Do I Have A Problem Here?

    • Gold Top Dog

    Do I Have A Problem Here?

    Grady has in the past as I have taken it to be showing his displeasure at having strange dogs at the house.  He has expressed this by peeing in their food bowls after the food has been consumed.  I was impressed at his good aim.  Do that once & all bowls were picked up quickly after eating.  Now last night I gave him my empty cottage cheese container to clean out.  Distractions happened & I left the container on the floor after he was done.  I didn't think I needed to pick it up right away.  I guess I did.  Guess hwat I found in it?  Yep, he hit it pretty well. There was some over spray.  Thanks Bud.  I'm a little puzzled since there is no one else in the house except DH, me & some hair tumbleweeds.  I go out for a few hours today to run errands & come home to find more pee on the floor.  I'm really hoping it's a medical issue that can be fixed easily or has he developed another behavioral problem?  GAH! 

    • Gold Top Dog

    All you can do is what you're doing.  Rule out any medical issues and go from there.  Where did he pee today? 

    Sometimes housetrained dogs urinate or poop indoors from anxiety/stress. If it were me, I would probably crate him, when I wasn't home or watching him, until you get the medical results.  No sense in having pee spots to attract him to practice his target shooting skills. 

    • Gold Top Dog

    Wow, that is impressive, Grady!!

    This sounds behavioral to me, but it might be worth ruling out a health issue. 

    What a goofball.  This tops the Gobie dog big time LOL

    • Gold Top Dog
    That was nice of him to put it in a container for you. Now you don't have to get a sample. Kiddin, I'm hoping its nothing serious.
    • Moderators
    • Gold Top Dog

    I'm sure your daily schedule has changed quite a bit without Aspen and Maghee... makes for stress for poor Grady.  Not all that uncommon for dogs to reassure themselves with displacement behaviors (which maybe this is...?)  Poor Grady.  Auntie Paige feels sorry that he's out of sorts.

    Rule out medical, then look at ways to create new routines that help him choose different behaviors when he's stressed (maybe - I'm guessing w/out being there to know all the details.)

    ((hugs)) to you - been a tough year.

    • Gold Top Dog

     Grady, you are a weirdo. Annie, rule out the medical first always when it could be medical, then look at behavioral. Can he stay in a room if not a crate? Is it always in a container that has had food in it? Does he do it in front of you or not/?

    • Gold Top Dog

    Annie, if nothing else maybe you could hire him out.  A lot of guys need to learn to aim better. Wink

    Joyce

    • Bronze
    I have never heard of that, maybe a trainer could help give insight!
    • Gold Top Dog

     wow I'm impressed.

    Lily is a behavioral pee-er. Whenever something upsets the balance in the house she will pee on a doggy bed, doggy sleeping area or even my spare bed (which always has a waterproof cover over it btw!). It's really frustrating because sometimes the "upset" is obvious - I have a temp foster in the house or am dog sitting, etc. Sometimes though it's not so obvious at all. I no longer have any doggy beds in the house as those are her first targets and they are a pita to clean.

    Maybe try feeding out of something other than a dog bowl? (change the association)

    • Gold Top Dog

     I have no advice, but I did get a chuckle out of it. Sorry. Smile

    • Moderators
    • Gold Top Dog

     Oh Grady!  I bet its some behavioral thing but I'm sure you'll fix it easily.  As the others have said rule out the medical and go from there.  I think Jackie's suggestion of crating is a good one - or some type of containment.  If it is because he's kind of stressed then the containment may help

    lots of hugs for you and G

    hey may be he's afraid of the giant squirrel stuffie?

    • Gold Top Dog

    I thought you'd get a kick out of his pee accuracy.  All things considered I think it's hysterical.  At least when he did it when Moxie & Abbie were here I had no doubt what he was telling me.  "Mooom, I don't like these girls, just sayin'".  Now that it's just G, DH & me it's a little different.  A lot of things have changed in the house since January 14 (when Maghee died).  The only crature I knew who was more of a creature of habit than G was Aspen.  He was alot like Julie's Lily.  I could almost predict when he was going to pee in the house.  Then he had to keep me on my toes & he'd throw in a random on just for giggles. 

    I have a vet appointment and an animal communicator appointment this week.  He could just very well be smelling some Aspen residue that I missed.  I don't know.  We'll see.  I have been trying to spend more quality time with him & he seems to be enjoying that.  He's also trying t obe the lap dog that Maghee & Aspen were.  I'm trying to make him work for whatever he receives & he's doing  pretty well with that.

    • Gold Top Dog

     Don't know if I'd waste any money on an animal communicator... I think he's doing a fine job of telling you that something is amiss, and I would bet that Paige is pretty much on the money with her interpretation.  Of course, all I know is what you have posted, coupled with the changes of the last year, but I don't think it's something you need to worry about long term.  Perhaps setting up a remedial house training routine will help.  Supervise him when you can't crate or contain him.  Usually, routines help anxious dogs anyway.