View Full Version : Help ! My Dog is ruining my home !
chloegreen13
Jun 24, 2011, 05:21 AM
I have had my dog for 2 and a half months, she's called mia, she is a staff and she is just over a year old.
She is really lovely dog and she loves me and my flat mates, attucally she spoilt rotten she gets love affection walks toys everything.
She keepe weeing and pooing in the flat its driving us mad she is totally ruining our home.
When we leave her in the house to go to work or go shopping she has a wee and poo where ever we have left her, and most recently in the last week... when we have BEEN IN THE HOUSE she goes on too our brand new bed and brand new bedding and ****s and pisses on it.
We take her out she gets taken to the dog park every day.
She has done her thing in near every part of my house and I'm so worried my house is stinking and I don't even know it. I love her to bit and I really don't want to get rid of her but we are getting a new house soon and she can't come with if your carrys this on... I just don't know what to do with her?
Any advice is welcome please?? :( :(
Chloe
Xx
tickle
Jun 24, 2011, 05:36 AM
You should have investigated how to handle a staffy before you got her. Very strong willed dog, and I hope Bella will chime in here because she probably knows this breed better then I do.
Your dog my dear has no respect for you whatsoever. She doesn't see you as the alpha in the household probably because you give in to all of her demands and as you say she is 'spoiled'. How true.
Was she a rescue dog? You say you haven't had her long and she is a year old. Basically she is still a pup and must be broken of these bad habits now or you will never be able to do anything with her that is even remotely how a dog should behave in a household where only one person is the alpha.
Look of 'alpha' on Google and you will start to get a good idea of what this term means in the canine world. And this is how you should be.
If she ever was trained by her previous owner, and I doubt it, she needs training now to break her of these tremendously bad habits like defacating and urinating on your bed !
I would suggest buying a good sized crate and crating her at intervals during the day, but a dog like this cannot be left alone for a whole day while you go to work; she is rebelling.
Tick
DandelionWish
Jun 27, 2011, 07:14 AM
You should ask the people you got the pup from what training it has.
When you get a new dog there's LOTS of training needed, it takes lots of patience! 2months isn't really a long time.
I recommend a clicker...
Take the dog out every time it gets excited/just wakes up/starts sniffing to pee
And click when it has finished its business outside and treat
(always follow a click with a treat even if you click accidentally)
And if your going to the shops you should get a crate big enough for the dog to stand in and stretch lying down... filled with bedding the dog shouldn't want to pee or poop in its bed! Leave it in the crate when your not watching it
Though not for an excessive amount of time
Maybe if your at work for a long time and can't get home to let your dog out you could ask a neighbour or a friend maybe even a dog walker just while you get the problem under control.
Persevere and stay patience :)
It will be well worth it in the end once she's well trained.
Oh and when my pup was toilet training I used wax melts around the house and it helped me feel the house smelled good lol
Good luck x
Aurora_Bell
Jun 27, 2011, 09:33 AM
Sorry I missed this... If your dog was never house broken, then you have a long hard road a head of you. Staffies tend to be on the more stubborn side, but once they know what you want from them, they hardly fail. First things first, if you are using any sort of pee pads, get rid of them, they only lead to further confusion. If they can pee on one soft surface, why not all over the house. Next thing is make a schedule and stick with it. It may mean you have to get up every hour on the hour to let her out and wait for her the entire time she is out there, but once she gets on the routine things will start to fall in place much easier. Any change in her life is going to disrupt what she has already learned. She may need a little more coaxing to remember what she forgot she knew. Moves and new families are much harder on dogs then they let on. She is going to test the waters and see what she can get away with. You need to establish yourself as alpha asap. This means not letting her on the furniture, not letting her demand to be petted or fed. When she comes up to you for attention or food, ask her to sit for a period of 5-10 seconds and then pet or feed or what ever else she is looking for. It can also help to have her enrolled in obedience classes. These are strong willed breeds, and not for the novice pet owner. They tend to walk all over first time pet owners. Obedience will establish you as alpha and it's also a great bonding experience as well as help her with any self esteem issues.
Treat her like a pup, because she basically still is. Every time she eats, drinks or plays, take her out side. Praise like mad when she does her business where you expect her to. I would even offer a small treat as a reward. Just a few pieces of kibble will do. Next thing I would invest in is a crate. It only needs to be big enough for her to stand, lay down and turn around in it. Do not use the crate as punishment. Only for house breaking issues. It does seem like she is suffering from separation anxiety, so help sooth this, crate her every time you are away. Most dogs do the most damage with in the first half hour of them being left alone. So even if you are just dashing to the store for milk, crate her.
Also make sure you are cleaning the messes immediately, use a good enzyme cleaner. A vinegar and water solution works great.
Aurora_Bell
Jun 27, 2011, 11:34 AM
Just to add... consistency and routine is key. It may seem like you have been doing this all along, but some dogs take longer to catch on to the simpler things. It can take days, weeks or even months before it clicks for her.