Potty problem (advice needed for a friend)

[Cincy'sMom]

I need some ideas on re-training a dog. A woman I work with has three dogs…Spanky is a 13 yr old neutered male, Bandit is an 8 yr old neutered male (Corgi mix) and Bailey is a 1 ½ yr old female (Pomeranian).

The issue is with Bandit. He is peeing constantly in her house. She said he marks all the time indoors and out. Anytime she gets new furniture, he marks it. She has even gone to the extreme to tearing up her carpet to try to remove the smell, but he is still marking. She has talked to her vet, and he has suggested a few things to try, and ruled out a medical condition.

As far as dynamics of the group, Spanky is the alpha dog, and Bandit is the coward. She says when company comes, he is the dog cowering under the couch barking.

To me, it sounds like the dog has some insecurities and is unsure of his order in the pack. My advice has been she needs to go back to basic first time potty training. Treat him like a puppy who is not house broken. I have also suggested “Nothing in Life is Free”, to establish herself as pack leader.

Does anyone have any other suggestions? Experience? I know she is about at her wits end, and is thinking of getting rod of the dog, but I asked her to let me talk to a few people, and give her some more ideas to try.

[lizbud]

I think I would give the same advice as you did. Start over
with the potty training & make an effort to catch him in the act
so to speak, then correct the behavior. Have all the dogs always
lived together? Anything changed with the family lately? There
could be many reasons for this. I hope she tries the re training
before giving up on the dog.

[dragondawg]

get some anti-anxiety medication and make puppy a Prozac dog. That may help in the real solution which you have already suggested- back to house breaking training.

[HollywoodNVegas]

Hi!

I think all the advice you have given sounds good thus far. Have the dogs always lived together and have they always been indoor dogs? Is Bandit proven to be the submissive or is that just an assumption? The reason I ask is that even the Bandit is neutered, if he is trying to gain an alpha position, he may be doing so by marking his territory repetitively. Not all dogs stop marking after altering, especially if they were neutered after they started the habit.

Rug-ripping could definitely have something to do with an anxiety issue. New dog? New schedule? New people in your life? Some dogs also display destructive behavior when they are not getting enough exercise.