Expert: Alan J Turner, SATS LL1 - 5/22/2007

Question
We have 2 chihuahuas: 5(Susie) and 4(Mia) year-old spayed females. We adopted Mia at about 9 months from a family who had kept her caged alot and she was used to using the bathroom in her crate on her bedding.  Susie was potty trained to puppy paper and outside (but only if she was already outside).  It took awhile but we got Mia trained also.  The problem: Mia has been behaving strangely the last couple of weeks.  Whatever lap Susie is in, that is the one she wants, and we have been letting both of them in the same lap if Mia will tolerate it.  Also she wants to get on my chest and stare in my face; she isn't as bad with my husband.  Susie let her know she was top dog from the beginning but has now mellowed; Mia though seems to continue to be resentful of Susie most of the time. We have to feed them separately because Susie will take any food away from Mia and although Mia is agressive in other situations with Susie, she is afraid of her when it comes to food. At times Susie licks her and tries to be friends, but most of the time Mia is reserved despite the attention.  Mia has in now in the last week reverted to puppy behavior when it comes to urination.  She will be walking or getting ready to sit and just urinate a puddle, even where she lays.  If we cath her and put her in the mud room where her food/water and potty paper are kept, she refuses to use the paper.  If we don't catch her but find it later, she knows enough to slink off to another room. At other times she goes in her room and uses the paper with no problem.  If you praise her for that, she looks confused/upset. (Susie has a separate room due to the feeding issue).  They both sleep with us and use the same paper at night.  So far there hasn't been a problem at night.  We don't feel it is a physical problem - they just had their annual checkups last month and the urination isn't frequent - she can go all night without going.  Also, if we happen to be gone all day (we're retired and usually home) she may use her paper only once or twice, if at all, even if we're gone 8-10 hours.  Any ideas?

Answer
Dear Doris,
Thanks for the questions. Did their annual checkup include a urinalysis? If not, you should get one for them both.

If there are no medical issues, I would treat them both as if they were never house trained. Here's a quick-start guide and some ideas for treating the elimination-in-crate behavior.

Follow these instructions regardless of your dog’s age.
1.   Get a clean bill-of-health from your veterinarian.
2.   The dog must be confined or constantly supervised at all times while inside.
3.   If you will be gone for periods longer than the dog can wait, set up a confinement area (or larger crate) with a bathroom.  
4.   Use a crate or confinement area to keep your puppy and your house safe anytime you cannot supervise him.
5.   Methodically introduce your dog to the crate and the concept of alone time.
6.   When you are inside and your pup is not crated or confined, use a tether to keep your pup nearby.
7.   Never ever provide your dog with opportunities to soil your house.
8.   Always provide your dog with adequate access to use a specific potty area.
9.   Keep a log of feeding and elimination.
10.   Go out with your dog and lead him to the area.
11.   Teach your dog cues for defecating and urinating on command.
12.   Teach your dog that any rewards are for eliminating outside.
13.   Pay your dog for eliminating outside.
14.   Don’t use interrupters or punishers when you catch him in the act.
15.   Never scold or punish your dog for any potty accidents.
16.   Clean soiled, inside areas with cleaners containing pet odor neutralizers.
17.   When your dog becomes more reliable, gradually grant him supervised access to more and more areas of the house.

Eliminating in the Crate
When accompanied by drooling, and self-injury, and barking, eliminating in the crate can be a sign of separation anxiety. Dogs with separation anxiety have been compared to people that have anxiety attacks. It’s an emotional condition fraught with panic and fear. Crating a dog with true separation anxiety is not a good idea. Even if your dog exhibits only two of these symptoms, he could be truly distressed. If this describes your dog or you are not sure if your dog is having a panic attack, contact a professional.

Most people limit crate time to include only the periods when they are gone, asleep, or unable to supervise their dog. If these periods are too long for the individual dog, then it’s best to arrange for someone to exercise the pup. An alternate plan is to set up the crate or confinement area with a bathroom as discussed previously.

Sometimes a puppy or dog will have already formed poor elimination habits. These guys will eliminate inside their crates and are not offended by the presence of their own excretions. Here’s how I address these situations.

First, rule out medical and behavioral issues that might contribute to inside elimination. purchase a different style of crate. Get an exercise pen. Move the crate to another location and place it inside the exercise pen. Cover the floor of the entire area with newspaper or pee pads.

Here’s a suggestion I read in one of Ian Dunbar’s books. Place plastic on the entire floor of the confinement area and cover the plastic with grass sod. Buy extra sod so that you can rotate the soiled sod outside for cleaning and replace it with clean sod from the outside. Place a crate inside the confinement area with the door removed. Follow the same instructions as newspaper training and slowly remove the grass sod from the area.

For even tougher cases, set up the confinement area with sod and discard the crate. I suggest a raised, cot-like bed. Follow the same instructions as newspaper training.


Good Luck!

AT

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