what should i do with my dog?

Question

i have this little apricot toy poodle and he is driving me crazy. he is not fixed because there sare no female dogs around and we have heard that it doesnt calm them down. he constantly barks at any one ecspecially men who come to our house that doesnt come often. we are afraid he may bite someone. then he cries at night if i go to the bathroom or anywhere besides my own bedroom. he cant foolow me because he sleeps in a cage which brings me to my final concern. we cant trust him to not pee on the floor at night or day. its not just the floor, its beds long curtains, toys pillows and anything else he can position himself around to lift his leg. this is really serious because we have had him for three years now with little to no progress. if something doesnt happen sone we will have to get rid of him and i really like him. that would be the worst

Answer 1

Calm and Assertive energy needs to be shown by you. Don't baby the dog and never even acknowledge the dog if it is whining. It needs to associate being quiet and patient as good behavior and also that you are the dominant alpha dog. You should train it by locking it up and then walking out of the room, only come to the dog when it stops whining. Then keep repeating that.

As for the peeing, I suggest crate training. Where you leave the dog caged for most the day. The dog instinctively won't pee where it sleeps, so when you take it out, take it to where you want it to pee. Just do this consistently for a few days and your dog should learn where you want it to pee. Don't feel bad about caging it up during training, although obviously take it out regularly to eat/drink and walk/exercise/play but first taking it to the pee area.

Answer 2

Nuetering does not always help. My yorkie pup acted even worse after it was done. He barks at everyone (especially guys). We just figured it's his way. We always keep him on a leash in public and he stays in the house. For a little thing, he bites hard. He humps EVERYTHING and is so bad (but I luv him to death) so I would not recommend neutering as a solution.
I suggest you seek professional help. Sometimes animals use the bathroom on things as a sign that something's not right (maybe a medical issue).
My yorkie took a long time to become housebroken (not over a year though). What definetly helped was the use of puppy pads. We would keep him gated in the bathroom where he had food, water, a bed, some toys, and a puppy pad on the floor. Once we had him trained to go on the mat, it was easier to get him to go outside. We gave him abundant praise when he did the right thing (try pupperoni from PetCo) and all we had to do was say his name disappointedly when he was bad. We never crated him. Some ppl would disagree about that, but Johnny (my dog) luvs freedom. He discovered that the better he acted (going on his mat or outside), the more freedom he got in the house. Now he never gets locked up and only has occaisional accidents (when he's scared).
Good Luck with your dog! I really hope you don't have to give him away!

Answer 3

GET HIM FIXED!

He is marking his territory. it's waht in tact males do. It will calm him down, take away the testostorone, aggression and make him a more healthy pet. You would be amazed at the difference there is. If your only reason for keeping him in tact is because there are no females, you really need to rethink your reasoning. In tact males can't concentrate as well because all they can think about is the ladies.

We call nutering tutering. It helps tehm think more clearly. They are less likely to be aggressive. You need to socialize your dog! You need to take him out and let him meet people. Make sure you always have treats on you and have other people feed him.

He has separation anxiety. He doesn't want to be left alone. You have to take time everyday to walk, play and socialize with your dog. This will help him feel like he's included and just won't be left behind or put into a crate.

Answer 4

You described my six year old maltese - that I adore,love dearly and had similar behavior issues compounded with a major stress disorder and colitus. . He is now a well behaved loving companion that visits alzehmers patients. Now tough love:

It is your responsibility to do everything in your power to ensure that he is a well adjusted member of your family. You choose to bring him home so it is your responsiblity to provide a loving neturing home and make him successful in your environment...

Your complaints:
-barks at men that come to the house- he is protecting his -master. Good boy
-crys at night when you leave- seperation anxiety
-pees- does he have a consistent schedule?- is he anxious because of anxiety and soils your home?
-lifts his leg- he is marking territory,again may feel insecure.

Solution:

It sounds as if you both would benefit from a dog tainer or obedience class.- You both may need training - (I know from experience- it worked for me ) - He needs a leader, alpha dog, ie you . He is a pack animal. Consistency is the key. as well as effective training techniques.

