Back in October I had to take in my mom's 7yr old American Toy Terrier. He had the run of the house and slept on my mom's lap at night.(In a lift chair because she has Parkinson's disease). He also got into the habit of going to the bathroom in the house because my mom couldn't get him out fast enough.

Since coming to live with me I have to keep him confined during the day (on a leash in the kitchen) because he marks his territory and has bitten 2 of my kids when he has been surprised. I do not want to give him up because I take him to the nursing home to see my mom. He is the bright spot in her life.

When I crate him at night he whines yips and barks. I have tried several different ways and after 2-3 weeks of things going fine he will start the whining allover again. I don't want to hit him and hurt him so I have used a fly swatter to smack him and say "no". It worked last time but now he is starting again. I am now thinking about sedatives. My family needs sleep!

JudyKayTee

First, he misses his owner (your mother).

Second, it sounds like he's tied in the kitchen all day and kenneled all night. Is he getting exercise, time outside?

I have also never hit a dog - with my hand or with an object. I find this rather shocking, quite frankly.

shazamataz

It's a bit unfair to expect a dog that has spent its entire life sleeping in the house with a human companion to then be locked up in a crate. He's sad and wants to get out and be with someone. You may be able to train him eventually but it will take a while. Do not give sedatives to an old dog.

Tippytoo

I am trying the best I can to give to give my mom's dog a good home. We are working on training him. However I cannot let him mark his territory all over my house like he was allowed to do while my mom was sick. I also cannot let him bite the children I watch which has happened twice. I also understand he misses my mother! I have started using water mist instead of the fly swatter which I was not beating him with. Beleive it or not I do love the dog and my mother that is why I am trying all that I can.

shazamataz

I wasn't having a go at you, it is good that you have taken the dog on and not taken it to a shelter but you do have to understand that 7 years of being spoilt will take a long time to undo

Silverfoxkit

Has he been neutered? If he hasn't you might want to consider having this done. It may help tone down the marking and aggression. While your heart is in the right place it's not fair to ask the dog to be confined all day. Perhaps you could invest in a muzzle and if need be a male doggy diaper to help with the other problems so that he can have more freedom. Also what brings about the biting? Is there any specific trigger? You also need to try and train and socialize him with the family, and while he may not enjoy a muzzle it may be the safest way to give him the freedom and socialization he needs.

JudyKayTee

I understand and I understand the dog is lost and confused and you are frustrated - I've had rescue dogs with serious problems and the problems seem to go on and on and on. That being said it's the hitting thing that disturbed me.

Something inside me cringes when I see a dog get hit.

And as far as the biting - that is a serious concern. I have seen some very bad dog bites and big financial settlements when there was advance notice that the dog would/could/might bite.

My larger dog (130#) is EXTREMELY protective of me and I know how difficult it is to have my eyes on her all the time. She doesn't challenge anyone and is on the almost timid, laid back side - but if push would ever come to shove there would be a problem.

I don't know if this would work for you - and I've posted it before - but I bought one of those dog playpens that unfolds into a great big circle and when my dogs were puppies I put their kennel inside the playpen and set the playpen up in the kitchen. Puppy wasn't confined to the kennel, could go in and out of the kennel, could roam around inside the pen. The dog I mentioned above stopped crying at night once she had the playpen. Would something like that work for you?

I still use the pen if I have someone working at the house because I can very effectively and easily block off one side of a room so the workmen can be "here" and my dogs can be "there."

My husband died in 2007 and I had a lot of problems with my one dog adjusting - she eventually did but it takes time and patience (a lot of both).

Tippytoo

Thank You for your helpful ideas. Yes the dog has been neutered. The bites occurred when the children suprised him while he was sleeping so I now keep the kitchen off limits except for when the kids are sitting at the table.

I have thought about a muzzle and have plans to talk with a vet tech about this option so he can be free during the day. I put him outside when the weather is good, but he gets cold very easily and I live in NY. I also cannot let him loose outside because he is a runner.( I have a large fenced yard but he is so small he can get under the gates and the fencing.

The playpen idea may work but I still think he will whine at night. At this point I am game to try anything because I do want the dog to have a good life.

Thank You again.

JudyKayTee

Is putting the playpen close to your sleeping area an option? One of my dogs was always okay if she could see or hear me - but I didn't want her keeping me up all night.

Sounds like you are doing all you can (and, yes, older dogs and children are not necessarily a good mix).

On another note - how is your mother? When my husband was in the hospital he DESPERATELY wanted to see "his" dog but they wouldn't allow me to bring her in. Of course, that was a hospital, not a nursing home, but I do think it would have both cheered him up and reassured him. As it was he asked me to make very few promises - one of them was to ALWAYS take care of his dog (which, of course, I would have done, promise or no promise).

shazamataz

This might sound a bit out of line but how old are your children? You could try telling them to just be careful around the dog if it only bites when they surprise it, some dogs just don't like kids in their face when they wake up.