Neutered male dog just started peeing in the house

[imported_ellie]

I adopted a lab mix 2 months ago from an animal shelter. He is about 4 years old. He was a stray picked up by the pound so we have no idea what his background is. He was understandably nervous at first but soon settled in and we thought how great it was that he was house trained. Just recently though he's started peeing in the house on walls and random items. He's just been to the vets and is in good health. There are no other animals in the house and none who have visited recently. He's also started getting aggressive when we have certain visitors around. Some people he loves, others he barks and growls at on meeting them. Any ideas on the turn around in his behaviour would be really appreciated. :)

[[email protected]]

I can understand your frustrations. When I brought Lukas home from the shelter he was great. He was fixed and well his mudes changed. He was very agressive toward some people, and also urinated in the house. On our 52 inch TV no less. It got to the point where I actually had to muzzel him because I was afraid he would bite. TO be honest with you it was alot of work and love. But he had to learn to trust us. These are the steps we took. First we got a crate and re crate trained him. He was thrilled with it but with time it worked. We got a spray bottle with water for when he did mess in the house. We never hit or spanked. Since we didnt know his history we didnt want him to think we were just another person that would hit him. (the vet seemed to think that he was abused) When he had an accident in the house we told him he was bad and give him 1 or 2 sprays and then took him outside. We said lets go out. In a positive voice. When he went outside we praised him. It took almost 2 months to get back on track but it happend.

As for the agression its a scary thing. To be honest I dont know what we did that fixed that. We took him for walks to show him that there were alot of people around when he would Bark or groul we would just tell him NO in a firm voice. Like I said when we had people over if we werent sure we musseld him. He didnt like it but he had to see that people were ok and that there wasnt anything to bark or groul at. The other thing we did was told him to get a toy when someone was comming over. The vet thought it be a good idea to keep his mouth full so giving him a toy worked for us. since his mouth was full he didnt bark and just walked all around and wagged his tail. Becareful with this though. He loves our pillows from the couch, but he always goes to get a toy.

I wont lie to you it was a scary process it was learning experience for us all. Luke is now almost 6 and doing well. He isnt agressive and doesnt bark or groul at anyone. I cant remember the last time he made a mistake in the house.

Things to keep in mind because you dont know his past you never know what he went through. Always be positive recognize his error but praise the positives. Give Lots of love and take for walks. We only used the mussel for about 4 month and only when people came but you need to be able to trust him as much as he needs to trust you!

Best of luck to you! If you have any questions or concerns please dont hesitate to ask!

I hope if nothing else I gave you some confidence. I am new to this site! :)

[imported_ellie]

Thanks for the advice Nick. We're just getting frustrated about why he's doing it as he's been really good so far. We think he was possibly abused in the past as he's quite skittish, so the spray idea would probably be better as we don't want him lose trust with us. It's just so strange how they suddenly change. I'm pleased to hear your dog had a breakthrough. Hopefully ours will too :D

[imported_ellie]

I think it's possible that the aggression may be fear based because when he's out on his lead and people approach to talk to him, he becomes aggressive and i'm wondering if that's his defence mechanism. And as we don't know his history it's probably a good prognosis. The peeing however, I'm not sure on. I'm trying to find a pattern as to when he does it. Initially when we got him I was at home with him. Now I have a new job he's left alone more. But would this cause him to pee in the house/

Also, is obedience training successful with adult dogs/

[Carolk9s]

"Also, is obedience training successful with adult dogs/"

But of course! Proper and fun training is ALWAYS a good thing for all dogs.

My aunt has a young male lab, neutered, that peed in the house very frequently. The littlest things would trigger it, someone speaking to him in a happy voice, turning the tv on, walking acros the floor, a knock at the door, the phone ringing, etc. Her dog was, to her knowledge, never beaten or perhaps even smacked but as a puppy, he was NEVER corrected for anything and as a young adult, he spent all day outside and all night in a crate. Very little human interaction. She has had him now for just over a year and says he does not pee AS MUCH as he used to. I have offered many suggestions to her, she took some and rejected others.
One of the suggestions I made was to put a belly band on him when he was indoors. Here is one link I found for them. [url]http://www.kennelkomforts.net/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=3001&Category_Code=BB2&OVRAW=male%20dog%20belly%20band&OVKEY=band%20belly%20dog%20male&OVMTC=standard[/url]
My sister recently purchased a couple through ebay, I think she got two for about $6. One of her boys has started hiking his leg in the house.
I have heard MANY recommendations for these via BELG-L. As I told my aunt, she did not want to correct the dog since this would most likely make the problem worse. A belly band is a passive way for the dog to experience a consequence with being corrected by a person. Dog wearing belly band pees, now dog has this wet stuff he has to carry around. I would NOT leave a wet belly band on for long of course, a few minutes should be long enough for the dog to make the connection. Belly bands are lined with an absorbent pad.
Here's a link to them on ebay. [url]http://search.ebay.com/male-dog-belly-bands_W0QQfkrZ1QQfnuZ1[/url]

