Q: I live with Woody Allen and Barbra Streisand — well, their dog counterparts, anyway. My 6-year-old miniature schnauzer is Jack … alias, Woody and 13-year-old Dolly is Babs. Jack is a rescue from a puppy mill and the Doll is a woman of the streets … found walking alone in a rough part of Akron. She had been out for a long time and was about a year when rescued. I vowed to find her a home and did — with me.
My problem is marking. Jack seems to do it out of anxiety or because he is intimidated by Dolly. Dolly appears to do it to prove that this house, and everything in it, is hers.
I’ve tried all kinds of gating and wee wee pads and nothing seems to work. Are these animals hopeless cases? I’ve talked to other pet behaviorists and there seems to be no real resolution.
— J.H. Stow
A: Housebreaking and marking are two of the most problematic issues pet owners face, and the thing we get most of our calls about. It can be a challenging issue to deal with, but with work can be successful, but please note it will take work. Also, I believe that marking is a housebreaking issue, that if the dog truly understands it is not to go in the house, it will not mark. I have had intact males that did not mark in a building at all, because I treated marking as a housebreaking issue. They were therapy dogs, show dogs that traveled and family pets that we vacationed with.
Always make sure there is not something going on physically with the animal. That must always be eliminated first.
First of all, dogs are clean animals and do not like to go where they sleep and eat. Thus crating a dog that is not reliable is a great tool. Crating is not cruel, but will help the animal when it goes to the vet or groomer’s where they will be crated while waiting their turn for whatever procedure they are there for. Thus, crate training can actually relieve stress in the long run. The dog needs just enough room to stand up, turn around and lay down. No bed or blanket either, because what they often do, is potty in it, wad it up and shove it in the corner of the crate and curl up on the bottom of the crate.
Some dogs can learn from just taking them out. Some will need to have the behavior marked as incorrect. Taking the dog to the spot where they can smell their scent and lowering one’s voice and tell them they are a bad dog can help. Thus, since one is training to the scent, one does not have to catch them in the act.
Too often we give the dog privileges they have not earned. To be allowed loose in the house must be earned and if they potty or mark, then it is back in the crate for a week or so. Dogs are black and white beings so we must be very black and white in training them on these basic manners.
A key part of this is to clean the area where the dog has gone. Dogs will go back and mark and potty where they have smelled that they have gone before. We might not be able to smell it, but they often can, which means simply cleaning with household products do not often work. There are many products out there that neutralize the smell of urine and feces.
I personally use white vinegar and if I am home I might throw in some baking soda in with the mixture. So, I clean and disinfect then use some white vinegar with a little baking soda in it. This is key not only when dealing with housebreaking, but marking as well.
— Susan Jenkins, owner of Papp’s Dog Services and a member of the national Association of Obedience Instructors and the International Association of Canine Professionals
Please send questions about your pet to Kathy Antoniotti at the Beacon Journal, P.O. Box 640, Akron, OH 44309-0640; or send an email to kantoniotti@thebeaconjournal.com. Please include your full name and address and a daytime phone number where you can be reached. I will forward your questions to the expert I think is best suited to answer your particular problem. Phoned-in messages will not be taken.