2010 July 18 – Peeing Again
There was a time in my household right after we brought Epic home that it seemed everyone “held” it until they got in the house. I realize that change of dynamics in a house will cause a lot of house issues from defecating to urination to fighting. We had is all when Epic came home. I wont say that he caused it; but he caused it! An unstable presence in the house turned my entire house upside down. He was nervous, upset, unstable, irritated. He peed in the house every time we turned around, he was aggressive and possessive over food and toys. He tormented my son, he tried to bite me for trying to trim his nails. He would pick fights with almost every dog in the house, and the list keeps going.
We brought him home in October of 2009, so many of the bad behaviors are subsiding. However, he does hold on tight to one. No, it’s not what you think. .. He refuses to settle whenever the t.v. is on. He gets very agitated regardless of what is on but some sounds like babies crying, dogs barking or people booing or cheering/clapping really set him off. Lately we have been locking him upstairs when we watch t.v. at night (between 9:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m). It’s after everyone has eaten dinner, they have gone out and pottied and have come back in for the night. By locked upstairs I mean that he does not have access to the t.v. room. He can see us but cannot get to the t.v. Sometimes this lock out just has a baby gate across the doorway, but on really bad nights I actually close the door. The door is glass so he can see through it, but sound is blocked. He also has friends upstairs loose with him and some that are crated, he is never alone.
So here is the problem. Over the past week one of the loose dogs has gone into the entry way in the hall and peed about three times. Not marked, peed (like a lake). It has never been on something but we have never excluded a male (Epic squats most of the time). One night the smell was so bad I had to Shark steam twice with ammonia to remove smell.
So, last night I was going to bed, walked into the entry way (with my bare feet) and stepped right into the lake! Thank goodness I had on a life-preserver. My first thought (right after I want to kill a dog) was “damn dog was mad and peed”. I know this is not what happened, but I did think it and I now know what my clients are feeling with they say this same thing to me.
Many people will come home to find a mess on the floor, things chewed up or missing, carpet pulled back, sheet rock eaten (well, you get the picture) and they say the dog was “mad” because they got left. Under this same scenario I could say that Epic was mad because he was left upstairs so he went to the hall and peed. But for this to be true it would mean that dogs are capable of making “calculated” decisions – feelings hurt – revenge, that sort of thing. It simply is not true. They are just not capable of such thoughts. Have you ever known your dog to show anger? I mean the kind of anger that happens after the fact, moments after an event? Remember this is the same creature that when you step out of the house, realize you forgot your keys and go right back in that they are so excited to see you that it appears you have been gone for a month. Do you really think this creature is capable of a grudge?
The real reason is most likely stress. By locking Epic upstairs away from his people I placed him in a state of constant stress. That stress is what caused the body to have to eliminate. Sometimes this stress comes out in the form of chewing or destruction, other times elimination. In either case the cause is not that he was mad at you or that he knew eliminating would make you mad and the answer is not anger and punishment. The answer is reducing that stress; more mental and physical stimulation from me, possibly confinement (after sufficient exercise) during the times when he cannot be with his people.
Epic’s t.v. issues (sound issues) are a very difficult problem to solve. Most of you will have much smaller issues to deal with and easier ones to solve but, you must remember that your dog is not “getting even” with you, they are simply trying to alleviate the stress that has been put on them. You will have to find the solution for your dog to fix the problem.
Provide your dog with a good diet, mental and physical outlets and lots of companionship! When an issue arises, look deeper into the cause, don’t assume and don’t put human emotion on it.
Happy Training!
