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Published in the Ithaca Journal on Friday, July 4, 2003
Housebreaking is an ongoing process
Spotlight on Pet Behavior
By MICHELLE BAMBERGER
Special to the Journal
Question: We have a ten-month-old neutered Cairn Terrier named Tigger who is housesoiling. He also urinates when we first arrive home and when visitors come to the door. Lately, he has been urinating on our bed. He has done this in our presence and also when we werenąt in the room. It seems to occur after we arrive home and have taken him outside first. We have yelled at him and put him in his crate. We have had his urine examined by our vet and Tigger does not have a urinary tract infection. We have also tried to be calm around him but lately I have noticed that he approaches us with his ears pinned down, especially when we are near one of his barrier gates. We need to end this behavior. We adore Tigger but his habit will ruin the relationship if it is allowed to continue.Answer: In cases of housesoiling, it is always a good idea to check for infection first. To further rule out medical causes, request that your veterinarian run a basic chemistry profile on Tigger to be sure that he is healthy.
Once that is done, we can consider behavioral causes for the housesoiling. From your detailed letter, it sounds as if Tigger may never have been completely housetrained. You may consider him housetrained if he has gone at least one month without any housesoiling incidents. Some important points to remember when housetraining Tigger are: supervise him very closely whenever he is out of his crate, feed him on a schedule, watch for signs that he has to eliminate, praise him when he eliminates outside and always have him eliminate first and play afterwards.
Tigger may also be housesoiling because he is excited to see you, as when you come home at the end of the day. You mention in your letter that you avoid petting Tigger until he calms down, and this is a good idea. But even though you take him out, he may still be excited when he returns inside, and when in a location where he has previously urinated and which bears a strong scent of you (your bed), he will soil.
In your letter you state that Tigger is beginning to avoid you at the times you would normally have him go into his crate. This is because you have used the crate as a punishment whenever he soils in the house. It is best not to verbally reprimand or punish Tigger when you find a soiled area; instead clean the area well and then use a good deodorizer to remove the smell so he is not drawn back to that location and tempted to eliminate there again. If you catch him in the act, try to startle him with a penny can or air canister and then bring him outside to the place where he normally eliminates. His posture (ears back) indicates that he now fears you. To gain back his confidence, use a low gentle voice and always reward him for good behavior whenever he eliminates appropriately or is being calm. This means you should carry a small bag of treats with you at all times so that you can catch Tigger being good.
For the times when you cannot directly supervise Tigger, you may continue to use the crate, as long as Tigger is not trying to escape it when you are gone or is soiling in the crate. Try to change the way Tigger feels about the crate by leaving the door open and throwing his favorite treats into the crate. When you leave for work, give him a special treat such a Kong stuffed with cheese or peanut butter. If Tigger doesnąt begin to accept his old crate again, you might try training him to a different crate or try gating him in an area where he is most comfortable. If crating and gating donąt work, and you are reluctant to give him the run of the house when you are gone, you might consider doggie day care.
To avoid any further reinforcement of Tigger urinating on your bed, keep the door to your room closed and do not allow him on your bed. If you would like him to be in your room, provide a dog bed and place treats or favorite toys on his bed to encourage him to use it.
Michelle Bamberger is a veterinarian and owner of Vet Behavior Consults (www.vetbehaviorconsults.com), a practice based in Ithaca and devoted exclusively to solving behavioral problems in small, large and exotic animals. Send questions for her column to mjb57@cornell.edu, mail them Care of Jessica Keltz to The Ithaca Journal, 123 West State St., Ithaca, NY, 14850, or fax them to 277-6845.