Canine Behavior/urinating

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Expert: Alan J Turner, SATS LL1 - 12/27/2006


Question
I have a 7 year old Australian shepherd/German shepherd mix female dog named Dakota.  I have owned her for 5 years now.  She is an inside dog.  For about the last 2 months she has been urinating in the house.  She normally goes in the same spot, on the carpet.  Prior to this she went outside. She goes on the carpet almost everyday.  Either when I am asleep or at work.  Sometimes it has a strong odor.  I am feeding Pedigree dog food.  

Answer
Dear leigha,
Thanks for the question. Any time there is a sudden change in elimination habits, (such as a previously house trained dog starts using the house), it is very likely to be a medical issue.

Please take Dakota to your vet for a wellness checkup with the specific goal of ruling out or identifying any medical contributors that could be linked to elimination disorders.

Once you've ruled out the most obvious suspect (medical problem) write back to me and we'll try and figure out the cause.

Thanks, Happy Training!

Alan

http://howsbentley.com  

Canine Behavior

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Alan J Turner, SATS LL1

Expertise

Puppy questions about House Training, Crate Training, Play-biting? Please visit my website. Site address is http://www.howsbentley.com.

I will answer all questions about canine behavior and training, training methods and equipment. Be ready to provide dog's name, age, sex, breed and how long you have owned the dog. In addition, it'd be great for me to know how long the problem has been occurring, what you have tried to solve the problem(s) and what were the results.

The more information you provide me - the better equipped I will be to offer sound, helpful advice! Thank you.

Experience

13 years as a trainer, the most recent 6 years as a canine behavior counselor specializing in abnormal behavior modification (i.e. fear, aggression, et cetera).

Organizations
Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT)

CredentialsAttend workshops and seminars for professional trainers / counselors regularly
Member: Association of Pet Dog Trainers
Certified Syn Alia Training Systems, Lay Level 1 Trainer

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