Dog Peeing in House, But Won't on a Walk

[Mellkat86]

I do have to say after last night, she's acting like a slightly changed dog. We caught her lovely in the act, if you can catch a dog peeing lovely, and took her immediately outside. We told her off and left her outside till we were going to bed, as she had already had her night walk. We brought her in and put her straight into the kitchen with her bed, some toys and some paper on the floor and some water. After about half an hour, I went in to check something (as the other half had forgotten to move some mugs off the side, as she stands on her back legs and took a tin of her meat off the side). Found she'd already peed and pood and cleaned it up without talking to her, and just left her for the night. In the morning my other half says that there was some peed but cleaned it up and took her for a walk.

There's a local park around the corner from our house, which is brilliant for us, as there is a closed in tennis court. We brought some bike locks from the pound shop and use them to lock the gates, so the local kids or anyone interested in petting her can't come in or let her out. She loves running round there and keeps coming back, which I'm thinking is more reassurance but that did her the world of good yesterday and today. Especially as today she did her business in the tennis court and did the rest when she came home.

We've found that she can be trusted in the garden off her chain, which she isn't bothered about being on apart from when she catches something with it, but are still a little wary as we've heard she could probably clear the 6ft fence. Our garden is enclosed as well.

But so far today, no more mess in the house. And she's been for the second time outside after I walked her.

Thank you all so much for your advice and it will definitely be taken under consideration. Hopefully things will get better. Neither of us want to give her up as we have both fallen for her badly. Our main concern is her and we just want the best for her.

[Mellkat86]

[Karen]

Awww, pretty girl! Just keep being persistent, and it's great that fenced area is nearby so you can let her use up some of that Husky energy!

[Cataholic]

I may be way off base, and it might be the language/terminology that you are using, but, it seems you are very angry/upset by all this. If that is the case, you really need to adjust somehow. Realize that a dog (or cat) isn't peeing or pooping inappropriately to make you angry. It is doing so because of some issue inside the animal, an issue you haven't yet stumbled upon. Telling a dog off? Leaving her outside until she went to bed? Is that as punishment? That just seems so wrong.

Try positive reinforcement only, and leave the negative stuff where it belongs, somewhere around 1960.

[Mellkat86]

If that is how it is coming across, then that isn't what we are thinking. I guess I should have explained that my partner has never had an actual dog of his own and his parents have mostly had small dogs. I have had experience of dealing with different breeds, meduim to big, and have dealt with strays before. He has always experienced them from puppies.

Plus, because he had seen her showing signs of being house trained, he presumed too much, which I have told him as well. I noted that she may have been house trained, but new there would be some kind of accidents while she was adjusting. I think it was mostly that within 24hrs of being in the house, she had done that many accidents it was a shock for him.

As much as he mentions that she has till friday, I very much doubt she will be going anywhere. As far as I'm concerned she's staying, I myself have dealt with people giving up on me in the past and I see that in her. I'm not gonna let him. But he has been talking a lot about future things, taking her to beach in the summer and such things. If he was hell bent on taking her back, he wouldn't be talking like that.

Now that we have a big plastic sheet covering the living room floor, he's calmed down a lot more now. And last night we saw a woman, who we'd seen Friday night when we had brought her home from the kennel, and remarked on how much change she saw in Mishka's attitude, especially as she started interacting with the woman's dog, German Shepard/Husky, and friday she wouldn't have gone near him. So something's working.

So far today, she's had one accident in the house, but that was because we had such horrible weather this morning, gale force wind and rain. I wouldn't want to go outside either, but we left her out there for ages after her walk so she could have a chance to do it but she wasn't interested till she came in.

What I have noticed, is that when she comes in, she doesn't even sniff around but just does it. I always thought, from dogs in the past, they only pee and such after smelling. This is probably one reason why it is so hard to notice if she is about to do something, because she just does it. If anyone has any other tips of noticing when they are going to do it, then I would love to hear them. There's no change in her behaviour before she does it either from what I've noticed.

[Mellkat86]

I am so proud to say that she did both outside of the house today.
The only problem was when I went to make a big fuss of her, she slightly freaked out but cheese brought her round a bit. I'm starting to think her previous owners just had a go at her all the time, whether she did it outside or inside. She spent the whole time looking sheepish as she was doing her poo, as though she was pleading that she was sorry. I just stood there and kept saying good girl excitedly and pulled the treats out when she was finished, as she's getting very distracted by the treats.

Is there any other way of praising without taking it too much, as she's easily spooked at the minute?

[Karen]

You can wait until she is done, and then just gently pat her, a quietly say "good girl," and just let her know you are happy with her.