Help! My dog is "messing" in the house and other nasty stuff!

[signorelli21]

wow, thats an interesting problem!!!

i think the best way to train him would be to take a few days off of work, or adjust your schedule (s) so that someone is always around when he gets the urge, so you can correct him. he probably doesn;t know he is doing anything wrong, and he doesn't need to go when you let him out because he goes when you leave ( my dog did the same thing)

i have a couple questions that may help us help you.

1. what kind of food do you feed him? you mentioned his stools were usually loose and infrequent. and do you feed him at regular intervals or just keep his bowl full?

2. have you taken him to the vet to rule out any health issues?

3. how big is the crate you keep him in? he shouldn't have enough room to move around enough to go potty without standing in it.

i used to leave my dog in the kitchen ( tile floor ) and there would always be a minefield at the far end when i came home. i started putting her in a cage that came with a divider so you can increase/decrease the amount of room they have, if its too big then they will just go in the corner and still have enough room to not lay in it. may sound cruel but trust me its not, and it works.

also he is probably bored, do you give him plenty of things to chew on?

[butrrfly23]

I do have a few days off coming up in a week or two so maybe I can try to do some of this training/correction then. To answer your questions:

1. what kind of food do you feed him? you mentioned his stools were usually loose and infrequent. and do you feed him at regular intervals or just keep his bowl full?

We feed the dogs Nutro Natural choice, Large Breed adult (with glucosamine chondroitin. Both dogs are around 60 pounds. I actually feed both of the dogs 3 times a day, which is basically every time we are eating (we always eat first, then feed the dogs). Both of them get a measured portion at each meal and both of them eat their entire portion. I come home from work for lunch every day and have just taken the total amount of food they're supposed to get per day according to their weight and the food bag directions and divided it up for 3 meals a day. About every other day at dinner time, I mix wet Nutro dog food in with the dry food, but the majority of the time they get just dry food alone.

2. have you taken him to the vet to rule out any health issues?

He was at the vet not too long ago for his full yearly exam (fecal exam came back clean) and shots. He has done this type of thing ever since we got him at 5 months old, so for about 14 months or so, there haven't really been many changes. Now I didn't bring this exact issue up with the vet this last time, I guess because this is how he's always been so I think I've just become accustomed to it but maybe I do need to ask the vet, just to be sure.

3. how big is the crate you keep him in? he shouldn't have enough room to move around enough to go potty without standing in it.

We have stopped keeping him in the crate when we're away. We kept him in a crate (a pretty good sized crate where he can stand up and turn around even now that he's full grown) for a long time but started "weaning" him off of the crate several months ago. Our other dog, Ginger, has never stayed in a crate, and is an angel in the house. Roscoe did a lot of chewing and destructive behavior up until a couple of months ago, but now that he's about 19 months old, most of that has seemed to stop. He would almost always poop in his crate and eat it from the time we first brought him home, so I just figured taking a step back into the crate wouldn't do much good. However, maybe the problem is that the crate we have for him is too big? Maybe we should move him to a slightly smaller crate to see if he will stop this behavior, then graduate him up to larger areas of the house?

As far as being bored...on the plus side, I give both the dogs a good brisk 30 to 40 minute walk with backpacks carrying water bottles to tire them both out first thing in the morning, every day. Occasionally we also take a short walk in the evenings as well. For toys I only allow them to have two identical Nylabones to chew on (they have to be the same or they fight over which one is more valuable). I have found them to be the only type of toy that Roscoe can't chew into tiny pieces and swallow with his powerful jaws. I've also found that giving them more selections of toys, can tend to cause dominance battles over which one will possess the more valuable toys. So we keep it simple with one of the same bone per dog.

On the negative side, my husband and I both have very hectic schedules and are not the best at finding time for things like obedience training or play. We'll play with the dogs for a few minutes some evenings and more on the weekends, but all day long, other than me coming home for lunch, it's just the two of them and their bones. They do play together and wrestle quite a bit, which keeps them both occupied and helps to keep their energy levels under control throughout the day. This was another reason why we liked the idea of keeping them both out of the crate, so they could play together and not get so bored all day.

All in all, I'm sure that we could put more time in towards playing and obedience training, but generally, they do get a lot of walks and playtime with each other.

By the way, when we are here at the house, he is really good about letting us know when he has to go out. He comes up to us and sits, staring straight at us giving a few high-pitched, loud "Arf's!", we take him out and he goes, no problem.

I hope that info helps. I am open to any more ideas anyone has.

Thanks!

[dab_20]

Since you said his stools are soft and he eats it, I thought maybe it was his dog food. I feed my dogs Nutro also, and they do very well on it. Maybe a vet check is nessecery just to rule out any health problems. I recommend keeping your eye on him all the times, as if he was a little puppy again. Don't let him have full rein of the house until he stops going inside. Sorry I really don't have much advice other then keeping him with you at all times to correct him in the act.
Hope he's trained soon enough. Good Luck.

Your exercise plans sound very much like Cesar Millan is always telling people! I'm reading his book currently.

[butrrfly23]

Oh, yes, Cesar is my hero! I've really learned so much from watching how he works with dogs, especially those with poor social skills. Probably the biggest lesson I've learned is how important it is to control my frustration and emotions when (esp. my rescue dog Ginger) acts in an antisocial way. It's starting to sink in how my emotions and anxiety about a situation transfers right to my dogs and then they pick up on it and act on it. Also, the exercise regimen has definitely helped A LOT and I am starting to improve my skills with properly walking them. When they're tired they are so much more tractable and easier to work with.

I think going back to the crate might just be the answer. I might try to see if I can get a crate for him that is just a bit smaller than the one we have. The one we have is probably 2' deep x 3' wide x 2' high. He's a decent sized dog, but this crate could easily hold a large Labrador and although he is stocky and weighs about 60 lbs, he's very compact (like most APBT's) so his size is more like a medium dog. He can easily go potty in the crate, do his nasty thing and still have room to lay down without getting in it. Maybe if I shorten up the option and don't give him as much room to move about, he'll be less likely to do that.

I'm looking forward to my few days off coming up in a week or so. I plan to stick around the house as much as possible and keep a good eye on him.

I will definitely have the vet check him out as well, though.

Thanks for the advice and ideas!

[signorelli21]

yea definately try the crate again, i got mine at walmart for 55 dollars that is pretty large but comes with a divider so you can make it however large or small you want it. i bet he will stop messing in his cage if he has to lay in it.

you have any picures of him? i love pit bulls

[butrrfly23]

Ok, here's a picture of both our beasties sleeping side by side on their blankey. The reddish dog on the left is Ginger, a Rhodesian Ridgeback/Lab mix, and Roscoe is the Pit Bull, the little Buckskin on the right. I think he has a lot of Staffie in him because of the shape of his snout.