-A Jug, but only do so after testing to make sure your dogs will remain safe with whatever you give them while alone.

I would skip the "no" even when your dog eliminates inside. Instead, just say, "oops" or nothing and take the dog outside immediately. "No" is what we call a "no reward marker" and has limited, if any training value: http://www.clickertraining.com/node/179

Make sure you are using positive reinforcement or clicker training and not compulsion training. In clicker training we use "cues," not "commands." Cues are an opportunity for reinforcement; commands are orders. Please see the articles in my original response for more information.

Try to limit your time out of the house for extended periods of time until your dog is fully housebroken, and when you cannot monitor her directly confine her. You cannot crate Jedda for 8 hours while you're at work, so that creates a problem. Alternatives include finding a pet sitter/dog walker or friend to come let your dogs out while you are gone or leaving them outside (which I do not recommend for safety reasons). You cannot expect Jedda - or Shatzi to go out the doggie door if her habit has been to eliminate inside as desired. It took a while to develop this habit; it will take a little time and effort to change it.

Make sure you are cleaning up every "accident" with an enzymatic cleaner to eliminate any residual odor which would attract the dogs to the place they have eliminated previously. In addition to praise, I would use really, tasty food treats to reward Jedda with immediately after eliminating outside. Give her what she likes, not what you think she might like, which will mean testing different food treats with her. I recommend regular food such as meat or cheese versus commercially prepared treats. Avoid too much liver as this can result in Vitamin A overdose. It's ok to use, but alternate with other foods.

I think Jedda is still adjusting to her new home and environment and learning new rules. Be kind - dogs grieve, just like humans and since they don't have verbal language it is difficult for use to communicate effectively with them except with clicker training.

I hope these additional suggestions help.

Good luck!

Cindy