Talulah

I was just reading about Tom Sawyer's dog and I thought I would post this. It helps put things in perspective.

Diana was on her way to pick up some pets of her's (long story) and bring back to the house, when she was in a wreck. A car rear-ended her on interstate and rolled her truck. Mangled, is the word she used to describe her truck. She is ok (though stuck out of town until tomorrow), but I am a bit shaken from listening to the harrowing account, so I decide to go pop in a DVD and relax with a nice glass of wine.

A few days ago, I came in from work and thought I smelled something suspicious. I must say, that I thought our son Maxx was house trained. We haven't had any problems with him in the longest time. So, it was a little to my surprise and a little unexpected when I bent down towards the DVD player and caught a whiff of something unmistakable. Dog pee. Maxx has chosen the absolute worst place to do his foul deed. On the DVD player. On the bright side, I played my DVD and it worked fine (after I carefully removed all visable signs of dog pee) However, there are two problems. One, I notice there is still some leakage from the unit (ugh..i know) and two, there is a discoloration on the far-most left of the screen when the DVD plays. With my very limited knowledge, I assume that this means there is something on the laser????

I propped up the unit hoping to drain the rest, if there is any left.

Well, at least both person and dog are alive and kicking. We can get a new DVD player.

Did I mention that Diana is bringing three cats and another dog with her when she comes today?

Suggestions?

Godless Dave

How old is Maxx? In my experience dogs (like kids) will have a few slip-ups before they are completely house trained. And even a house trained dog will do the deed indoors if they are left alone for too long - their bladders can override their training. Or maybe he is angry or anxious because Diana has been out of town. Also, Labradors, and probably some other breeds, tend to go through an "adolescence" at age 1 or 2, where they test the dominance of their owners.

My family has only ever had girl dogs. Males may have additional reasons for peeing indoors.

Unfortunately I don't have any suggestions for training or for cleaning your DVD player, other than letting it sit for at least 24 hours with the drawer open and a fan blowing near it (the DVD player, not the dog).

Talulah

Well, he is around one year old and I would imagine he is smack in the middle of 'doggy adolesence.' For instance, he never used to chew our things, and in two days he has chewed on a pair of my shoes and socks both.

I think he did this a couple of days ago and we hardly ever use the tv so I didn't think to look over there. He has been neutered but he may still mark a little.

He wants ATTENTION. Diana and I both work a lot and varying shifts both. He doesn't have the constancy a dog requires. It saddens me, but I can't do anything about it. I know he is better with us than in the pound plus he is about to have a play mate, which I have been thinking he needed for a while.

Godless Dave

Sounds to me like he's lonely. Suggestions: when you leave for work (or wherever) give him something that smells like you (like the t-shirt you slept in) to snuggle with. Put the radio on a talk station while you are gone. Try to develop a set schedule for his feeding times and going potty times - dogs like routine. Try to get more chew-toys for him, although I think you're right that he is chewing things that belong to you and Di in an attempt to get your attention. Keep your eyes open for any dominance-asserting behaviors on his part. Do not play tug-of-war with him, and never let him win at it! Do not let him hump your legs. There are good books out there on how to use the psychology of their little brains to reinforce that you are the boss, and I'm sure the other dog owners on here will have good advice (I just happen to be up early).

Neutering a pet will not stop sex-specific behavior. His brain is still wired like a male even though it's getting less testosterone.

Having a new friend will probably help him cope with you guys being away. What made Diana go from not wanting a dog at all to getting a second one?

brighid

We have recently hired a dog walking service after we adopted our 5 year old doberman, Ares. His bladder simply cannot withstand 8-10 hours without being let out, although our Sharpei, Xena can without any problem. She will only soil the house if she is ill. Ares, on the other hand simply cannot hold it very long. He does his best, but if he is taken off his schedule he will have an accident.

Check out your local pet store for a product called Nature's Miracle. It comes in flake and liquid form. It does a bang up job cleaning up urine stains and odors, as well as vomit, etc. Every once and a while I buy a few gallons of it and clean the rugs because doggie odors eventuall add up when you have two of them.

We have to keep any dirty socks and underwear under lock and key because Xena will eat the damned thing whole. One time she barfed up a whole sock! If the laundry room door isn't properly shut she will have a field day if any dirty clothes have been sent down the shoot.

We have had a lot of success with the dog walking service. We also use them when we vacation, or if we plan on being away for the day visiting family or doing errands. The dogs are happy, we are accident free (unless one of the is sick), the poor things aren't cooped up in the house all day and they get some much needed exercise. It is about $65 a week for two dogs, and I find that reasonable. The dogs love their Aunties and it gives us peace of mind and saves us alot of money in rug cleaning bills! I would recommend using a service if you can afford it. That might help with the problems you are presently having.

Brighid

Godless Dave

Forgot to mention vinegar will clean up urine pretty well (for use on floors and furniture, not electronics). But the product Brighid mentioned sounds like a good thing to keep around.

brighid

Natures Miracle uses naturally occuring bacterias and enzymes to eat the stains and odors. It doesn't have some foul, perfumey smell and it isn't toxic to humans or animals, so I feel much better about using it. I can't stand some of the pet deordorizer stuff on the market because they smell so artificial and it makes me gag. This was recommended to us, we tried it and I wouldn't use anything else. Some stains take a few applications and a little work, but in the end the ordor and stain is gone, there is no damage to your rug and the dogs aren't trying to lick the spot later or something like that.

Brig

pescifish

I'm glad diana is ok. And I'm sorry for her truck!

My dog was about the same age when I adopted him from a situation where he'd been kenneled outside with no social/behavior training his whole life. He didn't know what 'inside' meant, but he only made the mistake once. Just like your pup, it was a direct shot into the slot of the VCR. The equipment, house and dog survived the incident.

What is the age/sex/breed of the dog that is joining the household? Male/Female pairings of adults seem to work out usually, according to a friend of mine who works at a dog rescue. Male/Male can work if they establish their rules of dominance. The recommendation is that you allow the dogs to work out their own hierarchy; don't try to make them play equal. But make sure you two always maintain your Top Dog status over both dogs.

Hopefully, all the new gang will get along. It's nice to have a feline in the bunch, too!

Talulah

The other dog is a male, three years old, and is a mutt like Maxx. So far they have been wonderful together. Best buddies. However, I just noticed that Maxx isn't really letting Jack eat. I think though that Jack might not like the food and is still unsettled from coming here.

The cats are beautiful but Maxx doesn't know how to act around them. I had to put him back outside for a bit.

Godless Dave

Don't worry, they'll train him.