Pets Blog

I have a 1 year old Boston Terrier named Papi (poppy phonetically) hes a great dog that I rescued from a coworker that had him crated for the first 10 months of his life. He started peeing in the kitchen while we were at work. We crated him but he would pee and poop in there. He has access to our basement and is going to the bathroom down there. He does not do it during the weekends while we’re home. I really want to stop him from doing this…any suggestions We have baby gated him in just one room, that doesnt work, crating him doesnt work, letting him out at regular times doesnt work either. Hes completely healthy, so we know this is a psychological issue. Im wondering if I should take all food and water away during the eight hours that we are gone. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
kelly cardona

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It sounds like Papi may be suffering some separation anxiety while you’re gone. Here are a few things you can try to alleviate his anxiety:

1) Get up early enough so you can spend some active play time with him outside. If you can get him tired before you leave, he’ll be more likely to relax and nap once you’re gone.

2) Confine him to just one room – the kitchen, if that’s convenient – and cut off his access to the basement and other areas while you’re gone.

3) Set up a TV where he can watch and hear it. The sights and sounds will comfort him and make him feel less alone.

4) Leave lights on if you’re gone when it’s dark outside.

5) Turn off the phone ringers and lower the volume on your answering machine so they won’t startle him if someone calls.

6) Provide his favorite toys. A Kong filled with peanut butter and frozen will keep him busy for quite a while.

7) Give him one of your old t-shirts or an old blanket with your scent on it (unwashed) to snuggle up with.

Don’t make a fuss when you leave in the morning. If you make a big deal out of saying goodbye to him, he’ll associate it with your leaving for the day. Instead of setting him up for that sort of anxiety, just slip out the door quietly.

If all else fails, you might want to consider getting a second dog – perhaps an older dog who is used to being left alone all day and has no separation anxiety. Such a companion may help calm your Boston and resolve the house soiling problem.

Oh, and it’s not healthy to withhold water for 8 hrs at a time. He should have access to water all day. He really doesn’t need access to food while you’re gone, but those frozen Kongs might prove to be useful distractions when you’re gone.

Good luck with the little guy,

Tempest
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I raised Bostons for many years before getting my Jack Russell. I love em’. In fact I love terriers in general and the energy they have. What I did for Sonny, Sam and Missy, was put in a doggie door. They loved it and when I would come home from work, would all be out in the back yard sunning themselves (of course, bad weather they were not doing that). Make going outside for him alot of fun. In fact, play with him out there, so he looks forward to going outside. Make water available to him at all times like Tempest said.
Beachbaby
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I think you have three problems here:
1 – his size, he’s a little guy with a very small bladder
2 – the fact that he comes from a neglect, borderline abuse situation
3 – the anxiety he must feel whenever you leave him by himself (does he cry or howl when left alone?).
I would relax about the whole thing, give him more time to get used to things and buy him wee-wee pads for during the day. If he cries or howls, then you are dealing with separation anxiety disorder and that takes a long, long time to fix (if ever -it depends on each dog). I have a cocker spaniel (Josh) who was starved and abused by his owner on a regular basis and, to put the icing on the cake, abandoned in an empty apartment without food or water where he stayed for, at least, six days by himself so he ended up with a severe case of SAD. It took me 18 months to get him physically healthy (he had gangrene in one leg, very serious infections in his eyes and ears and weighted half his normal weight) but almost three years to cure him of his SAD and, even now, every once in a blue moon, he would still revert and howl when he thinks he was left alone. Psicologically, it’s extremely hard on dogs when their owners mistreat them, it does things to their heads, you know? …and even when you ‘rescue’ them, and give them all your love, it still takes a long time for them to feel secure again. Be patient, you might be asking too much of him too soon, give him time to adjust and to learn what you want out of him at his own pace. If you do, he’ll be the best friend you’ll ever have.
Good luck!
Bibi

