Ask Me Help Desk - Dog goes in house

Lol its OK Alty, I just don't feel like reading all the bickering and finger pointing.

I think this is anxiety related.. and a touch of naughtiness due to too much time alone in a now new environment.

Was this issue present at the old house?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lucky098

Lol its OK Alty, I just don't feel like reading all the bickering and finger pointing.

I this this is anxiety related .. and a touch of naughtiness due to too much time alone in a now new environment.

Was this issue present at the old house?

So sorry I snapped at you Lucky. I'm just frustrated, this thread has turned into a huge mess.

The OP recently moved, and also changed dog food from Beneful to Blue. Both dogs have had a complete vet check, and no medical issues were found to explain the recent potty accidents.

The OP is not home a lot, works 2 jobs, goes to school, and (if I remember correctly) also volunteers at a shelter. The dogs spend most of their time crated. The OP is willing to go back to potty basics, retrain them to potty outside.

One dog is 5 years old, the other is 2. Neither dog is spayed. They have shown food aggression and toy aggression, and I have discussed spaying with the OP. She's going to think about it, and do some research about the pros and cons. She's mainly concerned about personality change if she decides to spay.

My gut instinct is that the dogs are reacting to all the changes in their lives, and also the fact that they're left alone and crated for the majority of the time. The OP is frustrated, which is understandable, but may also be contributing the issues.

My recommendation was to go back to potty 101, retrain, lots of praise when they potty outdoors, a firm no and directly outside when they potty indoors. I also recommended considering re-homing the dogs, since the OP seems to have a very full plate, and is spreading herself very thin, and doesn't seem to have a lot of time to devote to these two dogs.

My thought is that the OP does love her dogs, and obviously wants what's best for them, but she simply doesn't have the time to give them her all.

That's basically it in a nutshell. :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alty

OP recently moved, dogs are on a new dog food, OP works 2 jobs and goes to school. I already addressed all of those issues in a previous post.

Sorry if I sound frustrated, but this whole thread has me a bit frustrated.

Yea I agree. However I at least found one person that had provided me with sound advice. As much as it hurts I found a new home for the shih tzu. I honestly have been considering it for a while. A little back ground when I left for college they used to stay with my mom. She would let them have the full run of the house and just leave puppy pads out for them. My tiny six pound shih tzu managed to chew up two chairs a couch and start on the entertainment system. After my mom became homeless I purposely moved off campus so that I could care for them and return the shih tzu when my mom gets on her feet. Some of the habits they had at my moms they brought to my new apartment do I had to get them used to being in a schedule again however some of the destructive behavior my shih tzu exhibited failed to be fully rectified. I've tried to keep her hoping my mom will get back on her feet soon but that hasn't happened yet.
But I did find a nice guy that is willing to take her. Maybe that'll settle the poopin issues and frustration. Alty you are truly amazing.

So we're back to post #2 - if you can't handle the dog(s), rehome him (them).

And here is where my frustration and sadness and anger come frolm - another dog moved from place to place, house to house, untrained, no one willing to put in the work, kenneled, not housebroken, destructive (which wasn't even mentioned), now with another dog and now not with another dog, a living breathing creature with pretty much a past and probably not a future, a "nice guy" (hardly the qualification to take in a "frustrating" dog) willing to give it a home, for as long as that lasts. A cute puppy, a really good idea, until it grew up and couldn't or wouldn't raise itself.

And then this dog - or another one just like it - will find its way to my home (or to the home of someone just like me), and we will struggle with health and behavior problems and try to provide some stability. And the cycle will repeat and repeat and repeat.

This entire thread makes me sad, sad for people who make impulsive decisions involving living, breathing creatures - and then walk away from the wreckage.

- And, yes, this is for Andi and all the other dogs I've had who were someone else's garbage.

And do I have enormous respect for the OP who realizes she is in over her head and is trying to make things right? Yes. I just don't understand why it took so many posts to get the whole story out, why the thread got so confrontational (and, yes, dismissive), before that decision was made. Could a lot of people have saved a lot of time if the cleaned up version of this dog's existence had been posted from day #1? Probably.

And, yes, Alty is a saint.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alty

I see a lot of changes in your life, and dogs don't do well with change.

The first thing that has to be done is a complete vet check to make sure this sudden lack of potty training isn't a medical issue.

If you plan to keep the dogs, you have to put in the work to keep them. Putting them in a crate so you don't have to deal with their issues, is not the answer. You're harming your dogs.

They need to be retrained (after a clear vet check). If you can't, or won't, do that, they they are better off with someone else.

Im new and have not and probably will not read all the reply's so if I repeat anything that has already been said, forgive me. The above advise is great. Also, here is what I need you to do.. and this will help you take out some much needed frustration. I want you to get a newspaper and roll it up very tightly. Then the next time you find poop in the floor just ignore the dog. Clean up the poop.. Now, take that newspaper and beat yourself over the head over and OVER screaming "I WILL WATCH MY DOGS BETTER!" =) Then you need to honestly think things over and realize you are the dogs problem. If you are not willing to change, you can't expect them to. Ok, now if you decide you can control your anger (since its NOT the dogs fault) Get those dogs out of the crate unless its bedtime or you are not home. It's YOUR JOB to watch your dogs. Get a 5ft leash for each one and tether them to YOURSELF! NOT TO A STATIONARY OBJECT, BUT YOURSELF. You have to be able to watch them CONSTANTLY! When you see one of them sniffing or doing the "potty circles" scoop them up and take them outside. Once outside (even if it poops all the way to the door) the minute that dogs feet hit the ground you need to PRAISE, PRAISE, PRAISE!! Like it a frigging miracle EVERY TIME! Never make the crate or going outside a punishment. You can stand out there with them all day but if they don't have to go.. They DON'T have to go. However, when they do.. since they are tethered to you while you're free to do whatever, you're still watching them. Trust me and good luck!