Obtain as much information as possible about dog behavior- read extensively.( Your post exemlifies that your moviing in the right direction. )

Dogs respond to positive reinforcement.

If I could turn this around - you can! You will be so greatful tht you did.

Happy Holidays and Success to your Efforts

Answer 5

TRAINING
This dog is dominate over you. Does he growl when you take his food away? If so then he dominate. Try pretending to eat his food before he does. make him sit and stay once he is calm and does not bark give him the food. It may take awhile to get him to be calm but it works. My dog gets bossy when i don't do this dogs are like wolfs they are pack animal you need to be the dominate one. Also exercise it always help to tucker them out if they bark a lot. They are guard dogs always on alert. if you wear them out then they wont bark as much. When males or unknown people enter the house have him sit and stay have the person give him a treat the let him know that they are not a threat. Also check out Cesar Millan Dog whisper book . It has lots of helpful answers. All so watch the show you really have to see it to believe it and try its me or the dog on animal planet. same principle but she's good with little dogs too.

Answer 6

You need to get him nutered. It really will calm him down, and he won't mark his territory anymore. You also need to take him for long walks or something, if he has that much pent up energy then you need to help him get it out. Tire him out and he won't have the energy to be crazy all day long. He probably won't bark as much, and he will sleep through the night. It also sounds like he doesn't have much training which is very important. Your dog needs to know your house rules. He needs you to let him know what is ok and what isn't, if he does something wrong then correct him, if he does something right, make sure to praise him!

Hope this helped!

Answer 7

It is true that neutering may or may not help at this point, but it is a good idea. The main problem is that you have allowed your dog to do whatever he wants for 3 years, and now you want him to change his behavior. This may take time, discipline, and potentially help from professional trainers. Think how you would feel if you went to work and suddenly you are told to do everything differently- it's a huge change, and he will not adjust to it overnight. Neutering will remove testosterone- the male hormone. Males mark with urine and show aggression as part of their nature- neutering helps remove it. The problem is that he now has these things as part of his normal behavior. If you love him enough and work hard, you can teach him to change his behavior, but it will probably never be perfect. Remember this for the next time you obtain a pet, or have kids for that matter. If you let something do whatever it wants to, it will be really hard to change the behavior later.

Answer 8

Sounds like you have a lot on your hands with this dog. I really don't think there is anything behavior wise that can't be mitigated by learning some better training techniques. I agree with the above poster that says your dog needs to be neutered, exercised more, and consistently trained.

Your dog will most likely lift his leg less if you have him fixed. He may also be less aggressive with your guests. It probably won't solve all your problems, but it will be a good start.

Try to give your dog more daily exercise during the day so he is too tired to whine all night. He needs both physical and mental stimulation to be a calm and well adjusted pet.

After he is fixed you will probably need to start potty training all over again, by taking him out after meals and play time, and even overnight. He needs to learn only going outside is appropriate and to be praised a lot every time he does. You may need start going to some training classes with your pup, or at least get some good beginner's books for dog training.

You need to show your dog strong and consistent leadership all the time. Your dog might benefit from being made to sit before meals and walks, so he learns you control everything he wants in life.

I don't think it is too late at all to get your dog under better control, and there are lots of free resources on the net, books you can buy, and even pro dog trainers to help you. Good for you for not giving up!

Answer 9

yes getting him fixed might help with the male problem but also you could ask guest to maybe bring a treat so you dog wont bark so much or feel so threatend. i have a mini poodle and he is very mean to some people we call it short man syndrom. just work on some positive training when company comes in. getting it fixed is a little costly but my dog got cancer there and really its just insane to pay to help him but i couldnt not do it cuz we're attached to him. he's lucky we like him or i would of had him put down. also have the people not talk to him or touch him until he calms down this will help

Answer 10

Getting him fixed will help, but you probably don't want to hear that. Show him more attention. Give a firm NO and pointer finger when he does something wrong. In the years that you have had him he may have been to wear when he does things like fool on the curtain he might think what he is doing is ok. So with that problem I would suggest a good trainer. SPCA does a good job with those problems now. Good Luck!