Ok I am desparate. I have six jack russells and my baby “lucky” got very sick about 10 days ago with an undetermined bacterial infection. My vet referred him to NCSU vet school for further testing. Liver panels were scary and many other tests performed to rule out stuff. He has received excellant care but I am currently unemployed and I have other bills to pay too. We are about 3K and still not done. Does ANYONE know of any possible assistance or a resource I can contact? I have given to Humane society, NCSU vet school and many other non-profit organizations over the years. I am really not trying to cheap out but I really need some help.
Thanks to everyone. Keep lucky in your prayers!
jackrusselllover
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Boy, it seems to me that over the years I have heard of one or more veterinary assistance programs available through humane organizations. Unfortunately, the names of the sponsoring organizations are long since gone from memory. Try Googling something like “veterinary assistance” and see if anything helpful pops up.

I’m very sorry to hear of Lucky’s illness, and I hope he recovers quickly and completely.

I wish you all the best,

Tempest
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Just a quick update on lucky.. He is eating and keepin water down today. Small portions of course. I will pick up up this afternoon. I have tried googling veterniary assistance but no luck. I will keep trying.
Thanks to all. Keep praying for his continued recovery.
jack russell lover
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I have sent you a private message. Please check your mail here on-site.

Tempest

My daughter has a beagle. it is approximately 8 months or so old. Recently he has started coughing and throwing up. doesn’t throw up everytime he coughs. there was a change in dog food.
cicy33
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There are a number of conditions and circumstances that can cause coughing and vomiting. It may be related to the new food, or it may not. Your daughter should take her puppy to the vet for an exam. Puppies with immature immune systems can fall victim to disease more easily than adult dogs, so it’s always better to be safe than sorry with a vet exam.

All the best,

Tempest

We are the proud owners of a lovable 5 year old sheepdog. One problem we’re having is when and where he can poop… and if he doesn’t get to go where he wants (usually in the driveway or walkway) he won’t go at all, and then either wake us up at an ungodly hour in the morning or poop inside the house. We’re looking for advice in how to teach him to go in a specific area of the yard, and hopefully when we actually take him before bedtime.

Thanks!
eltico68
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suggest you use a technique similar to the one I recommended in the following:
Try this. After you have taken her out and she has peed, bring her back in and keep her leashed to you. Don’t let her anywhere near the potty pad area of your house. Watch her carefully, and as soon as she looks like she needs to poop, take her immediately back outside and walk her around. If she still doesn’t go, bring her back inside and keep her leashed to you until she indicates she needs to try again. Just keep taking her out until she poops outside, then praise the heck out of her, bring her inside, and let her off the leash. Exercise stimulates the bowels, so when you take her out, don’t just stand around. Keep her walking unless she stops to eliminate.

If you are consistent and use the leash technique *every time* until she is consistently doing all of her eliminations outside, it shouldn’t take long for her to get the idea.

Good luck!

Tempest
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When your dog defecates in an area you don’t want, move the poop to the area where you DO want him to potty so his scent will be in the appropriate place.

Good luck,

Tempest
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Thanks… we’ll give it a try…
Roy

I just got a cocker pup – she’s 8 wks old – I’m not scheduled to take her to the vet til next week. I just noticed some blood in her stool – is this something i should run to the vet with – It’s Saturday night @ 6pm – it would be an emergency visit!
lindajo
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Take your puppy and RUN, don’t walk, to the emergency vet! Bloody stool can be a symptom of parvo, and parvo can quickly kill your puppy.

I hope for your sake and the sake of your puppy that something else is causing the bloody stool, but regardless of the cause, blood in the stool of an 8 week old is very serious business.

I wish you and your baby the best possible outcome.

