NBR - People who have lots of experience with dogs

kpmd1 · August 2010

I have a 10 year old chihuahua mix who is very sweet and cuddly and I love him to death, but in the last few weeks he has totally changed. Any time we leave him alone, he potties on whatever he can - the couch, the floor, his crate, in his food, EVERYWHERE. He doesn't just pee, he poops. Also, he's started jumping up on tables to steal food from our plates any time he gets the chance, and he never, ever did that before. I can't clean up dog poop and baby poop every day!

I thought maybe he had a UTI or something, but he doesn't, and now I think it's all an attitude problem. I don't know if this is because he senses the pregnancy, changes, etc. or if it's because he's getting older, or what, but DH and I are about at our wits' end. DH wants to give him away, but even if I wanted to, I couldn't give him to someone knowing he was having behavioral problems! We need to find a solution and figure out what the deal is.

Has anyone else ever experienced this with their animal? I really want to find out what's going on and try to help him, but I don't know where to start. Does the vet rx antidepressants for dogs?

atownpreggo · August 2010

I would talk to your vet. Maybe there's something making him not feel too good. Have you changed his food or anything? He could definitely be sensing the pregnancy, in which case, he should get back to normal over time... hopefully soon. But there could be something else wrong so I would get him checked out. Good luck

sandylou · August 2010

Animals can sense when things are differnet so your little guy is probably acting out because he knows something is different. Also could be a combo of that and age. I would talk to your vet. They do prescribe anxiety meds for dogs, but hopefully if you talk to your vet you can come up with a solution.

I would also consider putting him in his crate when you are not home to limit the mess you have to clean as well as when you are eating so he isn't tempted to help himself. If it's an age thing, maybe he simply needs to go out more often than he has in the past. GL!

kpmd1 · August 2010

sandylou:

Animals can sense when things are differnet so your little guy is probably acting out because he knows something is different. Also could be a combo of that and age. I would talk to your vet. They do prescribe anxiety meds for dogs, but hopefully if you talk to your vet you can come up with a solution.

I would also consider putting him in his crate when you are not home to limit the mess you have to clean as well as when you are eating so he isn't tempted to help himself. If it's an age thing, maybe he simply needs to go out more often than he has in the past. GL!

We do put him in his crate when we're not there, and he goes all over his crate! When we're home he waits till we leave the room to do his dirty work, but when we leave, even if it's for 20 minutes and we put him in his crate, there is poop all over the place by the time we get back! We've also started taking him out 5 or 6 times a day and that hasn't helped, either. I'm just so frustrated!

CAB'smommy · August 2010

My dog had the same problem exactly! But I found out that if I gave her more attention, she stopped behaving badly. I guess that since I've been home from work now, she thought she needed more attention. What I've done that has completely stopped her bad behavior is just letting her sit or lay with me on the couch. She was good with the snuggle time. Maybe try something like that.

wmramsel · August 2010

If he messes in his crate, you need to take him to the vet. Dogs won't normally make a mess where they have to sleep or stay for awhile. A behavior change like this can signify a lot of different things, including being sick even if he doesn't show it. If your vet thinks it is because he is nervous or jealous of the impending arrival, s/he can give you advice on how to best cope and get your lovable doggy back!

a-beautiful-mess · August 2010

wmramsel:
If he messes in his crate, you need to take him to the vet. Dogs won't normally make a mess where they have to sleep or stay for awhile. A behavior change like this can signify a lot of different things, including being sick even if he doesn't show it. If your vet thinks it is because he is nervous or jealous of the impending arrival, s/he can give you advice on how to best cope and get your lovable doggy back!

This 100%.

The only time Nick has ever pottied in his crate is when he had diarrhea and just couldn't hold it. Poor thing. Definitely take him to the vet to see if there are any physical/emotional issues or illnesses that need to be dealt with, but please don't just give him away.

izzourclue · August 2010

How often are you walking him?

izzourclue · August 2010

wmramsel:
If he messes in his crate, you need to take him to the vet. Dogs won't normally make a mess where they have to sleep or stay for awhile. A behavior change like this can signify a lot of different things, including being sick even if he doesn't show it. If your vet thinks it is because he is nervous or jealous of the impending arrival, s/he can give you advice on how to best cope and get your lovable doggy back!

