Re-Housetraining a 9-year old Marking Male

 
Location : Berlin, Germany

Dog Age : 9 years

Dog Sex : Male

Neutered: no

Dog Breed : Wire Hair Dachshund miniature

Training History: Obedience Training at 2 but now forgotten.

Number of Humans : Two age   74 and 57

Other Pet Info : We have two Burmese cats Female 12 years and Male 2 years both
neutered

How Long Have you owned this dog?  Nearly 9 years Named Dudley

Other Info : The male cat occasionally swipes the dog but, apart from one
or two chases, they get on well together.  The problem predates the male
cat.

Question : Dudley is a nervous dog and very submissive - apt to roll over
and squirt on greeting or if about to be combed etc. We are less concerned
about this as it is predictable.  We find difficult his frequent marking
in the house - we never know when.  It is usually bed or other furniture
corners and lately, predictably, the Christmas tree! or the kitchen or
bathroom floors.  Sometimes this appears to be done not long after a walk.
It can be related to competition with both cats but this seems not to be
the whole answer.

How have you attempted to solve this problem?: We have no idea what to do except get a female next time but Dudley has good years to come.

Dear Mr. Rose,

Thank you for writing the Dog Days Behavior Center.

As you already know, Dudley for some reason has regressed on his housetraining.  There is also the possibility that some of his motivation is to "mark" the house, a common male (and sometimes female) behavior.  But if the peeing in the house has been going on for a long time, your best bet to stop the behavior goes like this:

1)  Clean any spot he has marked or could have marked thoroughly with a serious pet stain solution.  Then clean it thoroughly again with a white vinegar/water solution.  It's very hard to stop a urinater when he can still smell the spots day after day, especially if it's been going on for a long time.  Clean everything or better yet, if there is any possible way, replace as much as you can (i.e., clean and then repaint any wall corners where he has marked; remove rug and clean the floor and then replace the rug with a brand new one, replace the sofa, etc.)  Either way, consider purchasing a urine identifier (similar to a black light) from a pet supply house so that you don't miss any spots.

2)  Prevent any further marking by initially completely removing Dudley's access to the areas in which he is prone to pee.  This means getting baby gates, closed doors or even a crate if he's not opposed to it for reasonable periods to keep him away from these areas.  Do this for 5 days.  Dudley cannot enter these areas at all for this time.  If he has to walk through them to go outside, do it only on leash held by you.)

3)  Now for the next 3 weeks, stay with him and watch him like a hawk when he is allowed, for short periods, in these "marked" areas.  The best way to make sure you are staying with him and watching him like a hawk is to put his leash on him and tie it to you belt loop or wrist, believe it or not.  (This is particularly important right after his walks - Dudley may be so happy/distracted on his walks that he isn't really emptying out until he gets home, calms down and then realizes there's still a little left.)  We think we're watching the dog but he pees the instant we look away, so please do this! 

The point of this exercise is to have him in the room without ever peeing in it.  No mistakes can be tolerated or allowed - and the only reason they're going to happen is because you're not there or not watching closely enough.  If for any reason Dudley gets the guts to lift his leg in your presence, instantly shout "OUTSIDE! OUTSIDE! OUTSIDE!" as you rush him out there.  He's small - pick him up before anything comes out and rush him out.  If he somehow succeeds in marking, go back to step 1, and then step 2, no kidding.

When he finishes up peeing outside, make sure you are equipped with a tiny but favorite treat for him, and give it to him right there after he pees.  This is a good idea anytime he pees outside for at least a few weeks, even a month or two, during his re-training period.  If he's ALWAYS caught in the act and yelled at inside, and ALWAYS getting a treat for peeing outside, then he'll probably try to get outside to mark in order to get his treat and to avoid getting caught in the act.

4)  Now after you've had success with the first 3 steps, you may start to allow him short periods (10 1-minute periods days 1 and 2, then 10 2-minute periods on days 3 and 4, then 5 4-minute periods days 5 and 6, etc.  (If he regresses again, go back a step and start again)  Gradually increase the time up to 15+ minute periods off leash in the marked areas indoor while you watch secretly.  You should be watching very closely - just try not to let him know it.  This can be an effective booby-trap if you catch him in the act of raising his leg (and react as you did in Step 3) but can only happen after the first 3 items have been completed successfully.

5)  As long as there are no "accidents" whatsoever, you can gradually increase his secretly semi-supervised time in the marked areas until life is back to normal.  This should not go faster than another month or two.

When you're away from home and can't take him with you, you'll have to keep him in an off-limits area - this might even mean a bathroom or a crate.  I am sorry he'll have to be restricted in this way but you won't see any change if you don't radically change his routine and then very gradually move back to the old environment. 

The key to successful housetraining - even if it's re-training here in Mr. Dudley's case - is to completely and totally end all incidences of the old behavior (peeing in the house) by watching vigilantly -  and gradually increase the difficulty level of the new behavior (not peeing in the house).  You can do this.  It won't be easy but it is worth it.

Even if you're not too concerned with his submissive urination, please go to our Submissive Urination page at http://www.dogdaysusa.com/urination.cfm for some good tips.

Happy retraining!

SuzyDog