Tempest

I have done another bad thing when it comes to dogs. When I first got my Shih Tszu I lived in an apartment on the 3rd floor. It was hard to take her out all the time since she really wasn’t supposed to be there anyway. She is trained to go on potty pads. Well, now I have moved and I am ready to get rid of the pads. I take her out in the morning and at lunch and after work and before bed. She is gated in my kitchen while I am gone and will hold it until I come home. She is really good about peeing outside but I can’t her to do number 2. She will pee and then walk aroudn forever and never go. After 5 minutes of being inside, she will go where the pads used to be and poop on the floor. I need help. Does anyone have any good advice?
Jennie
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Try this. After you have taken her out and she has peed, bring her back in and keep her leashed to you. Don’t let her anywhere near the potty pad area of your house. Watch her carefully, and as soon as she looks like she needs to poop, take her immediately back outside and walk her around. If she still doesn’t go, bring her back inside and keep her leashed to you until she indicates she needs to try again. Just keep taking her out until she poops outside, then praise the heck out of her, bring her inside, and let her off the leash. Exercise stimulates the bowels, so when you take her out, don’t just stand around. Keep her walking unless she stops to eliminate.

If you are consistent and use the leash technique *every time* until she is consistently doing all of her eliminations outside, it shouldn’t take long for her to get the idea.

Good luck!

Tempest
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Thanks! I will try that technique. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Jennie

What are the basic rules to teach to my beautiful great dane puppy?
perla
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The absolute best thing you can do for your puppy is to enroll into puppy obedience classes with her. Not only will the classes help socialize her with new places, people, and dogs, but they’ll also teach you how to communicate with her to get her to obey basic commands. These classes will help you and your puppy bond with each other, and as your puppy learns how to do what you ask, she will become much more self-confident, outgoing, and happy. Lastly, you’ll have a trainer right there teaching the class so you can ask all your questions and learn from all the other students and their dogs, as well.

It’s the best investment of time and money you could possibly make to get you and your puppy off to a great start together.

All the best,

Tempest
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Yes I would love to get my great dane to a class but there aren’t any in my area. So what do you suggest I ‘ll teach her? Where should I find information about teaching her? Can you refer some information for me? she’s still 3months old today.
perla
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There is tons and tons of information online about dog training. You could spend months, if not years, going through it all. A Google search will bring up more than you could read in a lifetime.

Among the very best are the books and videos put out by the Monks of New Skete. I highly recommend them.

All the best with your pup.

Tempest
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Petsmart has classes. If you don’t have one in your area, check your yellow pages or call your local pet store. Try this site: dog training courses
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Gosh!I’m so worried about my great dane.yesterday she was infected with a virus. me and my husband took her to the vet and he injected her with antibiotics.she can hardly walk on her behind legs.we’re very worried this would effect her growth.do you think it’s possible? the vet said that she might have been infected from our cat. Our cat has just returned, she has been away for 3 weeks. shall I discontinue their interaction together?
perla
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Perla,

I am very sorry about your Dane’s illness, but you must have misunderstood your vet. A virus would not be treated with antibiotics, because antibiotics don’t affect viruses. If your Dane was given antibiotics, she must have some sort of bacterial infection.

You need to speak with your vet and find out exactly what her diagnosis is. If she has a bacterial infection that is treatable with antibiotics, I would assume the cat could also be treated with antibiotics if she has the same infection. Once both animals have been successfully treated, there should be no reason why they can’t safely interact with each other.

Call your vet and discuss the matter with him/her until you have a full understanding of the situation as it relates to both your dog and cat.

I wish you and your 4-legged family a rapid and complete recovery.

Tempest
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Sometimes vets prescribe antibiotics for viral infections in order to take care of any other opportunistic infection that would further depress the immune system (already working double time to fight the virus) but, if you are not sure, by all means, go back to the vet and make sure you do understand what’s wrong with her. I would not recommend interaction of any animal with a cat that goes outside, they catch all kinds of diseases out there and that’s the reason why the average life span of an outdoors cat is only 5 years whereas indoor cats last an average of 15.
As to the training of the great dane, I would recommend you find a GOOD trainer even it’s going to be a hassle for you to assist to the classes. Great Danes are fabulous dogs but they are huge and very strong and you DO NOT want to have an untrained Great Dane in your hands.
Good luck!
Bibi
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Please don’t believe that just because your cat goes outdoors that she will necessarily present a health risk to your dog or other animals. Of course, if your cat is not properly vaccinated and cared for, and if she is exposed to other ill animals, she may very well be bringing infectious organisms into your home. If your puppy hasn’t been properly and completely vaccinated, she will be especially vulnerable to diseases.

