Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have a black spitz mutt, and she is acting very wierd. when we take her out on a long walk, or play out side, she poops or pees, then does the same thing in our house, she has ruined our carpet. she is nice to most ppl except for little todlers, or age 5 and under basically. she also chews on the window sills, can anyone help me, i really dont have the money for new windows or carpets

>>i have a black spitz mutt, and she is acting very wierd. when we take her out on a long walk, or play out side, she poops or pees, then does the same thing in our house, she has ruined our carpet. she is nice to most ppl except for little todlers, or age 5 and under basically. she also chews on the window sills, can anyone help me, i really dont have the money for new windows or carpets

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You might start with setting up a safe confinement area for her when you can't watch her and also to keep her away from little kids. A bathroom with a baby gate across the door can work. If she jumps one baby gate, put another above it, to make it higher.

This is a very intelligent breed. A trainer or veterinary behavior specialist could help a lot. These dogs are very sensitive, so they need to be taught what you want, and not be treated harshly. They will fight that kind of handling.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

thing is that she would pee and poop in such a small place, also, supposedly she was abused before we got her from the pound a couple years ago. so that doesnt help matters. but is there any explanation to why she will poop and pee on a walk or while playing outside, then come inside and do the same. it isnt because of controlling her bladder because she is only a little over 3 years old.

>>thing is that she would pee and poop in such a small place, also, supposedly she was abused before we got her from the pound a couple years ago. so that doesnt help matters. but is there any explanation to why she will poop and pee on a walk or while playing outside, then come inside and do the same. it isnt because of controlling her bladder because she is only a little over 3 years old.

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One reason would be if a dog has been conditioned to relieve indoors. Another is fear of doing it in front of a human due to prior punishment. A dog of any age can have a medical problem causing loss of control. You'll need some in-person detective work to figure it out.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

Have you tried Bitter Apple? Cookie used to chew on our baseboards until we got Bitter Apple. It has worked wonders for us.
Good luck!

We used apple cider vinegar on our baseboards.. That also worked really well

I may be missing something but it doesn't sound like your dog is crazy, it sounds like she needs a lot of training. Take her to the vet first to make sure that there's nothing causing her odd behaviours. Then start finding a trainer or any info you can find on positive training methods. Clicker training works wonders.. No yelling, pushing, or trying to physically move or hold the dog.. Like Kathy said the spitz breed does not react well to manhandling.. You have to convince her that she wants to behave the way you want her to, because it will get her what she wants..

not to overstate the obvious, but the training is a great idea. some might say, but I don't care if she does the specific commands, but the point of training is the effect on the dog's whole attitude.

with basic obed you & your dog will shift to positive mode & the successes will (slowly) begin to outweigh the 'mis'-behavior.

One thing you might try for the poop after you've had her out & bring her back inside, is to get her inside, then go right back out again. just a thought.

Also, if you will praise her when she does it outside & use a word like 'outside-potty' in a cheerful tone. this will work if you give it time. Some dogs respond best to a more calm praise, others you might need to almost get silly with joy over her outside potty.

So glad you adopted, these neglected ones can come with baggage, but patience & persistance pays off. No yelling or any negative reaction from you at the mistakes & an overwhelming positive reaction to her successes will get the message to her the quickest.

LOL.. baggage is right! But don't worry, it's definitely worth working through