in need of advice

[evelyn1157]

i really need some advice!!my going to be 11 months old female shih tzu, zoey has been doing her 'business' on my bed when i'm not looking for the past few weeks. she urinates and defeacates on my bed when she knows i'm not looking. she has even done it on my parent's bed. if i'm around her, she'll do it where she's suppose to but when i'm not she'll do it on my bed.why is there a sudden change of habit in her?
one more thing, she's still not on heat yet. is that normal?

[LoudLou]

RUH ROH! Poor Zoey and poor Mommie I hope she is ok and not sick. This sound like a job for Carrie. I bet she'd be able to help you. Hang in there Zoey and try to be good, help is I'm sur soon to be on the way!

[carrie]

11 months is not too old for Zoey not to have had a season. You really shouldn't be concerned for another 9 - 12 months so plenty of time.
It may be that she is sexually maturing at the moment and that could be a factor in her current behaviour.
If Zoey is actually choosing to toilet on your bed, rather than it being a medical problem where she really doesn't have control of her bladder and bowels, then I can help.

Zoey is feeling confused and anxious about her role in life. This type of behaviour is reaction to her emotional stress and is not something she does to upset you in any way - it is her way of trying to make herself feel better.

Here is a guess.....She sleeps in the bed with you doesn't she? If not then she is allowed on the bed during the day?

Now how to stop it - what you have to do is take away the stress and anxiety that Zoey is living with at the moment.
She needs you to take on the role of a confident and secure leader and that will allow her to feel secure and safe. At the moment she doesn't see you as a competent leader and so is trying to take on that responsibility herself.
She is not very good at it and she knows it. This means that the pack will fall apart at the seams and all the members are in mortal peril (in her eyes anyway)!!!!! As the reluctant leader it is her job to keep everyone together and disciplined, make decisions on moving, hunting, sleeping, defending the territory, the pack structure, who is in and who's not etc. etc. etc. That is tough enough for a dominant dog with only other dogs to cope with. When most of the pack speak a different language it is hopeless! On top of that they keep getting lost! They just go out trapping her inside and leaving her to worry how on Earth they will survive without the leader there to protect them!! When they come back they greet her as though she is the leader, making a big fuss of her and before she has time to make the next decision someone else has got lost!! In this state of constant anxiety she does the only thing she can and puts all her efforts into making the den as safe as possible by marking, marking and marking again (she doesn't see it as a disgusting mess on your bed but as a very strong warning to anyone that might threaten her pack to back off and to you that the den is as safe as she can make it).

Once you understand the reason for the behaviour it is a lot easier to handle and cope with.
You have to take control of the pack and take responsibility off Zoey - she doesn't want it anyway! To do this you must behave in a way that will convince her that you are a worthy leader and that she can trust you to keep the pack safe.
Here is a list to save a little time and space-

Don't allow her on the beds.
Don't leave food down for her - feed her, give her fifteen minutes to eat and then pick up the food until the next meal time.
Don't pay any attention to her at all if she comes to you asking for a fuss - it will only make her feel worse in the long run!
Don't pay her any attention when you come into a room where she is, not even looking at her.
Wait for her to lie down away from you for at least five minutes (time it on a clock!) before you call her over for a fuss.
Get the whole family to do the same ALL the time.
Shut bedroom doors when you are not there.
Even if she is trying very hard to get your attention pretend she is not there, keep your heart rate as low as you can and avoid eye contact.


If you can do these things - and it sounds easier than it really is, especially at first - you will see a change in two to three days. You must keep it up and be strict with yourselves!

Good luck - let me know how you get on!

[evelyn1157]

thanx for replying.
it is not a medical problem. she juz choose to toilet on my bed when i'm not looking. she doesn't sleep on my bed though. and she seems to be barking alot lately too. she barks at whatever sounds there are. for example, car alarm being activated, sound of the gate, etc.

[sabies]

Carrie -

I have a question related to your comment. How do you treat a dog when you first come home? When I walk in the door my dog is all over me so I dote on her, should I not do that?

I knew about pack behavior and dominance but didn't think it had much relevance to my spoiled little dog until her eating problem. Since she responded so well to your suggestions on feeding I'd like to understand more about how a pack leader should act!

[carrie]

Good question.
This is a thing that many people find very difficult to accept.
We see it as an affectionate and friendly gesture that our dog rushes up to us when we come in.
What is actually happening is ritualised greeting and is exactly the same as the greeting seen in wolf packs. All memebers of the pack greet each other depending on rank. The Alpha, or leader, will stand quite still and turn his head away from such greetings by his subordinates, avoiding eye contact and totally ignoring the fuss. This asserts dominance and reinforces the subordinate position of the greeter. He will acknoweldge lower ranking idividuals only on his terms in his own time when they are behaving in a calm and respectful way.

So the easiest thing in the world for your dog to understand is for you to advertise the fact that you are the leader of the pack by acting in the same way.
Whenever you come into the room your dog is in pretend that it is not there, what ever it does to gain attention. It is not looking for you to be affectionate towards it- it wants acknowledgment of it's high rank in the pack.
Eventually the dog will accept that you are not going to acknowledge it and it will go to lie down and have a think (often it will be thinking of another way to get your attention!). It may come back two or three times to try again before giving up. If you wait until the dog has been lying away from you for at least ten minutes (time this on a clock) then call the dog over to you the dog will be just as happy to see you but will understand the very strong message you have been displaying.
This can be very hard to do for a lot of people as we are programmed to empathise with our dogs feelings as though the dog is human. Once you see it working though it is clear that the dog really does respect the message you give it.

Give it a try the next time you visit a freind with a dog - ignore their dog until it stops asking for attention, lies down away from you for ten minutes and then call it over. You will see the attitude of the dog change towards you.

[sabies]

thanks Carrie, I definitely haven't been acting like a leader but I'll try to now!

[carrie]

Beware - it is harder to do than it sounds!!!!!!!!!