Dog is out of control, need advice ASAP!

swimmer1 · 07-24-2007, 06:48 PM

I have a 2 year old, 12-pound yorkshire terrier/poodle mix (a yorkiepoo) and he is a great dog normally. A few weeks ago (which weirdly coincided with him getting a haircut from my wife) he has become more aggressive and more of a troublemaker. He was house-trained for a long time and was doing great but lately he pees in the house during the night, and sometimes the urine is quite dry by morning so he is peeing pretty early in the night (definitely before he has any big urges to pee). He has also peed on one of our beds. We think he is doing this in defiance or just to be a troublemaker, but we're not sure what to do.

My wife wants to get 5 1hr sessions with a dog trainer at a cost of over 500 dollars, which I think is insane. Does anyone have any advice that has been through something similar? We would appreciate any responses. Thanks!

Curbside Prophet · 07-24-2007, 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swimmer1

We think he is doing this in defiance or just to be a troublemaker, but we're not sure what to do.

If you keep thinking in these terms I'm sure you don't know what to do. IMO, it's unfair to the dog and unproductive to be anthropomorphic against him. I would start with a change in persepective and attitude. I'm not attempting to be rude here, but these ideas often lead to overlooking the obvious or worse unnecessary punishment.

That being said, when has your dog last been to a vet? I would rule out a medical condition first. Otherwise, you'll need to search for changes in his environment, including changes in his daily schedule.

swimmer1 · 07-24-2007, 07:48 PM

Thanks for the post prophet.

I only mention the troublemaker thing because he used to be very nice and never aggressive but that seems to have changed a bit and it makes us worry. We're not punishing him excessively when he does something wrong, he is just placed in his cage for a "time out"

He was just to the vet last week, everything checked out very well, he is healthy.

His environment hasn't changed really, my wife and I are both in school and so we can't play with him for hours on end but we do spend quite a bit of time with him.

I guess what I'm trying to figure out is if he is just going through some changes and to let him be or do I need to get a trainer?

Debbie P · 07-24-2007, 08:09 PM

After ruling out any health issues, I would hire a trainer/behaviorist for one session, and see how it goes.

I hired one for $80 an hour, and the first session was all I needed. It was a tremendous help for me and my three dogs, at the time.

Puppy_love_122 · 07-24-2007, 09:32 PM

How much exercise does he get, he may be bored so is making up his own games and way to have fun and entertain himself.

Curbside Prophet · 07-24-2007, 09:51 PM

If he's healthy, and if his environment is unchanged, he may simply need a confidence boost or a refresher on what will be the most rewarding for him. That means giving him a staple of mental, physical, and social stimulation. That means practicing NILIF, and giving him puzzles like feeding him through stuffed Kongs. That means giving him regular exercise (controlled exercise). That means giving him opportunities to be around new and friendly people and dogs. These are the areas I would look to see if you may have slacked off some. And that means working on obedience.

But...there's always a but, isn't there? If he's had a history of not playing nice with others (you said never, is this really true?), even in the slightest sense, I agree 100% with Debbie. Have him evaluated by a certified professional. Why? If he's had some "issues", but they were easily overlooked, yet it's now getting worse, a professional can help tip the scale back in your favor by evaluating your situation at home. They'll be present and will be able to give you and your family feedback on the interactions that take place.

I don't know where you live, or what kind of trainer you were looking into, but $500 is on the high side...just an opinion. $60-$80 I would say is average.

Why he peed on the bed, we can only venture guesses. I prefer to guess in favor of the dog. That's the only reason I pointed out the troublemaker slant because, say he peed to relieve stress. Had he peed right after a haircut he didn't favor, or if he had some razor burn, peeing to reduce stress is common in dogs. Some dogs shake it off, some dogs avoid eye contact, some dogs lick their lips, some dogs yawn, and some dogs pee to reduce stress. If that's the case, and who knows for sure, it's not fair, IMO, to classify him as a troublemaker. I am in no means suggesting you are a bad dog owner...I get mad at my dog too sometimes, but I'm just trying to give reason for you to think of your in a different light, should something surprising happen again.

In the mean time, have you added a nightly potty break to see if it helps any...maybe before you retire for the night?

Durbkat · 07-25-2007, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swimmer1

when he does something wrong, he is just placed in his cage for a "time out"

First you need to stop using his crate for time outs, not trying to be rude, but when you do this you will never get him to go in the crate while you are gone or at night because he will think he is being punished. Since he is peeing at night you need to crate him so he can't do it.

Renoman · 07-25-2007, 07:15 PM

Durbkat is right, crates should never be used as punishment. Ever.