Need serious advice... frustrated to no end.

[Nobas Mom]

I'm not sure what Noba's recent problem is, but he has been severely acting up. Unfortunately the weather has not been all that great, so we haven't been able to go out for walks or for trips to the doggie park (it's been raining so much), so exercise with him has been minimal. For the last few days, he's been acting out by doing things like nipping at my roommate's feet, chasing the cats more and more and peeing in the house when he just comes back in from outside. I took a urine sample to the vet and they ruled out a UTI or anything like that, so I can't explain the peeing on the kitchen floor. I am just so frustrated with him... I can't stand it. Any advice. Unfortunately I do work two jobs and some days I'm only home with him for about 4 hours, but my three roommates are almost always home and they give him as much love and attention as he can handle. I almost feel bad for him and have had a passing thought that maybe he needs a new home, but then I feel horrible for even thinking that and I don't think it is something I could ever go through. I love the dog too much to part with him... I've been through too much with him health wise, he's my baby... I just don't know how much more I can take... help...

[catnapper]

I need more info... how old is he? How long have you had him? What breed is he? Are these new bahaviors or ones he has always had?

[Nobas Mom]

Noba is a 16 month old basset hound, I've had him since he was 8 weeks old... he's the sweetest dog in the world and I couldn't imagine life without him... as frustrated as I get with him... just seeing his sweet face when I get home or wake up puts a smile on my face. He's always been a dog that commands a lot of attention, but recently he just seems to be acting up. And I can't fathom the ridiculous amount of peeing he's been doing. I take him out 20-25 minutes at a time and he goes and goes outside, then when he comes in, he goes to the kitchen or bathroom floor (thank goodness not the carpet) not 15 minutes later and pees again. He was neutered last week, and I thought maybe he had a urinary infection, but after the sample was taken to the vet, they said he was fine. I'm just so frustrated with him, could it be the lack of exercise???

[Karen]

Have you done any obedience training with him? Is he all recovered from the neutering? Lack of exercise could explain the nipping - he's bored, but I don't know about the peeing.

[Nobas Mom]

Have you done any obedience training with him? Is he all recovered from the neutering? Lack of exercise could explain the nipping - he's bored, but I don't know about the peeing.

My boyfriend and I did put him through an obedience class when he was younger, but we were asked to leave after three classes because Noba was more interested in playing with all the puppies more than paying attention (although outside of class he was picking up on all the training perfectly)... so I guess no, he has not been through formal training...

As far as being fully recovered from his neutering, he seems to be... he is back to his playful cheerful sweet self... just seems to be acting up for whatever reason. The excessive peeing is not explained. I just began switching his food a few days ago and he does seem to be drinking more water... ????

I figured the nipping was from lack of exercise, but unfortunately with the Seattle weather being crazy lately (rain and snow), taking him to the park or on walks is not an option...

I dunno, I'm just frustrated with him that's all...

[catnapper]

My boyfriend and I did put him through an obedience class when he was younger, but we were asked to leave after three classes because Noba was more interested in playing with all the puppies more than paying attention (although outside of class he was picking up on all the training perfectly)... so I guess no, he has not been through formal training...

What?!?! I hope you demanded a full refund! I have NEVER asked someone's puppy to leave over playfullness... biting another dog on the nose, yes, but not playfullness.

Lots of peeing also could be a sign of diabetes. I believe you need a blood test, not a urine test to determine that.

AS for the nipping.... ignore him, ignore him, ignore him. Its all for attention, Yelling at him and shooing him away is unfortunately rewarding the veryt behavior you're trying to eliminate. Dogs don't care if you're screaming at them or cooing. They don't care if youre caressing or kicking. Its all the same to them: its attention. Remove the attention and the misbehavior will cease.... but you have to be 100% consistent.

[catnapper]

Oh, I forgot.... is he on any meds at the moment? steroids or anything? I ask about steroids because they're famous for increasing thirst and making them pee like crazy.

16 months old is rather late to have him neutered, but I'm glad you did. The peeing could also likely be result of him leaving his scent behind for fellow girlie basset hounds. This may or may not stop because you waited so long that the behavior is now habit. You won't really know for a few weeks because the hormones are still in his system and they'll take a few weeks to fade away.

[Nobas Mom]

What?!?! I hope you demanded a full refund! I have NEVER asked someone's puppy to leave over playfullness... biting another dog on the nose, yes, but not playfullness.

Lots of peeing also could be a sign of diabetes. I believe you need a blood test, not a urine test to determine that.

AS for the nipping.... ignore him, ignore him, ignore him. Its all for attention, Yelling at him and shooing him away is unfortunately rewarding the veryt behavior you're trying to eliminate. Dogs don't care if you're screaming at them or cooing. They don't care if youre caressing or kicking. Its all the same to them: its attention. Remove the attention and the misbehavior will cease.... but you have to be 100% consistent.

Yeah, my boyfriend did get his money back and I was pretty upset about him being "kicked out of class", he was 3 1/2 months old, so of course he is gonna wanna play...

I've thought about diabetes being a possibility, but I don't wanna face that possibility. The poor baby already has enough problems (diagnosed with hip displaysia at 8 months old and all)... but I guess I will call his vet on Monday to make an appt just in case. Maybe bring in another urine sample for more tests just to be sure.

I am consistent with ignoring him, unfortunately my roomies get fed up and yell at him when he nips... he only does it when he wants to play. I guess I just feel that working two jobs is too much on him and then with the weather not being cooperative and all... I just want to know that I'm doing everythign I can to make him happy. I am seriously on the verge of crying thinking that my baby is not happy, that he is not getting all the love and attention he deserves... shoot, I am crying just reading this as I write. I think about him being miserable and it kills me, it hurts me to the core... Thinking about even rehoming him (which is really not a possibility) makes me want to die, but then I think about the fact that he would get all the attention he needs, but could anyone ever love him as much as I do????

[agilityk9trainer]

I agree that your dog shouldn't have been kicked out of puppy class for wanting to play with the other dogs. I suggest you find a new obedience trainer. It will help tremendously.

Also, you need to find alternate methods of exercise for Noba. If it's raining and you can't get out, find a Doggie Daycare for Noba to go to. There, he will play all day with the other dogs. You can even find a Doggie Daycare that also provides training. Then, Noba can play until tired and also learn manners.

As far as the peeing goes, my understanding is that it takes several weeks for the testosterone to work out of a dog's system. He's still marking. What are you doing when he pees? What is your reaction to it?

[Nobas Mom]

Oh, I forgot.... is he on any meds at the moment? steroids or anything? I ask about steroids because they're famous for increasing thirst and making them pee like crazy.

16 months old is rather late to have him neutered, but I'm glad you did. The peeing could also likely be result of him leaving his scent behind for fellow girlie basset hounds. This may or may not stop because you waited so long that the behavior is now habit. You won't really know for a few weeks because the hormones are still in his system and they'll take a few weeks to fade away.

The only meds he is on is for his HD (glucosamine, fish oil and MSM), but he's been on those since he was diagnosed 8 months ago. I got him fixed now because I could finally afford it and I don't wanna breed him because of his HD. The only change in anything with him is the food. I started switching him from IAMS to Innova Evo three days ago, and that's about the time his thirst increased.

[Nobas Mom]

I agree that your dog shouldn't have been kicked out of puppy class for wanting to play with the other dogs. I suggest you find a new obedience trainer. It will help tremendously.

Also, you need to find alternate methods of exercise for Noba. If it's raining and you can't get out, find a Doggie Daycare for Noba to go to. There, he will play all day with the other dogs. You can even find a Doggie Daycare that also provides training. Then, Noba can play until tired and also learn manners.

As far as the peeing goes, my understanding is that it takes several weeks for the testosterone to work out of a dog's system. He's still marking. What are you doing when he pees? What is your reaction to it?

Doggie daycare is something that I've thought about, but all the ones in my area have bad reputations... they allow aggressive dogs with docile dogs. The better ones are in Seattle which is over an hour away... but I will look into something like that!

He never marked the house before he was neutered, so it's new behavior. Unfortunately I don't catch him peeing, it happens when I'm not looking and I find it a few minutes later, so scolding him is not an option... ????? Any advice????

He's a great dog when he has adequate exercise... the peeing is the most frustrating thing for me. I live with three cats, and they just don't wanna play like he does... he doesn't understand that...

[agilityk9trainer]

so the food change occurred the same time the urniation problem did? I missed that somehow. There may well be a link there. A change in food can trigger diabetes. If he's drinking more water, I would have him tested. However, a urnine test can be done for diabetes (althoubh a blood test will be more accurate). The vet can do a quick stick test to see if he's splling sugar into the urnine. Blood tests will tell the actual glucose level in the blood. I think I would give my vet a call and see what they think.

If he's having a potty problem that is behavorial, and you aren't catching him at it, then what is he learning? That it's OK to pee in the house! Yes, you're right that you can't punish if you don't catch him in the act, but it's your responsiblity to make sure he's never alone and unwatched if he's having issues.

There are a couple methods you can use to keep him near you. One is the umblicial cord method. Get a long lead and tie it up to your waist or belt loop. Put the other end on your dog. Then, where ever you go, your dog will go to. You'll be able to watch for accidents. Downfall....the leash can knock things over.

The method I use is the baby gate method. Get a baby gate. As you move from room to room, have your dog with you. Baby gate him into the room you're in. Then you can watch him at all times. If you leave the room, he must come with you. This is 100 percent with him. When you need to shower, etc., put him in a crate.

If it's behavioral, catching him in the act will help. Remember, if you catch him, don't spank. This can actually backfire for you. Just say "NOO!" (not mean or harsh, more like an alarm). Immediately pick him up and take him outside. When he goes outside, give him a treat and praise him.

But first, I'd call the vet.

[Nobas Mom]

I'm gonna call the vet on Monday and schedule an appt for him. He is / was FULLY housetrained up until the last few days... never had an accident in the house, so I'm not sure what to do... the tethering method is what I used when he was housetraining when he was a pup... so it seems strange to "regress", but going back to basics may help. Thanks for the advice on that...

[Nobas Mom]

so the food change occurred the same time the urniation problem did? I missed that somehow. There may well be a link there. A change in food can trigger diabetes. If he's drinking more water, I would have him tested. However, a urnine test can be done for diabetes (althoubh a blood test will be more accurate). The vet can do a quick stick test to see if he's splling sugar into the urnine. Blood tests will tell the actual glucose level in the blood. I think I would give my vet a call and see what they think.

If he's having a potty problem that is behavorial, and you aren't catching him at it, then what is he learning? That it's OK to pee in the house! Yes, you're right that you can't punish if you don't catch him in the act, but it's your responsiblity to make sure he's never alone and unwatched if he's having issues.

There are a couple methods you can use to keep him near you. One is the umblicial cord method. Get a long lead and tie it up to your waist or belt loop. Put the other end on your dog. Then, where ever you go, your dog will go to. You'll be able to watch for accidents. Downfall....the leash can knock things over.

The method I use is the baby gate method. Get a baby gate. As you move from room to room, have your dog with you. Baby gate him into the room you're in. Then you can watch him at all times. If you leave the room, he must come with you. This is 100 percent with him. When you need to shower, etc., put him in a crate.

If it's behavioral, catching him in the act will help. Remember, if you catch him, don't spank. This can actually backfire for you. Just say "NOO!" (not mean or harsh, more like an alarm). Immediately pick him up and take him outside. When he goes outside, give him a treat and praise him.

But first, I'd call the vet.

On a lighter note, picking up a 55lb basset hound to take him outside is not an option... , just needed to interject some humor there!

[areias]

I would say obedience class, or an at-home trainer or behaviorist for helping you with personal troubles like the cat, nipping, etc.

As far as the peeing goes-I would get bloodwork done. My cattle dog has had a "peeing problem" since I got him-he's 9 months old now, but always had to urinate frequently (every 1/2 hour) and thus causing accidents in the house. While we were doing the bloodwork and other things, diabetes insipidus, Addison's Disease, and kidney failure were the three things we were looking out for. The bloodwork showed no signs of any of them, we gave him measured amounts of water and his urine concentrated and no accidents happened-he was actually diagnosed with polydipsia, he just drinks too much water. So although everything IS checking out okay with the urinalysis, bloodwork should be done to rule out anything else (such as the kidneys, etc). The urinalysis should be showing whether or not there is sugar in the urine, which could be a sign of diabetes. The bloodwork is usually about $100 and well worth knowing what is going on. I would talk in depth with your vet about the problem, there could be a number of underlying causes not visible by simply a urinalysis.

If all else fails, is he crate trained? You may need to go back to square 1 and re-housebreak him, have him in his crate when someone isn't supervising him. When you have him out, have him close by or tied to you with a leash so you can catch him before he goes and usher him outside.

I wouldn't rehome him. Having a dog without problems is hard enough to find a home for-if he continues his problems in a new home, they may not have the patience and may be continuously passed on until he ends up at a shelter (where he may or may not find a home) or until he ends up on a chain in someones backyard. Unfortunately, that is how a lot of "problem" dogs end up.