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Expert: - 1/23/2010


Question
Hi Jana, Thank-you for the answer to the raised dog dish question. I was at a friends in florida when I sent it thus the e-mail will not be the same.  But to answer your question about these dogs, yes, my husband hunts these dogs and hunts a lot!!! We have 2 a male and female, female being the oldest. They are truly the greatest dogs we have ever had, their personalities are about as loving as they come, we call them our 75 lb lap dogs. They need people!!!! We could not love them more...now, with that said, my big problem is our male who will be 2 in april tends to pee every once in a while in the house!! He tends to be very much on the sensitive side (heavy on the very) and if my husband is gone and I have someone at the house to watch him while i go to work he tends to do it then.  Its not that he has to go and is not let outside (we have a fenced in back yard and he goes out when ever he wants). He is very seldom left alone---we pamper them
maybe a bit to much!! It may just be nervous about being left.....thank-you for any advice you have.  

Answer
I don't know if the dog is neutered but if he isn't that will tend to make them pee more in the house. Combine that with someone new around and he is marking his territory.

While urinating in the house can be a sign of separation anxiety, it is not a normal one. Usually they tend to rip things up, howl a lot or destroy carpets and doorjambs.

One trick to use is to get them a kong and put peanut butter in it. It will keep them occupied for hours. If he gets bad enough you can try  amitriptyline, which I started to use on my dog after she disappeared overnight because I was at work. She was ten at the time! It seems to be a very safe drug but I couldn't tell you really how well it works as I just keep her inside now.

My interest in them was as a pet, not a hunting dog, but it seems they frown on people not hunting them. Is that correct?

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

Organizations
Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

Education/Credentials
Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

Awards and Honors
Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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