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Old March 27th, 2011, 12:52 AM
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Kerstenk Kerstenk is offline
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He wont stop marking in the house

My grandfather, who lives with me, adopted a dog last fall from a local animal shelter. Initially I was very happy with the dog, a Jack Russell Terrier, as he was a good companion for my grandfather while I was at work during the day. However, starting in January of this year the dog has started marking areas of the house on a daily basis and about 4 times a week relieves himself in various areas downstairs. He marks the couch, lower kitchen cabinets, laundry hamper, my grandfathers bed, etc.

The dog has and uses a dog door I installed in an attmped to stop this behavior, so he has 24/7 access to his outside dog run (about 1/2 and acre) and generally uses this as his area to go to the bathroom. He gets lots of exercise as I take him for walks both in the morning and in the evening, he has lots of dog toys, and I even work with him to learn new behaviors such as roll over, shake, and play dead. I also took him to the vet because my initial thought was "UTI". However, the vet informed me that the dog was in perfect health.

With the vet not being able to offer much more advice other than "good luck" I am just at my wits end on what to do. I would hate to have to adopt the dog back out, but I am exhausting all avenues on what I can do to stop this behavior and I just cannot have a dog marking my home like this.

Does anyone have any advice on what I can do? Is there a product I can purchase and spray around to make him not want to mark? Should I seek the advice from another vet? Has anyone else had this same experience and had any luck? Any information/advice/comments are all really appreciated.

Thanks.
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Old March 27th, 2011, 01:19 AM
SamIam SamIam is offline
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Has he been neutered? Intact male dogs like to mark their territory, and small dogs are worse for bringing this indoors.
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Old March 27th, 2011, 02:45 AM
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Kerstenk Kerstenk is offline
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Yes the dog is neutered.

I was just informed by my grandfather that for the past month and a half that he has been keeping the dog outside all day (sometimes for nearly 12 hours). Is it possible that the reason the dog has been marking inside is because that is where he wants to be and not outside?

Also was I incorrect in telling my grandfather to not leave the dog out for such long durations because A) we live in the northwest where temperatures are still cold and B) he is a small dog weighing only 20lbs and he should be spending the bulk of his day inside?

I know my grandfather meant well in thinking that if the dog is outside most of the time that will decrease the amount of marking/peeing in the house, but obviously avoiding the issue is never going to solve it. I would like to figure out what I can do to help the situation short of finding the dog a family that has the time, patience, and energy to work with such a high maintainence dog. Again any advice is much appreciated.
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Old March 27th, 2011, 07:43 AM
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14+kitties 14+kitties is offline
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Does he do it when you are at home or only your grandfather?
Have you thought to try a belly band? I've heard people have had lots of success with them.
This site gives you instructions on how to make one......
http://www.ehow.com/how_4515620_make...band-dogs.html
This is a site where you can order them.
http://www.k9diaper.com/7149_2-Belly...Male_Dogs.aspx

It may not be the perfect solution but maybe while you work with him and while you are at work it would be what works for you.
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Old March 27th, 2011, 12:20 PM
lindapalm lindapalm is offline
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After you've exhausted all possibilities, maybe your vet could prescribe Amitriptyine or Fluoxetine for a short period. I don't know if they work for dogs, but they help for a cat my mother in law has.
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  #6  
Old March 27th, 2011, 12:35 PM
SamIam SamIam is offline
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Originally Posted by lindapalm View Post
After you've exhausted all possibilities, maybe your vet could prescribe Amitriptyine or Fluoxetine for a short period. I don't know if they work for dogs, but they help for a cat my mother in law has.
Really???? I've never heard of using antidepressants to stop a dog marking. Or a cat! :shocked:
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Old March 27th, 2011, 12:49 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lindapalm View Post
After you've exhausted all possibilities, maybe your vet could prescribe Amitriptyine or Fluoxetine for a short period. I don't know if they work for dogs, but they help for a cat my mother in law has.
Good suggestion Linda. It may be one possibility if all else fails. Would be good to check out other methods first but ...........

SamIam - antidepressants have been used for quite some time to help ally some issues cats have. It's been very well documented and successful. Normally the cats don't have to be on them for long before the conditions correct themselves. Of course the dosage is minimal compared to what humans would take but still, if it works. I'm not a proponent of this kind of medication but if it means a cat or dog does not get rehomed I'm all for it.
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Old March 27th, 2011, 01:03 PM
SamIam SamIam is offline
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14+ I'd be interested in learning more if you know of somewhere I can read up on it?
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  #9  
Old March 27th, 2011, 01:04 PM
BenMax BenMax is offline
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Tether the dog to you and when you see he is about to lift his leg, take him directly outside. When he does his business outside..praise. Make a big deal about it.
Consistancy is the key and he will learn to get it. It will take a weekend of being consistant.

A JRT should ABSOLUTELY NOT be left outside for an extended period of time..be it summer or winter.
If the dog is outside for this amount of time, without any human interaction, nor mental or physical stimulation, then it is no wonder house training is failing.
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Old March 27th, 2011, 01:05 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lindapalm View Post
After you've exhausted all possibilities, maybe your vet could prescribe Amitriptyine or Fluoxetine for a short period. I don't know if they work for dogs, but they help for a cat my mother in law has.
If you are going this route, then make sure your vet is doing full blood panels every six weeks to keep an eye on the liver. Amitriptyline is synthesized in the liver and can cause liver failure. (with cats anyways).
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Old March 27th, 2011, 05:09 PM
emilie42 emilie42 is offline
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Originally Posted by SamIam View Post
Really???? I've never heard of using antidepressants to stop a dog marking. Or a cat! :shocked:
I would side with Samiam on this one. I would hesitate to use antidepressants on any of my pets, unless he's thoroughly followed up by a vet.
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  #12  
Old March 31st, 2011, 11:05 PM
Lulu's Mom Lulu's Mom is offline
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I'd have to agree with BenMax on this - I think you'll get good improvement with some re-conditioning and positive reinforcement for pottying outside (and I personally always prefer trying all behavioral methods before I resort to any meds). Based on my experience, it might take longer than just 1 weekend, but JRTs are usually pretty smart cookies - the key is just consistency.

I'd also recommend finding ways to provide mental stimulation - he's getting exercise, with your daily walks but sometimes if intelligent dogs don't have mental energy outlets, they start misbehaving in various ways. You could try a treat ball - a large hollow egg-shaped plastic ball with holes in both ends. You put kibble in the ball, and set it on the floor... the dog uses his nose & paws to roll the ball around and make the kibble fall out the holes. (It's fun to watch, too! ) One of my fosters never ate meals out of a bowl - I'd put his kibble in the ball instead! Another great (and cheap) suggestion is to slice a 2" opening in a tennis ball - then squeeze the sides of the ball so it 'opens' and let them smell/see you put some kibble or treats inside it. They have to use their paws and mouth to 'squeeze' the ball open and get the treats to fall out.

Hope this helps. Good luck to you!
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