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  • Apr 19, 2007, 08:39 AM
    kattygirl
    Dog suddenly peeing
    So my dog Zeus has always been very well behave when it comes to doing his business. Now all of a sudden he just starts wetting things. He has wet my bed 2x this week and sometimes when my husband comes home he will get excited and wet the floor. How do we get him to stop this?
  • Apr 19, 2007, 09:23 AM
    labman
    You have a couple of problems, submissive wetting and challenging your leadership. Some of the fix will help both problems.

    Many dogs eventually outgrow the submissive wetting, but you can reduce it by building the dog's confidence up. The leadership problem will only get worse. Start with obedience training. 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 As you praise the dog for following your commands, it will build its confidence.

    For the peeing on the bed, see Establishing and Keeping Alpha Position

    Play tug of war with the dog and lose. However at the end of the game, take the rope or toy and put it up, less the dog becomes confused about who is top dog. Ropes from the pets' store quickly turn to hazardous shreds. Ones I made lasted much better. Go to a hardware or home center that sells rope by the foot. Buy 2' of 3/4" poly rope. Melt the ends, and tie knots in it. Get them as tight as possible, put it in a vise and pound it with a hammer. Watch carefully, and be ready to discard when it comes apart.

    Finally, make sure it has a den to live in. If you are not using a crate, buy one. The dog may be happier in its den than loose in the house. It relaxes, it feels safe in its den. It rests, the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving its self. Dogs that have been crated all along do very well. Many of them will rest in their crates even when the door is open. I think the plastic ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den feeling. Metal ones can be put in a corner or covered with something the dog can't pull in and chew. Select a crate just big enough for the full grown dog to stretch out in.

    A dog that has not been crated since it was little, may take some work.
    Start just putting its toys and treats in the crate. Praise it for going
    in. Feed it in the crate. This is also an easy way to maintain order at
    Feeding time for more than one dog.

    You should also neuter him if not already. It is no cure all, but a big help with dogs that challenge your place in the pack.

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