what the heck is with this dog?!?!?

Question

Okay so...this dog isn't mine, it's my mother in law's..and I'm staying here for a couple of months while my house gets built. I have a cat, she's full grown and all...It's a female about 3 years old and a pure-bred Boston Terrier. She humps my cat (which I know is a dominance thing) but the WORST!!! thing, is that she uses my cat's litter box... she does both 1&2 in there!! I have NEVER, in all my years, EVER seen something like this..not to mention, she has other issues with the bathroom thing, she pees in my bedroom on a regular basis, and poops on the carpet all the time. She's been to the vet, there are no problems with her at all..she's healthy. I've heard of dominance issues but this is just nasty you guys..help me out here. How do I get this dog to stop being so terrible? She's spoiled, eats my kid's food out of her hands all the time, chews on everything..then this, it's just getting bad!

I'll also add that she barks, constantly.. Is this just a Boston Terrier thing???

Answer 1

I am not so sure of the litter box thing...perhaps she witnessed it as a pup and mimics the cat.

As for the other things, the answer is simple. The dog has no alpha male in the house. A dog is a pack animal. If a dog is given free reign they WILL take advantage of it. Tough love is the answer. WAIT! Before everyone yells at me thinking I mean you should hit him or something then NO that is not what I mean.

The dog needs to be disciplined. A dog EXPECTS an alpha dog, and all you have to do is be consistent and eventually he will get the idea. Firm voice commands with firm eye contact. That is the key. If you are vigorous you will gain the upper hand at one point.

I am also a firm believer of kenneling when away from the house. They will hate it in the beginning, but eventually they find it a good and safe place to be. Especially if you keep your clothes with your scent in the kennel with them. They say the cage should be big enough for the dog to stand but I believe you should get one they can move back and forth in.

Don't let the kennel be your baby sitter and don't punish them by putting them in the kennel. It needs to be a place where they feel safe. I have two labs and they were both kenneled and within 3 months (as puppies) they were trained.

I could go on forever because there are many other factors which play into this type of behavior but those are the most common.

Answer 2

This dog is just being a dog! The rude behavior with your child, along with inappropriate elimination in the house is due to your MIL's failure to train her dog. The fault lies solely with her. The fact that he humps the cat does not necessarily mean it's about dominance; many dogs exhibit this behavior when overly excited, and during play. Simply distract, then redirect the dog when he's attempting to mount the cat, then follow through with positive reinforcement for compliance.

Again, the dog's owner is responsible for teaching house manners (potty training, no begging or stealing, no chewing of items other than chew toys provided) and basic obedience (sit, down, come, off, leave it). Apparently, your MIL doesn't mind that her dog uses the house for a toilet, or she would have housetrained the dog.

The only way you can change the unwanted behaviors is to start from scratch, as if the dog were a new puppy. Supervision or containment at all times to prevent elimination in the house, intervene by redirecting the dog from the cat, keep the dog in another area of the house when your daughter is eating, and provide appropriate chew toys for the dog. Replace an inappropriate-for-chewing item with a dog appropriate chew toy. I can understand your feeling frustrated with these behaviors, but don't blame the poor dog. And, it is, after all, your MIL's home, and her dog. Unless you want to work at training, just take a deep breath and remember, you won't be there for long!

Answer 3

This is purely a lack of training on your mother inlaws part. You should take the dog to puppy school or hire a trainer to come and work with her. Organisations like the RSPCA have courses you can attend with your dog to improve your training skills. Your mother in law should go along as well in order to learn how to control her animal. This behaviour goes way beyond dominance issues and you need to do something about this quickly. Don't let anyone talk you out of it by telling you that she's too old to learn now, that's rubbish. Dogs are never to old to train.

Answer 4

hi, well there may be a few reasons she is doing this. Firstly a dog watches you all the time. Both of you.. they learn how you react to things.. they learn to watch what you do..then anything out of the ordinary they act on.. for instance.. when you are watching a horror film and you jump.. your dog would jump.. if you were sad she would want to console you.. she may very well just be wondering why you don't like her very much.. i suspect that you are jealous of your husbands dog. Your husband needs to cuddle you both together and let your dog see that you are no threat.. dogs are fabulous.. they can give so much. Oh, and I have found that girl dogs stick to the men and male dogs stick to the women.. I hope you don't take offence at anything I have said and this is helpful to you in some way..

Answer 5

Sounds like your mother in law did not train her well, but she is also in a new place too and could be really anxious about it. With cats and kids in your house your place may not be the best choice for this dog to stay, as it may take as long for you to get her under better control yourself with training as it will for the reno to be finished. If you are not an experienced dog owner who knows how to deal with these problems you may need to find another family member to take the dog, because with all the issues she has it may be too much for you to handle on your own. She may need a trainer or behavior specialist at this point, until then keep her in a crate when you go out. As for the litter box it may be the smell that lead her to go in there, smells like a potty.

Answer 6

First of all, it's not uncommon for dogs to use litter boxes, in fact, some people train their dogs to use them. Now you need to figure out where you want your dog to go potty; on training pads or outside. If you want your dog to go on the pads you have to lead it to the pad on a schedule, every hour or so, get it into the routine of using the pad and when it does praise it and give it a treat. If you want it to go outside take it out on a schudule and again praise it when it does it right. You may have to crait the dog while your not watching it so that it doesn't go potty in the house. This means buying the right size kennel for the dog to stay in at night and during the day when your away or not keeping an eye on it. The dog will try not to go potty in an area where it is sleeping and therefore it will hold it and wait for you to let it out. If you catch the dog going in the house correct it by yelling NO! Potty Outside! and take the dog outside to finsh going, or for a time out if it already did finish. You cannot correct the dog after the fact, they dont understand what your correcting them for unless you actually catch them in the act. Hope this helps good luck!

Answer 7

Hi Heathen Hearted, your right, this is obviously a "dominance" problem. You need to reverse the Alpha role so that you are "top dog".
Too much to go in to here on YA but I hope this has pointed you in the right direction. Do some searches on dog training and becoming the Alpha and you will get the full answer.

Answer 8

Your mother in law's fault she uses the carpet instead of going outside... many people these days just let their animals do what they want.

Dogs are pack animals, which means they have a pecking order... and they respect and listen to the Alpha... in your mother in law's household, the DOG is the Alpha... when your mother in law should be.

happens all the time.. ugh

Answer 9

well its not the dogs fault, no dog is "bad", its just how the owner trains it, and im not trying to be mean by saying that. maybe your mother in law didnt fully train him to be housebroken. and im not sure whats up with the pooping and peeing in the litter box, lol...but some people DO train their dogs to do so! good luck

Answer 10

Most certainly a dominant problem. She needs obedience taing and needs to be crated. This breed is very stubborn. Is she spayed??