OT: At wit's end over dog

R

red_mct

Cathlete
I'm at my wit's end here. You know I have a 16-month old pug. He is very cute and a really sweet dog. He is NOT, however, housebroken. He has gotten into this terrible habit of peeing in the kitchen several times a day despite the fact that we take him out regularly. (He is also crate-trained.) Now he has moved to peeing into the radiator, and it's nearly impossible to clean (since it's behind a vent) so needless to say, the smell is getting more and more difficult to remove. I am going to have to have the cover removed and replaced along with the woodwork and possibly the radiator if I can't get rid of the smell.

I am thinking seriously about contacting a pug rescue to have him placed in another home. I feel TERRIBLE about this, though. Guilty and like a total failure. I know part of the issue is me, because he needs more time and attention than I can possibly give him, but my work is really demanding and my kids have many activities. (Wow, how bad is it that I am justifying this here, so PLEASE, no guilting.) I know my kids are going to be really upset and I am really worried about doing this, but I keep thinking he will be better off.

Any thoughts, advice?

Marie
 
Marie,
First off I will start off by saying I am a true animal lover-I have 3 cats and now 2 birds. I would never try to place blame or guilt to anyone with animals. You should think of the dog first!! If he would be better off in another home you should do that. Alot of times that works out for the best intrest in the animal!! I know I have obtained all my animals from homes that could not take care of them or they were difficult cases-and in all my cases they have worked out in my home. Just make sure you do what is best for the dog-no one should make you feel guilty for that!!
Good luck
Lisa
 
Awwwwww Marie, don't beat yourself up. Your only obligation is to see to it that your dog has a good home. I know you did the best you could and sometimes that's just not enough. There's no blame to be cast. If caring for the dog is too much, just place him in a good home and let your heart be light.

Michele
 
Hi,

Just wondering, do they have a reputation for being hard to train? Some of the smaller dogs do. There was a show on TV that went to a pug a rescue last year and there were more pugs than I'd ever seen. I'm wondering if the house training is a reason why.....

What about contacting a local dog trainer? I've had friends who have had good success with that solution.

I have 3 dogs, all now well house trained, but my last doberman frequently would go on the basement floor. I never could break her of that, but it's not as bad as going in the kitchen.

Tracy
 
Pugs are a bit difficult to housebreak. I had a friend with this problem, and I told her to resolve it by making using the "outdoor" facilities MUCH more rewarding than using the "indoor" facilities. Whenever your pug goes outside, give him/her his favorite doggie treat and make a huge deal out of it (pet him, play his favorite game with him, whatever he loves). When he goes inside, clean it up and totally ignore it. It may take a week or so, but he'll get the idea that if he wants the reward, he has to go outside. It worked well for my friend.
 
I don't know much about dogs, but if you do end up giving him up I think that would be really unselfish. After all, you'd be doing it because you want him to be happy.

On a related note, I think Cesar Milan, the Dog Whisperer, is on Oprah today. He may have some to say that is relevant to your situation. :)

Sparrow

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ‘Wow - what a ride!’ — Peter Sage
 
I have a pug of 13 years that was difficult to housebreak. i had to take him to obedience school and that is what finally did the trick. they are very stubborn dogs, but they can learn. you have to take the appropriate time to train the dog, and you have to be consistent about it. it sounds like you have a lot on your plate, and it would really be more selfish to keep him if you can't give him the attention he needs. pugs feel they deserve to be numero uno. please don't feel i am not trying to hard on you, but just telling you how pugs are.
 
Marie,

Have you seen your vet about the peeing problem and ruled out a medical issue, like a UTI?

Also, have you seen a good dog trainer/behaviorist about this problem?
 
Hey Marie--I had the same exact problem with Max. In fact, he's 5 & I'm still having it. After all the traditional housebreaking efforts I tried the crate training. Works great until the second you turn your back. Also I called Barkbusters & forked over the $500 for their advice, which was basically when your dog isn't in the crate he must be in your eyesight at all times. Works great until you have to take a shower or go to the bathroom.

One of the most valuable things I learned from Barkbusters is you cannot discipline your dog when they go in the house unless you actually catch them in the act. If you do it after the fact you're basically teaching them that peeing & pooping is bad bad bad, no matter where they do it.

Max has stopped to some extent, but he gets worse when I'm really busy working extra hours or whatever. He is without a doubt the most territorial animal I've ever owned. None of this has to do with actually having to go--he gets more than enough time in the yard & he knows that's where he's supposed to go--in fact sometimes will pee in the house minutes after he comes in from the yard.

In any case, I've just decided to live with it. There's really nothing else I can do. Like I said, it goes in phases--we'll go months without a mess in the house, & then all of a sudden he'll go every day for 5 days in a row. He's impossible, but he's my family & regardless of how often I have to clean up after him, he's not going anywhere.