If the crate is too big, they will. In order for a crate to be affective house training tool, it should only be big enough for the dog to stand and turn around. If they can go to the bathroom on one end and not have to lay in it, its not effective. So maybe a smaller crate is in order.

izzourclue · August 2010

Also, while I do believe that dogs have the ability to sense pregnancy, a dog is only going to "act out" because of it (or any other reason) if the dog is already insecure, under-exercised, and/or under-disciplined. The problem most likely existed before because you and your DH weren't "in charge" which always creates an insecure dog and then creates behavior problems. I have 2 dogs and while they may know about the pregnancy, there is no change to either of their behavior. I can only assume because they know I am in charge and in control and there is no reason for them to stress out and act out even when there is major change.

FWIW, we walk our dogs twice a day and practice pack leadership. They don't go for their food until I say its ok, never go through a door in front of me, don't pull on the leash or walk in front of us on walks, etc...

kpmd1 · August 2010

izzourclue:

Also, while I do believe that dogs have the ability to sense pregnancy, a dog is only going to "act out" because of it (or any other reason) if the dog is already insecure, under-exercised, and/or under-disciplined. The problem most likely existed before because you and your DH weren't "in charge" which always creates an insecure dog and then creates behavior problems. I have 2 dogs and while they may know about the pregnancy, there is no change to either of their behavior. I can only assume because they know I am in charge and in control and there is no reason for them to stress out and act out even when there is major change.

FWIW, we walk our dogs twice a day and practice pack leadership. They don't go for their food until I say its ok, never go through a door in front of me, don't pull on the leash or walk in front of us on walks, etc...

Actually, I read something awhile back that you had written about pack leadership and made some changes in that sense, so now he doesn't go up or down stairs first or enter doors first or eat until I ok it. He definitely wasn't trained properly by me until I'd had him for a few years. I had no idea how to raise a dog and got him when I was 20. But I felt like we had corrected most of the issues since then.

We only WALK walk him once a day, in the evenings, but we walk him around our building and give him plenty of time to go number 1 and number 2 multiple times per day. Do you really think that walking him more would help? I'll try anything at this point!

kpmd1 · August 2010

izzourclue:

wmramsel:
If he messes in his crate, you need to take him to the vet. Dogs won't normally make a mess where they have to sleep or stay for awhile. A behavior change like this can signify a lot of different things, including being sick even if he doesn't show it. If your vet thinks it is because he is nervous or jealous of the impending arrival, s/he can give you advice on how to best cope and get your lovable doggy back!

If the crate is too big, they will. In order for a crate to be affective house training tool, it should only be big enough for the dog to stand and turn around. If they can go to the bathroom on one end and not have to lay in it, its not effective. So maybe a smaller crate is in order.

Perhaps...but even though it is bigger than it might need to be, he sits in the poop and piss. Doesn't seem to bother him.

izzourclue · August 2010

I think if you are having a problem when you are gone, a good walk right before you leave might help. Make time to take him around the neighborhood for at least 20-30 minutes with him so he has time to sniff and get a little mind stimulation as well as exercise in the morning. If a dog is tired, they are less anxious. I know its hard to make time in the morning but it may fix your problem. Also, is your crate small enough? Can he make a mess and not lay in it? Even if you started correcting his issues, it can take a long time for the new behaviors to totally take over. I have one dog that has a very high prey drive for other dogs that he got from the track we rescued him from. We've been working on it for a year and he is improving, but its so ingrained, it may take a few more years before we can totally trust him with other dogs. Good luck!

kpmd1 · August 2010

THANK YOU for all of the advice!

wmramsel · August 2010

I'd listen to Izz's advice, but I would also take him to the vet just in case. Sitting in their own mess is not ordinary for dogs.

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