cheryl33 Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 hey guys I need some help. I'm at my wits' end with Henry's behaviour. We moved into the new house in November. and within a week he had ripped out the carpet in the kitchen and bitten half a door frame to get through when I was at work. He has calmed down a lot and is not destructive at all now as I let him have run of the house when I'm at work. Any other time I go out (max. 2 hours) and when I go to bed he is crated and is fine. Now he is has started peeing in the house when I am in. In the few last weeks, he has cocked his leg in the hall way, then weed outside his crate and then then weed in the living room last night. This is all in front of me and OH. When he does he, he runs off and hides. So far I've not reacted to him but its starting to iritate me and i dont know what to do. He doesnt do it when I'm working, which is the strange thing as he left for about 4 hours. He normally lets me know when he needs to go out but now he just doest care. Phyiscally he is healthy so it is not a medical problem (his skin conditions are not the cause of it) but he seems to do it when he has had some attention. Last night he did right after he'd had a bath, the other week he did it because I told him to get off the sofa (he's never been allowed on it). Please can anyone shed any light on this and how I can combat it? He has had several changes over the last few months - frome being in creche all week to being left at home and Adam has obviously moved in. thanks xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peachy Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 Poor you and poor Henry for being upset Obvious question but do you let him out really regularly now he's weeing inside? It might be a case of going back to basics to ensure he's knows that weeing is done outside. And lots of fuss and praise when he does wee where he should. As he's weeing in front of you it sounds like he could be attention seeking. Do you have playtime with him? If not, it might be worth you and Adam playing some games with him for a short while to let him know that he's still part of your pack. He might feel a bit odd because Adam is there and he's not getting as much attention now he has to share you. Make sure you wash every wee down thoroughly with biological washing liquid/powder to get rid of each one properly otherwise it'll be a long battle. I hope you can nip this one in the bud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rudi Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 How old is he? I think it's pretty normal for young boys to c*** their legs around the house, all of my male dogs have gone through a brief stage of this. I'm not sure it's linked to needing a wee or to house-breaking, more to sexual maturity and the dreaded hormones if he's around that age. My pup is 11 months and cocked his leg in my mum's house yesterday I don't ignore it though like I would a puppy making a puddle - I verbally correct it as they're that bit older but they don't react the way Henry does, so that obviously may not be the right thing to do with him. Depending on his age, he may be becoming more assertive and trying to find his place and that, along with the changes in your living arrangments might be making him unsure of himself, maybe he just needs to adapt to a routine. You may find it stops as quickly as it began but I think with young dogs, or new dogs, it's really beneficial to do fun-type training with loads of rewards and, depending on the dog, silliness - it builds confidence and rapport and you could involve your OH as much as possible in feeding/walking/grooming so that Henry understands you're all one big happy family But that's just me and I do talk too much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheryl33 Posted March 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 Thank you he's 4 this year and was fine until a few weeks ago. He goes out regularly when I'm at home. Normally lets me know he needs a wee by going to the back door, but in the cases where he wees in the house he runs in the oppsite direction to the back door....he has a routine which we stick to like clockwork but he has jsut started doing this We always play with him, take him out etc so he has lots of stimulation and toys, although he isnt interested in toys at all. He has been done as well x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacobean Posted March 11, 2008 Report Share Posted March 11, 2008 (edited) He could be unsettled because you've moved a few times and Adam is newly living with you. Have consulted a doggy book and this is what it says about this behaviour: Territory marking - by far the biggest culprit in this category is the male dog that lives with a female owner for a period of time on his own and then another human male appears on the scene. Restructuring the pecking order usually cures the problem. Edited March 11, 2008 by Jacobean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheryl33 Posted March 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2008 thank you He doesnt seem to be too bad the last day or two... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
summersun Posted May 26, 2008 Report Share Posted May 26, 2008 how are you doing now ? it could have been marking as a reaction to increased testosterone in the house - is he entire? or marking because other dogs living there before / visiting the house have marked previously (smells can linger for a looong time) i hope its getting better - its soooo frustrating cleaning puddles from a dog you KNOW is housetrained (i've been there too - my rescue bitch came with a slight urine infection) claire x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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