Home: Behavioral Problems: Peeing and Poo Problem:
Doggie trying to annoy me????

wendy_h Member Sep 29, 2004, 10:18 PM Views: 1676 Doggie trying to annoy me???? My shih-tzu is toilet trained. She'd pee and poo on a tray which I fill with newspaper. However, about a couple of months ago, she's started to pee and poo on the toilet floor (which I won't mind except that I have this plastic mat which I have to wash each time she does it) and now she's attacking the mats! She knows exactly where the mats are so each time I accidently leave the fencing open (I have to put fencing to block all the mats away from her - crazy right?), she'd rush over and pee on the mat! And worse if there's no mat, she's try to shit even if she has none and then eat up her poo. What I see left on the floor would be stains. It's as if she's doing this on purpose. What's happened to her? She's never been that way before. My Mum's gonna kill her someday.... View Ginger's profile on Dogster It’s dog’s world out there!

surchinmy Ultra ALPHA Sep 30, 2004, 9:59 AM Views: 1658 Re: [wendy_h] Doggie trying to annoy me???? Oh oh ... sounds like you have a little problem on your hands ... No, your dog is not trying to annoy you, she is just being a dog ... but seems to have acquired a few bad habits of late ... Just some questions before attempting any suggestions ... (a) How old is your dog? (b) How often do you feed your dog? What times? (c) Have you changed her diet/kibble? Or meal times? In the meantime ... use the search function and check the threads on "house training" and "poop eating" ... both these topics have been much discussed ... and you may find some advice or tips of use. Cheers

wendy_h Member Sep 30, 2004, 4:49 PM Views: 1653 Re: [surchinmy] Doggie trying to annoy me???? Thanks surchinmy! Here's the answers to your questions: a) She's 3 1/2 years old b) She's fed twice a day, once at 7am, another time at 5pm except on weekends when she's fed later in the morning when I wake up c) Oopss....I changed her food about 3 months ago. Didn't know this can be the problem? But she's doing so well with the new brand! Yup, have been checking through other threads. The thing is that she's been toilet trained but now out of a sudden....... She knows she's doing it wrong though coz everytime she pees on the mat, she'd hide under the table and look at me with pitiful eyes! Can't even bear to scold her then. View Ginger's profile on Dogster It’s dog’s world out there!

surchinmy Ultra ALPHA Oct 1, 2004, 12:09 AM Views: 1645 Re: [wendy_h] Doggie trying to annoy me???? Hi ... Sometimes ... for no explicable reason (or at least reasons easily understandable to us humans) dogs do a little "regression" ... often this regression afflicts house habits ... happens with our dogs too ... Suddenly, one of our dogs will go do something in the guest room ... and like ... WOW ... what happened? ... If your food change was 3 months ago, and the change in elimination habits only recent - then not likely to be cause by change in food. Sometimes the regression can be triggered by a fright ... or a new dog ... or guests staying over in the house ... Assuming that your dog is otherwise healthy ... then suggest the following: (a) Start your house training all over again and reinforce ... Be patient and consistent ... they are key to successful training. (b) If she eliminates in the wrong place ... then no reprimand or scolding ... just take her back to her proper elimination spot ... Scolding/reprimand for eliminating in the wrong place is counterproductive ... You do not want your retraining to frighten her and make her think that the act of peeing or pooping is wrong ... (c) When she eliminates in the correct place ... IMMEDIATELY after she finishes ... shower her with LOTS of praise & treats ... Search the Forum for threads on "Jackpot" ... those threads will show you how to use "jackpot" treats ... very effective. Keep your praise & treats going ... sometimes we think just because a dog is trained ... we forget or stop treating or praising ... and then regression can occur. Giving continual postive reinforcement reinforces & perpetuates good training and good habits ... All the best

winniechen New User Feb 21, 2005, 6:25 AM Views: 1426 Re: [surchinmy] Doggie trying to annoy me???? I have been experiencing similar problem with my Mini Schnauzer who's now 5 months old. He's an indoor dog where we live in a condo. We got him when he was 2 months old and started potty training from Day 1. He became fully trained when he's 3 months old. We stick to only one method and area of elimination. So no confusion for him. Then, we moved to a new place and knowing that he might be unfamiliar with the new place, we started house training him again. Once again, he familiarised himself to his new toilet area in less than 2 weeks. Recently, he's beginning to annoy us by peeing and pooing at all the wrong places. His toilet area is a cage in our bathroom. I tried to re-train him all over again and keep a watchful eye at all times, but he's still not getting it right. I got dog repellant at his favourite spots and it works but only if I remember to spray everyday. One missed day and there he goes again. I'm beginning to lose my patience soon and thinking of signing him up for an obedience class. No change of diet or feeding time, no change of training or punishment during accidents. I just sternly yell "NO" and "Naughty Boy" and not resort to hitting him. He knows he's been bad (the pitiful look and bowing head and running away from me) but still refuses to comply. I've concluded he's just being difficult. Mini Schnauzers are known to be temperamental, am I right? But I also hear that they are one of the most intelligent dogs. Why is he doing this?

surchinmy Ultra ALPHA Mar 7, 2005, 8:55 AM Views: 1365 Re: [winniechen] Doggie trying to annoy me???? You posted: I've concluded he's just being difficult. Mini Schnauzers are known to be temperamental, am I right? But I also hear that they are one of the most intelligent dogs. Why is he doing this? Well, Schnauzers are not so much temperamental as much as ... they can be independant and perhaps a little stubborn (like many terrier breeds) ... and for little dogs - they can have a mind of their own. Given your description ... I would suspect that moving house has unsettled your dog ... And he is still very young ... just continue doing what you are doing ... go through his training again ... and I am sure with some patience and consistency - your puppy will settle down once again into a proper routine. All the best ...