Much of disease prevention is a matter of proper caretaking of the animals under your charge. Vaccinate all companion animals according to veterinary recommendations, and keep a vigilant eye on your animals for any signs of illness. If one animal falls ill with an infectious disease, as has apparently happened with your Dane, make sure to have any other companion animals checked out, as well.

Unfortunately, even when you’ve done everything you can to safeguard the health of your animals, disease may still happen. When it does, your best action is education. Understand exactly what is happening with your animal and what treatment options are available. Be a strong advocate for your dog’s veterinary care so you know exactly what you need to do to help facilitate her recovery.

I wish you and your companions a rapid return to good health.

Tempest

I just acquired a 7 week old cocker pup. She’s soooo tiny. I live in the Chicago area and don’t know if it’s too cold to start taking her “out” to go “potty”. Temp today is around 35 degrees. Would appreciate feedback.
lindajo
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Start taking her out immediately. Just don’t make her stay out in the cold any longer than it takes her to do her business, unless, of course, she wants to stay out longer.

The general rule of thumb is that a puppy should be taken outside to eliminate *at least* as often as the puppy is old in months. That means you should be taking your 7 week old puppy out *at least* every 1 3/4 hrs. Puppies should also be taken out immediately after they eat, drink, wake up from a nap, come out of their crate (if you’re using a crate), and/or play vigorously.

I adopted the Moondog as a tiny puppy about the same age as yours many years ago. It was early Dec. in northern MN – COLD! The poor little Moonpuppy thought she was being punished every time I took her outside, and as often as not she’d hold it until she came back in, then immediately let loose on the floor. She didn’t housebreak until all the snow melted and the temps started to warm up in the spring. Even so, I felt it was very important to keep taking her out that first winter so she understood that she got praised when she eliminated outside.

Personally, I think paper training is a very bad idea unless you intend to have your dog eliminating inside your house for the rest of her life. It’s just too confusing for the puppy to teach her that it’s OK to pee and poop on paper in your house when she’s little, then convince her it’s no longer OK when she’s older. It’s better to get her into the habit of doing her business outdoors right from the start.

Don’t worry if she has accidents in the house for the first few months, and don’t make a fuss over it if she does. Just quietly clean it up and make a commitment to take her out more often to try to avoid repeat accidents. As her bladder and bowels mature, she’ll be able to more successfully control her eliminations. In the meantime, stock up on paper towels.

Happy puppyhood,

Tempest
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GREAT ADVICE!!!!
karenc64
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am sorry to disagree but I always recommend paper training until the puppies have had all their vaccines and, at 7 weeks of age, she has not had all the boosters. It’s not good to let them interact with other dogs or to be exposed to surfaces where sick dogs could have touched (like putting them down in Petsmart or the vet’s office or any other place where there have been dogs) Distemper, for example, is one disease that dogs can catch from contact with infected surfaces for years and years after the sick dog touched them -and, I just read two weeks ago that vets have begun to notice outbreaks of distemper that have gone misdiagnosed as other problems -even dogs that have been vaccinated can get distemper although it’s usually not fatal -and, it’s a terrible, terrible disease which has no cure and makes them suffer something terrible.
As to the paper training, it depends on the dog and how consistent and intensive the training is to switch them over from paper to street. I use it for very young dogs and small breeds and I have never had a problem with the switching.
Good luck!
Bibi

Hello everyone. I’m new to the board. I own 3 bulldogs and am a stay at home mom trying to start a home business dedicated to people who are crazy about their pets like I am. I was wondering if you could look at it and tell me your opinions on the products. Its www.PoshDoggy.com. I really appreciate any constructive criticism! I’d like to make the site perfect!! Thanks sooo much!!

