Expert: Lee Charles Kelley - 1/31/2008

Question
Fist let me say that I really appreciate a website like this to help my dog and I
find some answers! Thank you.
I rescued a small mix breed (I believe she is daschund/wire fox terrier) about
a year ago. She has all the classic behavioral problems that come from years
of being tossed around from shelter to shelter.
She has a fear of people, cars, garbage cans you name it she is afraid. She is
also became highly attached to me to the point that if my husband hugs me
she growls. I walk her everyday for 30-40 minutes and take her to the dog
park on occasion. The walks have greatly improved. In the beginning she
flipped out if she came close to another person.
What I am at my wits end with is her peeing on our carpet. I walk her and
then the minute she comes in side she bolts for the stairs and if the gate is
not up then she gets to the upstairs and immediately pees. She does not pee
downstairs nor at my mother in laws house (she is there 2-3 days a week) as
both my husband and I work for the airlines. It is as if she is being defiant
towards us. I took her to petsmart obedient training. She has several
commands to which she is good at and that we work on everyday. The trainer  
thought it was cute when she hid under the chair and wouldn't come out for
the first 10 minutes!
I love her dearly but her increased separation anxiety and the peeing in the
house is just so much. She is not a balanced happy dog and I don't know
what else to do.
We are willing to do anything we can for her. I would not like to give her any
vet prescribed medication unless you think it is absolutely necessary.

Answer
Hi, Laurie,

Bless you for taking this dog in.

Dachshunds are notoriously hard to housebreak. Have you considered giving her a place with some wee-wee pads so that she's not necessarily housebroken but also "paper trained?" It might be a viable option for now, or at least until her emotional problems are resolved. (This may be the very reason she was put in the shelter in the first place.) Also, you must never scold her for making mistakes. With her fear issues it'll only make matters worse. The reason she's going in the house rather than outside is probably because of her fear issues (at least partly). So we have to work on those first before she'll feel safe enough and comfortable enough to go to the bathroom outdoors.

Dogs have been bred to perform certain tasks for us, usually involving their prey drive. Even herding breeds are using a part of the wolf's prey drive when they herd sheep, etc. So my recommendation for putting your dachshund's emotions back on track would be to give her the feeling that she's "working for a living." (See below.) I'd also recommend that you cut back on the amount of physical affection you're giving her. It might sound cruel, but what happens when she comes to you for comfort, or for help in reducing her emotional stress, and you cuddle and pet her, is that you're teaching her that she can't deal with her emotional stress on her own; she needs you to do it FOR her. That would be fine, I suppose, if you were there 24/7 to comfort her, etc. But you're not. And you're not there, she doesn't know how to de-stress on her own.

Here's an exercise that gives her the feeling of working for a living: hand feed her all her meals outdoors, using the pushing exercise, where you hold her food in one hand and put the other against her chest. As she eats slowly pull the food slightly away from her so that she has to push into your other hand to continue eating. This requires her to exert some effort and kind of gives her the feeling that she's "working." Here's a link that explains it further: http://tinyurl.com/3balu6

If you do nothing else, please do this exercise.

Once the pushing exercise has given her the feeling of overcoming resistance in order to get what she wants, you can begin playing tug-of-war with her, also outdoors. This goes a long way to satisfying a dog's predatory instincts. If she doesn't want to play tug some things that might help are teasing her with the tug rag (an old sock or a bandanna), and then hiding it under a rug or a pillow. Both dachshunds and fox terriers were bred to go into fox or badger holes so they're naturally attracted to things that are "hiding" under things. Here's another link: http://www.tiny.cc/tug

Fetch is also a good game.

All of these things will hopefully put her emotions back on track and make her feel more like a self-confident dog again, and less like a lost little child who needs her mommy. I know that the "lost little child" thing may be part of what makes you love her so much, but treating her like that won't help her get through her emotional problems. Teaching her to "hunt" will.

You're already doing her a lot of good by taking her on long walks, and taking her to obedience class. I'd just use a tug rag or a tennis ball in training rather than just treats. The more attracted she is to playing, the healthier she'll be emotionally. (Another link: http://www.tiny.cc/playbenefits )

Sorry to give you so much homework, but she's in a lot of distress and if you ask me, she needs to develop more confidence in order to feel comfortable about relieving herself outdoors.

Best of luck,

LCK