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Question

We have a 5 year old male silky terrier, cute as a button and sweet as can be but urinates constantly everywhere in our home, every corner wall ,every piece of furniture, shoes, basically anything he can lift his leg on. He has not been fixed and we also have two male chocolate labs and one female cat in our family who he adores. We have tried diapers, crating him, taking him outside constantly all to no avail. We don't know what to do and we've just had it... Please help. Thank you for your time.

Submitted: 18 days and 20 hours ago.
Category: Dog
Value: $15
Status: CLOSED
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Posted by Cher 18 days and 19 hours ago.

Answer

Hi TuckerAsh, and thanks for your question.

Having him neutered may help curb the problem, but he has developed a 'habit', so he will have to be re-trained not to urinate in the house. You'll need to start from square one, with the housetraining, and also, clean everything he's already marked, with an enzymatic cleaner to remove all traces of scent, so he doesn't feel it's okay to urinate there. These are some well recommended products:
http://www.naturemakesitwork.com/home/index.php
http://www.allivet.com/Equalizer-Carpet-Stain-and-Odor-p/26942.htm
www.zeroodorstore.com
http://www.redhotcarpetcleaning.com/en-us/simple-solution-faq.html

If he's marking territorially, neutering him will help. If he had never been housetrained completely, or has lapsed in his habits, this may be due to an underlying medical condition, so a vet visit is always a good starting point. This will help with housetraining tips and techniques, plus causes of inappropriate elimination:
http://www.sniksnak.com/doghealth/elimination.html
http://www.sniksnak.com/doghealth/housetraining.html


I hope things improve soon for you and your furry boy.

Cher

18 days and 19 hours ago.

Reply

Thank you Cher just a couple more questions; is it realistic to think we can retrain him at this stage, and if so are there different guidelines to follow for a mature dog than for a puppy?

We've been told that neutering him won't make a much of a difference since it probably is more habit as you mentioned than anything else at this point, he knows that he's done wrong even if we don't catch him in the act which we very rarely do he puts his little ears back and his tail down and gives himself away after he goes.... and since he has urinated almost everywhere in our large home including many carpeted areas will the enzyme products be effective in all these areas, how thorough does it have to be, it's overwhelming thinking that I have to scrub my entire house with the product but if it will work I'm more than willing.

Accepted Answer

Hi again, and you're most welcome.

Because you're trying to break a bad habit, it will most likely be more difficult to re-train him as an mature dog, and some of the guidelines will be irrelevant as they apply to puppies, only, but the basics will remain the same. Because he's a small breed, you might prefer to paper train him with newspapers and wee wee pads, in a specific area of the house. He can still enjoy walks, but if he is trained to go in a specific area of the house, this might help. Positive reinforcement with healthy treats, toys, etc., is a great motivator, when he urinates where he's supposed to; also, it's necessary for you to establish yourself as the 'alpha' dog, as dogs run in packs and do want to be submissive to a 'leader' and gain their approval.
http://www.sniksnak.com/doghealth/control3.html
http://www.sniksnak.com/doghealth/training.html


If his inappropriate urination is due in any way to stress or anxiety, using a dog appeasing pheromone called DAP, might help.
http://www.petplace.com/drug-library/dog-appeasing-pheromone-dap-canine-appeasing-pheromone-apaisine/page1.aspx

It might be best to have your carpet professionally steam cleaned and ask the person if they can use Nature's Miracle or one of the other enzymatic products in the water solution. If you have a large home with many soiled carpeted surfaces, I agree it will be very difficult to 'spot clean' all the areas your dog has soiled. You can still use the enzymatic cleaner on furniture, if the material is water-safe.

Cher

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Expert: Cher
Pos. Feedback: 99.5 %
Accepts: 
Answered: 11/4/2009

Dog Caregiver--Extensive Experience

Extensive Experience Caring for Canines; Specializing in behavior and health concerns.

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