We have 2 shepard-lab mix dogs, one male and one female, from the same litter. We got the male several months later than the female (he's only been with us since July, whereas we got her last December). Both of them are quite fearful for some unknown reason (they're puppies of a rescue dog, never abused and always in loving homes). I mean, they're scared of things like parked cars and piles of grass, and absolutely terrified as to completely panic. We continue to work on this.

Anyway, up until last week they were both trained to go out to eliminate. We have a dog door that is open 24/7, and whereas at first it was hard to train them to it they got it after a few weeks and have been using it ever since. They still use it to go outside regularly. However, last week it rained for the first time in several months, and there was pee and poop all over the kitchen floor, twice in one day. We assumed it was because they didn't want to get wet (little buggers!), and they ended up spending the amount of time it took me to clean up out in the rain getting used to it.

But since then, the male has continued to pee and poop on the kitchen floor. Even when it isn't raining. Even though he's just gotten back from a nice long walk. And this takes place not 2 feet from the dog door, which is open, and which he uses regularly throughout the day.

There is a mat in front of the door, which is there to cut back on mud. He is consistently doing it on this mat, no matter which mat is down. Even the brand new ones that had no wee smell, and after the floor had been cleaned several times with both nature's miracle and vinegar. In addition, I started putting his kibble directly on the mat today so that he would associate eating ON the mat, which should kick in his instincts not to pee on it. We need the mat down to cut back on mud throughout the house. But I can't have pee and poop in the kitchen!

Any advice? He's been to the vet recently, though just for a checkup and before this problem came up. He's very, very healthy. He's also so terrified of the vet I am loathe to take him in if it isn't necessary. Can anyone suggest any behavioral therapy I haven't tried yet? So far I have:

Used Nature's Miracle and vinegar to get rid of the smell.
Replaced the mats he's gone on.
Made sure the dog door is open and he has access.
Put kibble directly down on the mat for him to eat off.
Caught him in the actual act, scolded and put him outside immediately after.

I love my dogs--both of them! How can I keep him as a cuddly inside dog, and not have him condemned to be an outside dog?? I'm open to ideas!

This could be a leadeship-bonding thing. It doesn't sound like either one trusts you as leader. The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts. Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at Raising Your Dog with the Monks of New Skete For more on being top dog, see Establishing and Keeping Alpha Position, Letting your dog know you are the boss

For more bonding and leadership try:

''Elevation for small puppies: Sit on the floor and gently put your hands around your pup's middle, below his front legs, and lift him up. He is facing you. Hold him for 15 seconds. Repeat until he no longer struggles. If he is past 10-12 weeks, lift his front feet off the ground, but don't pick him up.

Cradling for small puppies: Hold your puppy gently on his back, as you would cradle a small baby. If he struggles, hold him firmly until he quiets for 10-15 seconds. With larger pups, you can do this as your sit on the floor, with your pup between your legs.

Quiet lying down: Place your pup on the floor on his side, with all 4 legs pointing away from you. Use your hands on his neck/shoulder area and middle, to hold him in this position. When he is quiet, praise him. Lengthen the time that you keep him quietly in this position. When he accepts this position well, handle his paws and muzzle, while keeping him quiet.''

The quotes mean this isn't my original work. It is copied from my Puppy Raising Manual. I have long used these or minor variations of them, and they are very effective. You may want to give him a belly rub while he is on his back too. Helps bonding. There is a big difference between him rolling over and demanding a belly rub, and you choosing a time to roll him over and rub his belly. The latter cements your place as pack leader.

They are spay/neutered?

Read through the sticky starting at https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/i...tml#post251802 You may have to crate them, but first work at taking them out when they need to and praising them for eliminating outside. When you are around you need to keep a close eye on the dog. Use closed doors or gates to keep it in the same room as you are, and perhaps as I do, a short chain fastened to the computer desk. If you catch it in the act, give it a sharp ''Ah, ah, ah!'' and take it out. When you can't watch it, crate it.

With, please read through labman's post. There is a lot of great stuff in there. Leadership is very important. The spay/neuter point is very critical. Both dogs are just about a year old. If you haven't done this yet, it should help with this problem you are having.

Even though your rescues have been in loving homes, since you don't know the full breeding background, you will be second guessing every issue that comes your way. You are most definitely correct in your assumption that the dogs didn't want to go out in the rain. I am gathering from your post, that you use the doggy door because no one is around most of the day to walk them. The problem with doggy doors is that they do leave a lot of room for backsliding. You have a male that hasn't been in your household that long to fully understand what you expect from him. Your dog is eliminating inside and no one is catching him during the act to correct it. You are doing the right thing in replacing the mat, feeding him on the mat,. but it isn't enough. He doesn't understand that what he is doing is not acceptable. He will only learn so much from his sister, and he in turn, will be teaching her that this is okay to do. This really is a basic training issue. You seem to know enough to understand that correcting him after the fact is useless and will create a stressed and confused dog. You are going to need to go back to square one with the housebreaking. Your male needs to be placed on a leash and walked to relieve himself. As frustrating and time consuming as this is, it is the only way you are going to break this pattern. You may have to go back to square one with your female as well, so that they both understanding completely that outside is where they are expected to eliminate. Place yourself in a frame of mind that you would have if you were bringing in a new dog.

Regarding the fear issues, if your dogs are rarely outside of your yard, they will continue to exhibit fear of many things. Most puppies and young dogs are fearful of new things. Part of the training regimine is to expose them to as many things as possible. If they show fear, you need to stop walking, direct them to sit, and you walk up to the thing that is triggering the fearful reaction and touch it. This is all done while you are on the other end of a leash. When they are fully focused on you and see you are in control of the "thing", direct them to come to you. They will show hesitancy, that is normal. Just be patient, stand there and wait it out. They will see that nothing is happening to you and will hesitantly come toward you and the object. Just be encouraging in your body language and voice. Let the dog sniff the object and when he/she gets close enough or makes contact, say, "Good Boy" (name) or "Good Girl" (name). Reward them with pats and/or a small training treat for at least a minute, then continue your walk. This training will take a while to sink in because there are so many things out there that you will come across. Eventually your dogs will walk by and ignore all the things that are triggering this behavior. It really is important for you to get this under control. Fear can quickly turn into fear based aggression which is the primary reason dogs will attack and bite. You need to ensure they are calm under all conditions.