Amie
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I love that you have a border collie in the picture. i also like your products although the prices on some items are a little high . keep up the good work!
granny
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Hello! I am new here too! I have a 3 year old Cocker Spaniel who is the love of my life. I too own a pet related business online and I checked out your site. I don’t know how long you have had your sight. MIne is only up since December 2004. I like your products believe me I think I have researched them all. You have unique items. The hardest thing in this type of business is finding the right products people want and at the right prices. My business has picked up considerably since the end of January. You can check me out www.pitterpatterpawz.com. As I have had my site it is building by leaps and bounds every day I add more products. People are looking for unique stuff they cant get at the big stores and you have unique so good luck..
Riosmommy
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wow… those prices are really high!
I wish you much luck though.
karenc64

I’m getting a new pup and want my 6 yr old dog to like him, any ideas how to introduce them?
Deanna
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What kind are you getting and is it the same breed as the 6 year old?
Beachbaby
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Yes, please tell us what breeds and genders the puppy and adult are. Also, is the adult spayed/neutered, and how does (s)he respond to other dogs in general?

Tempest
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I have the same question, i have a 6 year old female dal and we have gotten a 6 month old mutt both have been spayed, the older one doesn’t seem to like the younger one being here, any suggestions?
Francesca
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Please read my response to the thread titled, “Very bossy shiba inu!!!!”

It addresses some of the issues involved in a multiple dog household with more than one alpha canine personality.

Tempest
Arcadia sounds like a very alpha (dominant) personality, and alpha personalities often have strong and ongoing conflicts with other pack members, esp. those of their own gender. Two alpha females are often more likely to seriously injure each other in violent fights than are two alpha males. That’s why it’s never a good idea to have two alpha females (or two alpha males) in the same household.

If Chloe also has an alpha personality, it will only express itself more strongly in her behavior and in her conflicts with Arcadia as she matures. If that’s the case, you may never have peace in your household, and you may, indeed, have seriously bloody battles in which any member of your household – two or four legged – may get injured in the crossfire.

Taking both Arcadia and Chloe (separately) through obedience classes would certainly help you establish yourself as alpha in your household, which is something it sounds like you desperately need to do. However, even obedience classes won’t change the way the dogs interact with each other when you’re not in the room. They will continue to fight and put your family at risk. It’s in the alpha nature, and it’s not something you’re going to be able to change.

I have a very old alpha female. In her younger days, she was a very pushy, very dominant dog with the other family canines, esp. the females. Fortunately, neither of our other females were at all alpha, so they instantly backed down when Moonie laid down the law. Moonie did a lot of snapping and growling, but there was never a single fight because none of the other dogs ever challenged her authority. If they had, I could have intervened and stopped any conflict that arose in my presence. However, I know I never could have left Moonie alone with another alpha female without them trying to kill each other.

Now, Moonie is an extremely old lady who can not even rise to her feet without assistance. Her eyesight and hearing are both poor. Even in her frail state, Moonie remains the undisputed alpha dog in our household.

We do now have a young adult female with a very alpha personality. We adopted Tasha as a young puppy, and Moonie let her know immediately who was boss. Surprisingly, Tasha defers to Moonie and will flop down on her back across Moonie’s paws when the Queen Dog barks at her. But I don’t believe things would be nearly so peaceful between them if Moonie were still mobile. If Moonie were able to push Tasha around the way she did the others when she was younger, I think this house would be a bloody battlefield. Our current peaceful state is due to Moonie’s inability to challenge Tasha’s alpha behavior toward everyone else.

I wish I could be more encouraging about your situation, but I believe your only hope of reasonable coexistence is if Chloe decides to acquiesce to Arcadia’s domination, and it doesn’t sound like that’s going to happen. You may have to do what another internet acquaintance of mine has had to do in her household – split the house in two and give each dog their half, never being allowed in the same space together. That’s a tough way to manage a family.

Good luck,

Tempest