[tmstar]

I have a beagle/walker mix dog that is almost 4 years old. He is a loving dog that is peeing completely out of spite! He is able to run freely on a 60+ acre farm, he gets PLENTY of love from me, and he has been housebroken for years. He gets outside as often as he needs and if he gets up in the middle of the night, I'm out there with my red fuzzy slippers too... My problem is that whenever I need 'alone' time with my boyfriend, he goes out and pees on my floor! Even if he was just out 10 minutes before, and it's usually not a lot either. And he knows what he's doing because after I find it, he puts himself in time-out. I just need to know how to break him!

[Alty]

This is going to be tough, and a lot of work.

Does he pee in the house at any other time, or only when you're with your boyfriend?

Do you and your boyfriend live together? If no, how long have you been together, and how often does he come over?

When he does pee inside, what is your reaction?

How often is he walked? Running around on your property isn't a walk, and doesn't count as one.

[Lucky098]

Dogs are not "spiteful". They do not have those types of feelings. I know it may seem that way, but they just don't understand the complex emotions we humans experience and have a tendency to push onto other critters.

I would say your dog has separation anxiety. He is fine as long as he is with you, he is allowed to be around you on his own terms and so on. Once you tell him that he has to stay in a specific area, he panicks and pees.

To test this, make him stay in a designated spot without involving your boyfriend. If he pees, than it is 100% separation anxiety. If he doesn't pee, than I would guess that he is a very dominant animal. Him peeing is saying that he disapproves of what you are doing. I know it sounds like he is being spiteful, but he isn't. It's a completely different thing. Dominant dogs will pee, poop, chew and be destructive if someone isn't following their orders. In the dog world, it's a huge sign saying "I'm not happy that you did something without me". Typically, these types of dogs have aggression problems as well. If your dog is not aggressive in any way, I would go back to separation anxiety.

How to get rid of separation anxiety.. well, there isn't any magical pill or command that will make your dog stop. You're lucky he isn't the destructive type of separation anxiety. Separation anxiety can be managed through obedience training and just walking in and out of a room without letting him come with you. He will soon learn that every time you leave, you will always come back and he can relax a bit. If his anxiety gets out of control, there are always medications you can get through your vet to help with his anxiety. You can also use phermone adapters called DAP. Its suppose to help dogs chill out and reminds them of a nursing mama dog. You could try and use a DAP in a specific room and that is the room designated for him when you want alone time. You could give him Melatonin when putting him away. It won't zonk him out completely, but he will just take a deep breath.

Separation anxiety is managed, not cured. I'm pretty sure this is your dogs problem. Try some of the cheaper methods.. if they fail, than try the Rx way.