Expert: Delores Beck - 5/31/2011

Question
QUESTION: I got my 3 year old Cocker when he was 8 months old, the owner worked all day and he was left alone most of the time, she said he was house trained but he was not, he was hyper-excitable and I almost gave up on him because my Doberman hated him and went into a depression - wouldn't eat, drink, get out of bed and started peeing in his area of the kitchen. Eventually after much frustration things worked out, he got the idea about toilet training, stopped chewing and the Doberman started to play with him, even though they are still very jealous of each other getting attention from me or other people. However, from time to time with no obvious reason, he poohs in the house and its a nightmare because he doesn't do it in one spot - he turns in a circle and leaves endless piles. I had to throw away my lounge rug because of this and now we just have hard cold floors all over the ground floor, just because of a dog. I cut down his food because he was very overweight and extremely greedy, this made the piles smaller but he still poohed at random. He will literally continue to eat as long as food is available,and will steal it if he can, he seems obsessed with eating and is constantly following me around the kitchen in the hopes of receiving a snack, he will growl at me sometimes if he doesn't get food when he wants it - obviously he doesn't get rewarded for this. We go out everyday for walks - at least 40 mins but nothing is done to a specific time because I used to work shifts and it was impossible, now I am home all the time but have never been a fixed routine sort of person. He tells me if he wants to wee and usually can contain his pooh for very long periods - sometimes if I have been unable to take him for a walk he has gone 36 hours with no distress and no indoor poohing. My dogs are trained to wee on a grid outside and if he needs to he will pooh there as well, although mostly he does it at the beginning of our walks, but still I will get these unpredictable piles which may happen for a few consecutive days and then stop again. When he does it I do get angry - he can tell from the way I say "Oh no not again!" and he runs and hides under the table. I get him out and put him on a lead, shout "No" and tie him to the end of the staircase, I am angry when I do this. I have also physically punished him with smacking in absolute frustration because he knows how to alert me and that the toilet is outdoors. I find this difficult to cope with because I have also had a problem with the Doberman - her bladder was damaged during spaying and she has problems with incontinence when she is deeply asleep - she now takes medication and it seems under control but now and again she will go and wee somewhere in the house upstairs - on the carpet, also with seemingly no reason as she is not asleep up there. I restrict the volume of water available at any one time because the cocker will guzzle the lot, he is even greedy with water, they are not deprived of food or water but it is controlled, the Doberman will ask for water if she needs extra. I am at my wits end, last week he had diarrhoea literally all over the kitchen and as I had young grandchildren there at the time it was terrible; I know if he's feeling a tummy upset it might be an accident but he had made no effort to alert me and it was like a demon had sprayed semi-formed faeces everywhere and I lost my temper and screamed at him, since then we have had a pile everyday, despite obviously cleaning the floor with disinfectant. However this doesn't explain the previous episodes. I wonder if he is so jealous of the attention the children get it gave him diarrhoea and he did it on purpose for attention!! He has so many lovely qualities, very loving, but I just wish I could get him to stop. I am wondering if my Doberman has started the wee-ing because she sees him getting attention for his performance, even though it is negative attention. I am fearful that as we all get older these problems will magnify, I can't bear the idea of giving my pets away, especially as they get older, but I can't bear the thought of myself as an elderly woman finding piles of pooh and urine randomly produced and living in a stinking utilitarian home furnished like a kennel. Before this last episode it had been several months since he had performed. I really hope you can help me, it is driving me up the wall and sometimes I really feel like I hate the cocker, then I feel guilty as if he knows and then I feel ridiculous for analysing a dogs mind as if it was human.

ANSWER: Regarding your Dobie and the incontinence, I'd advise a chat with your vet as the medication she's on can be adjusted.

Now..the cocker..dogs don't have diarrhea on purpose.  So I have some questions.

How often are they walked?
What are you feeding and how often?
How is his weight?
Do you live in an apt. or a house?  Fenced in yard or not?  Are they let out often?
When you say he'll "overdrink" - how much?
And think back - just when do these accidents happen?  Time of day?  You're home or not?
Perhaps when other people are in the house?

Dogs should always have access to water and any dog who is drinking too much needs to see the vet.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for the quick response. I walk the dogs an average of three times daily, always together and usually at least 40 mins at a time, I rarely go out without them. The cocker will pooh every time - even if its only a tiny amount its like he forces it out. They are fed once a day, about 11.00 usually, with dog food from a can, sometimes a dried food Bakers, and they have a small quantity of leftovers for a snack in the evening, if no leftovers, a small piece of cheese or a cracker or piece of bread but the cocker tends to get vegetables mostly because of his weight issue and the Doberman won't eat veges so she will have the other food. The cocker has gone from 22kgs down to 17kgs and the vet says this is fine for him as he is large for the breed (welsh). My yard is not fenced so I take them out on the lead to the grid, they always go together even though it is usually only one of them who indicates the need, then they will both wee to order. If they don't show me they want to go I take them out anyway about every 6 hours unless there has been a walk in that time. The cocker exhibits no signs of thirst and does not wee excessively unless he has drunk excessively, he has been tested negative for diabetes. I put down two bowls of water - one intended for each dog, the bowls hold about 750mls each. The cocker will drink at least half the water from his own bowl straight after eating and then throughout the day consume the contents of both bowls, if I replace the water he will drink that as well, he isn't ever dry around the nose or mouth, or constipated even if I don't replace the water. I estimate for his weight he needs about 500mls a day for proper hydration but left to his own devices he is getting over 1500 mls! The Doberman will just get up for a few laps now and then and if there is nothing left she will push the bowl around and whine for more. They are not deprived of water but the cocker will literally consume whatever goes down and then obviously needs to wee it all out. If it's not there - he's not bothered, that's what makes me think it's a psychological need to keep swallowing! The vet told me to limit the water by lifting it overnight so he doesn't have unlimited access. I think the medication is right for the Dobie as she used to drip and now she doesn't, she seems to do the wee upstairs on the  rare occasions I am out without her - but randomly, not regularly or every time I am out, but it doesn't happen when I'm home and I always make sure she goes before I go out. Overnight there are no problems with either pet now poohing or weeing, even if we get up late. I used to work 14 hour shifts and was out of the house over 15 hours at a time and if no-one was available to let them out there would be no accidents so I think the wee-ing upstairs has another cause. My home is a house with stairs and they have free run throughout.

Answer
Re the Dobie - then prevent access to upstairs when you're out.  Once she's gone somewhere, it'll happen again.

Once a day feeding might be part of the problem.  Same amount of food daily but divided into at least two meals - three is better.  

Excessive drinking can indeed be psychological but I'd certainly have his thyroid tested.
It's a simple blood draw so no big deal for him.

I'm still a bit confused about just "when" these cocker accidents are happening and how often - will read your other posts.