[Doglistener]

[quote name='ellie']I adopted a lab mix 2 months ago from an animal shelter. He is about 4 years old. He was a stray picked up by the pound so we have no idea what his background is. He was understandably nervous at first but soon settled in and we thought how great it was that he was house trained. Just recently though he's started peeing in the house on walls and random items. He's just been to the vets and is in good health. There are no other animals in the house and none who have visited recently. He's also started getting aggressive when we have certain visitors around. Some people he loves, others he barks and growls at on meeting them. Any ideas on the turn around in his behaviour would be really appreciated. :)[/QUOTE]

Have him medically checked over and a blood panel done. This sounds as though it may be related to thyroid disorder. Whenever behavioural problems start suddenly in an adult dog you first visit should be to the Vet not a behaviourist.

Stan

[Keeshers]

Although I do appreciate advocating good nutrition for dogs, I'm not sure that's the kind of advice the original poster was looking for...

Anyway, first you should rule out medical problems. When that occurs and if the problem still persists, its a training issue.

Here is my advice for training:

1) crate train your dog. Trust me on this one. It's not cruel; it's comforting AND it will help house break him. Dogs do not like to poop in the same space where they sleep. If you give your dog a crate that is for a dog his size, he will avoid using the bathroom in it, enabling you to house break him more easily.

2) Bear in mind that it takes a "new" older dog about a month to settle in. You're probably starting to see his real personality, and the traits that you're dealing with may be why he was released to a shelter in the first place.

3) take him to obedience training. It will not only help you establish a bond with your new dog, but it will teach HIM how to be a good pet, so that you will want to keep him and be his forever home.

*****for crate training, you'll have to start with the basics****

1) put treats in the back of the crate and let the dog go in the crate to get them. Do this several times.

2) once he/she is comfortable with the crate, shut the door. But, only do it for 10 minutes at a time at the max. Praise and treat every time he goes in the crate on command, or on his own. Let him think its HIS idea to go in there, and let him make the crate his own space. (ie...if he gets in trouble and runs to his crate to hide, don't punish him in the crate)

3) make sure that at first, his crate is in a place where he can see all household activities so that he does not feel left out of the family. Again, let him think its his idea to go in there.

4) IF you leave him in the crate, shutting the door behind him, and he starts crying and whining and screaming to get out- You will want to IGNORE HIM until he stops. Once he stops crying to get out and calms down properly, you can give him a treat through the bars of the crate THEN you can let him out to hang out with the rest of the family. Continue to do this, even if its only at 10 minute intervals at first.

5) Eventually, you'll be able to keep him in there for longer and longer periods of time with out him complaining and just think, NOW you can more safely take him to the vets OR now you can travel with him if you so choose to do that! Think about how much more you'll be able to involve him in your family life!

6) Now comes the potty training- once you start leaving him in the crate for longer periods of time (like if you went to the store for two hours, out for a movie, or even while you are at work), you can start potty training. AS SOON as you let him out of the crate, immediately take him outside to potty.

If he doesn't go immediately, wait him out. Remember, you are the human with the stronger will. Eventually, he will have to pee.

When he does go, praise him like he just won you a million bucks.

If he's out and about in the house while you are home and he starts circling or sniffing the ground or crouching down, rush him immediately outside.

That is your dog tell you that he has to use the bathroom. If you ignore it, he will go in your house.
If he goes in the house while you are not watchingDO NOT RUB HIS NOSE IN HIS OWN PEE OR POOP. After all, it is your fault for not watching him and besides, That will make him afraid to poop around you, and that will make potty training so much harder.

Make sure that when you potty train, you use an enzymatic shampoo that will remove all phermones from your carpet. That's how they pee in the same spot again and again...the phermones in the urine tell them where to go.

Good luck!
:wink: