carrie Urquhart
,@carrieaurquhart
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Any ideas on how to fix behavioral cat peeing outside the box? My cats about 6 or so and she randomly pees on things that are in the floor. Rugs, blankets, baskets etc.
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My dog got spayed a week or so ago. Now shes blowing snot everywhere. Ive already called the vets office but they are closed today. Do you think benadryl will help dry up the mucus until tomorrow? I feel bad for her but I dont think it’s warranted for an emergency visit.
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Laura Hi Carrie – sorry I missed this until today! I don’t tend to give benadryl for sinus stuff. I only give it if Ripley develops hives from a food formulation change which hasn’t yet hit the label.
Hope your dog’s feeling a bit better!
My 7 month old retriver puppy has real behavior issues I cant seem to break. I cant afford a dog trainer since everyone I’ve contacted wants atleast $500 for 5 hours of basic training. The problems: she pulls on the leash…hard. she is constantly chewing on stuff. Anything in the floor. As soon as i turn my back shes into something… the trash, litter box, cat food, chasing the cats… she knows it wrong because when she sees me she looks down in shame. I have a prong collar for walking her, a shock collar for teaching her no. She’s smart and knows how to come, sit, lay, catch, drop it… However now she refuses to drop something she really wants. I cant give her chew bones or long lasting treats because she’s started growling and snaps at my kids when they come near her with it. I have a crate, that I put her in when she being bad. She refuses to calm down at all when there is something interesting like new people or another dog. I spend my entire day scolding her for doing bad things… so much to where I really dont want to be around her anymore. My kids hate her, and my husband is trying so hard to like her. Im at a complete loss as to how to train her to calm down and stop doing things she knows she isn’t supposed to do. I have a severe back injury and it is really hard for me to contain her when she’s acting a fool. Ive also tried having turkey in a treat pouch and only giving it to her when she’s being good. Which she will do till I run out then she’s right back at it. If anyone has any ideas please let me know.
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Sarah Hi there???? First off, thanks for caring so much about this dog. Secondly, a private trainer or personal session with a trainer is quite expensive- BUT- a group session is much more affordable. I would call around to local petsmart or other pet stores/people to try to find one. You can get somewhere between 8 and 10 sessions for around $200. You will get a wealth of knowledge there, so long as the trainer is good. Third, as tricky and difficult as it can be at times, try to remain calm. I know easier said than done in the heat of the moment, but your dog will feed off of that anxiety or stress. I know you said pulling on the leash is an issue- a trainer can definitely help with that. And once that is improving, walks will be much more beneficial. A tired dog is a well behaved dog. ???? I find that a prong collar does not help with pulling, to be honest. We have GSDs and we’re advised years ago when we first started rescuing them to use a chain collar, high on the neck where it should be just behind the ears if pulled. This has the desired effect with minimal tug and is easier for the person to maneuver. Another trick with walking…. every time the dog pulls, change direction. This makes for very silly looking (and time consuming) walks in the beginning, but does help get them to follow your lead. You have a very energetic dog, so getting your walks down is a must. Plus, walking helps establish order in your pack and lets them know you are above them. You also may need to “dog proof” your house with some baby gates for the time being until your dog learns where it can and cannot go (i.e. to eat the litter box). Continue reinforcing good behaviors with a reward- it’s great that you do that!! Correct misbehavior with a firm no and then change he situation. Guarding of bones and toys can escalate to worse very quickly. My advice on that would be to limit the amount of time (ideally when no children are going to try to take it) and then trade a treat for the bone/toy. We have a rule toys=outside, bones=inside but only on beds.(dog beds) If you have the space, a chuck it and a ball can really help tire your pup out. Also- nothing is free. Dog wants dinner? Sit and paw first.or something like that. .. down, belly, whatever payment you feel is right. Dog wants to play? Again, sit or down…. dog wants a treat? Same. Dog wants affection? Calm first then love. Again- look into a group session as they are more cost effective. Please be patient not just with your dog, but yourself as well. It is not easy, but nothing worth it ever is. Very best of luck to you! Hopefully some other Pawbly friends will have more advice. I hope you find some of this helpful. If there is anything else we can help with, please reach out again.????????
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carrie Urquhart Post author Thank you so much for the info. I had another dog in some group classes years ago, and I’ve implemented that into my training, but I will search outside of my town for some groups thats arebt so expensive. The trainers asking for $500 are group classes here and its $200 extra for private lessons on specific issues. ???? unfortunately the group i went to before is no longer there. I do ask her to sit for leash on and off, before getting a treat and before she goes out. I dont give her enough exercise I know, since I’m hurt I can’t walk her alot, especially when she’s yanking me. Ill buy a chain collar and try with that. Thank you so much for the tips. I will definitely give it a go. Currently I am working on keeping her out of her kennel except when she’s beung bad, or when she’s too wild, and maybe still sleep in it. Not sure yet.
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Laura If she’s pulling while on a prong, it’s likely not positioned correctly. It might also have a larger link size than she should have. Go with a smaller link and position it right behind the jaw. Make sure to have a backup slip lead on, just in case. Work on this in the yard before going on a walk.
I suspect she has far too much freedom and too few rules. You’ve gotta go back to square 1 with obedience. Utilize trades (not food) instead of just taking things from her. Crate her if she’s chewing something. Consider umbilical training to prevent bad behavior, and praise the heck out of good behavior. Since group classes are not a thing in most places right now, look into Fenzi Dog Sports Academy. It’s an online-only school, and they might have something that will work for you.
Beyond that, try looking here for trainers: https://www.canineprofessionals.com/find-a-professional
My dog is almost 6 months old and she wont hold her bladder more than an hour while out of her crate, but in it she will hold it for several hours, or all night. So i know she has the ability to, but she just won’t. She also knows its wrong and will come put her head in my lap when she’s peed. She tells me most of the time when she needs out. But she will also just pee while she’s walking around, like so fast in a line I dont even see her fo it. Sometimes she looks suprised it happened. I used to be a veterinary tech, and I know the signs of a uti and I don’t see any of those. Any ideas?
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Krista Magnifico Hello,
If you used to be a vet tech I hope that the doctor you worked under can help you with an exam, blood work and urinalysis. Until you’ve done these to ya re just phishing, guessing and prolonging any needed medical care. Please call your vet and start a work up for your concerns.-
carrie Urquhart Post author Thats true. Unfortunately the vet I used to work with wouldn’t help anymore. I do go to another very good vet office. I will call them. Thanks for the info
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Laura At 6 months she *should* be fully trained, but she’s still a puppy. She’ll still have accidents. Why aren’t you making sure to take her outside every hour? My 7 year old goes out hourly when we’re home.
Has she had her first heat? My bitch had an inverted vulva which corrected itself after her first heat. She had a few weird issues with urination prior to that.
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carrie Urquhart Post author I do take her out every hour, when I try and push it longer I usually get her to about an hour and a half and she goes in the floor. Ive tried to do crate training for an hour after to stretch it to 2 and she does fine… but not unless she’s in her crate. She never poops inside, just pee. Wonder if maybe its just marking, just never had a female dog do that. Bo she hasn’t had a heat yet. Not sure about any vulva issues, it looks fine to me outwardly, and the vet hasn’t mentioned anything. I’ve got an appointment coming up soon ill ask about that too thanks
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Laura One other thought…are we talking empty bladder puddles, or dribbles? If the former, ask them to palpate the kidneys to check size.
(I had a puppy I couldn’t housebreak – he could hold his urine for about 45 minutes before he’d bladder-dump. He had renal dysplasia.)
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carrie Urquhart Post author Hmm. I’d say more full bladder.
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Laura Then bring up the kidneys when you’re next at the vet. It took months of pushing on his housebreaking issues before anyone took us seriously, and by then it was too late to do anything to help him.
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carrie Urquhart Post author I understand that. Being 5 months old im sure they’d look at me like yeah whatever, its just a puppy. Sorry you had such a hard time with yours.
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Laura That’s pretty much how the situation was handled, yeah. Even our breeder kept insisting it was something we did wrong.
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I have a question of my own, My mom’s dog has been pacing since 2 am. She’s probably 12 years old, has arthritis, partially blind, totally deaf. She keeps running into everything, and falling down, most likely from the arthritis, Any ideas what it might be besides old age? I recommended to put her in a smaller room or kennel so she calms down, but I don’t have any other ideas. Update, she’s walking in big circles around the room, so probably vestibular disease? No nystagmus, head tilt, or ear infection. I told her to check with her vet and get something to relax her.
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Krista Magnifico Hello,
I think your dog needs to see your vet ASAP. It could be many many things. Too many to guess. I think that an exam, bloodwork, urinalysis and blood pressure are all indicated. After all of these are addressed y’all aboit cognitive dysfunction assessment.
Make sure she doesn’t have a UTI, make sure she has a space safe from your dog. Make sure she has at least two litterboxes, one on each floor of the house. Use cat attract litter. And make sure those boxes are spotless.
Often, inappropriate urination is due to a UTI and can continue afterward as they associate pain with the litterbox. If the above tricks do nothing to curb this, and you’re 100% certain she’s clear of a UTI, you may want to consider changing the box type as well as litter type. Dr. M has mentioned in the past that plain old dirt (like from the garden – pesticide and fertilizer free, of course) can attract cats.
Thank you for the tips. Ive not heard of cat attract litter. Ill look into that. I dont see any signs if a uti, and she’s been doing it once every few months or so since I got her a few years ago. Just one pee outside the box then nothing else. I should rule out uti though I know. I’ll work on that next. Still dealing with my dogs issues from being spayed. Plain dirt is also interesting. Ive never heard that before. Such good ideas. Thanks.
I hope these help. 🙂 Sometimes it really can be behavioral, but it’s best to rule everything out first. You can also try Feliway – that helped my old lady cat when we got our current dog. It’s not cheap but it really can help.