Sorry, this was probably not very helpful.......:-(
 
Ladies, thanks for all of your responses. I am feeling slightly less ready to pack Leo's bags today. :)

This is the thing, he NEVER goes #2 in the house, it's always #1, and it's often just after returning inside from the yard or a long walk, as Laura indicated. That's what is so frustrating about it. I mean, it would be one thing if it was neglect and our fault for not taking him out often enough, you know? But it does make it really difficult to include him in evening socialization and such because after an hour of keeping my eyes glued to him at all times, I am tired and want to relax, too! Which means he ends up back in the kitchen and then he pees on the floor because he's just pissed off about the whole thing. It's a vicious cycle and so far he is winning! :)

He's perfectly healthy but he is not fixed so I think that is the first thing I'm going to do, followed by some behavioral sessions, and see how that works out.

Pugs are so cute but SO stubborn!

Anyway, thanks again.

Marie
 
Not sure if you mentioned this but has he been neutered? It sounds more like a "marking" problem combined with behavior since he is only doing #1 in the house. If he had a house training problem, he wouldn't distinguish between the 2 and would be doing both. Having been associated with an Obedience school for the last 10 years, and having fox terriers that are not always easy to house train, this may be part of the problem. The person that said "reward reward reward" when he does it outside is really correct. This means you have to go back to square one as if he is a puppy again and make sure you are with him, ( preferably on lead) when he goes outside so you can be there the instant he does it right, to give him his favorite treat, something he never gets otherwise. They learn pretty quickly!

Good luck, I wouldn't give up on him yet!:)
 
Max was neutered as soon as he was old enough. Didn't seem to help at all.

You know Marie, I was thinking, I have a friend in FL with a small dog that was never really housebroken & she keeps those doggie pads by her back door. Basically a sophisticated version of the handy old newspaper. I don't know if you're willing to shell out the money, or if the little devil will even use them since he's clearly doing it for psychological reasons, but maybe worth a try?
 
once i got my pug housebroken, after a 7 week basic training session, he was great until we moved to california....then it was back to peeing in the house again. i have had a problem ever since with that until the house we live in now. he seems to have stopped the peeing. but i will say that i can take gomez out for 20 minutes and he will walk in a poop. so i think some of it is breed related. you have definitely gotten some great advice, but i know it is a hard problem to solve. i hope you can keep leo as pugs are just such cute dogs to live with and can keep you laughing for many years. good luck with this and keep us posted...
 
The best thing right now...management. Don't give him the chance to pee in the house. Tether him to you or crate him if you cannot watch him. Make sure he goes outside very 30 minutes if he has to.

Also are you sure he is "peeing" and not marking? If he is marking there is something called a belly band he can wear that won't stop him from marking but has some kind of pad to absorb the pee. At least it won't get on your furniture, etc.

If he is peeing, the more he goes inside the house, the more he is rewarded and thinks it is ok.

Colleen
 
Hi Marie,

My seven year old pug still pishes in the house. SOmetimes, at night, he just doesn't feel like going in the yard! You are not a failure, and you should not feel guilty. You have to think of what is best for your family and for your dog. If this means that you eventually have to give him up, than that is just what it is. I would definitley look into some training. I never had Mikey trained, but I imagine it would have helped.

If he insists on going in the house, what about those pee pee pad things? At least that way you can keep it in one spot! Ahh...I see Laura already thought of that!
 
Marie -

I am struggling with my Puggle too. Must be the Pug in him or the smaller dog thing. He is only 10 months old - and I just got him neutered - so I am hoping there might be an end in sight - although from the previous posts - not sure now.. :) I think I might seek out some training as well. My lab is great - she never makes messes and was SO easy to train...
 
Marking is more of lifting a leg to put urine on something, like a quick lift of the leg.

Peeing is more of a longer duration.

Did that help at all? It's hard to describe. When I take my male Dobe for a walk, he'd like nothing better than to mark every bush/tree, etc. on his walk. I make him pee before we go. I allow him 2 trees in the park to mark on. It's quicker lift of the leg. Sometimes there isn't even any pee left...just a leg lift.

It could be an adolescence/adulthood thing coming on with his age which might suggest more of a marking behavior than peeing. You'd have to see him to know. Or if there is a huge puddle, then he probably peed. Neutered males can mark just like intact males can be taught not to makr. It is behavioral and not really related to intact or neutered.

Colleen
 
We have a pug/fox terrier mix and got him when he was 10 weeks old. He had very few accidents and was trained within weeks. We did take him to Puppy Kindegarten but might be that we were just lucky. He liked to get into everything though so we kept in on his leash and it was easy to grab him and wisk him outside if he looked like it was time. We could never get him to tell us he needed to go out. He would sit by the door or stairs to the door and hope that you saw him. He will let you know when he wants food though! I think seeking an expert trainer would be a good place to start.
 
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