GeorgeofNE

The sleep aggression is easy--just make sure you clap, or speak the dog's name loudly enough ot wake it up BEFORE you try to pet him or her. As to teaching the dog to share--use the "trade" method at first. Like Chad, I nearly lost a hand when I first tried to take a bone away from my dog. Then I realized if I simply handed him a dog biscuit, he'd happily drop the bone. Now that we've been together for a while, he'd let me take it, but as Chad said, it takes time and trust.

I've had my dog for close to five years. He does not play. Well, about once a month, for about 10 seconds, he'll shake the one stuffy of dozens I gave him that he EVER touches, but that's it. He's just not into it! Your dog may come around, or not. Hopefully you'll be willing to accept which ever sort of dog she ends up being! For me it's a nice break. My last dog was a mix and he NEVER wanted to stop playing. 12 years of throwing stinky stuffies around every night...I miss him horribly, but I don't mind a dog who is cool with just snoozing and looking handsome!

You might consider investing in a dog owner's home veterinary care type book. One of my favorites is This One Particulary useful if you've never had a dog of any type! Enjoy your new friend.

Dogs can be allergic to anything. Allergies in and of themselves do not cause "bad skin." Excessive scratching and licking from alleries cause bad skin. More typical than an itchy anus would be itching of the "armpits," ears, and chewing at the feet. I think you should probably take him to the vet for a look. A basic visit should not be too expensive, and the vet might give you some ideas or suggestions. Have you tried Benadryl to see if it makes him STOP itching? If it doesn't at all, then he probably doesn't have an allergy.

If you've had experience housebreaking puppies, then you should have no trouble. Despite her being an adult, she has had NO housebreaking, so the easiest thing is to go about it as if she were a puppy. Don't withhold water. Once she learns it's always there, she'll learn to only drink when she's thirsty. You also need to remove ALL traces of prior accidents in the house. Go outside with her. Praise her to the heavens when she goes outside. Put the accidents behind you, start as if it's day one and she's 8 weeks old, and I'm sure she'll have it in no time since it sounds like she has a decent idea already! Also, if you haven't already had her to your vet for an exam, now is a good time. It's possible she's got a mild UTI and that's why she's starting having accidents!

Wow. Of all the comments, the one that bothers you the most is my suggestions you not leave dishes in the sink? You said it was the dishes the dog was jumping on the counter to get at. Sometimes the simple solution is to remove the temptation. It wasn't meant as a commentary on your housekeeping skills.

Lila is 7. My greys are on Costco brand as well. They do enjoy it! Ok, so I will feel Lila less in the morning, and more at night, feed her later so hopefully it will hold her over. Let her out a lot before bed. If it was a "sometimes at 2am" thing, I'd go with it, but we've been dealing with this for a few weeks now, so I think it's becoming habit. I will ignore her tomorrow morning, but if she pees on the rug again, I can't ignore her and I'll have to figure something else out I'm not sure how food got pulled into this issue! If she's urinating in the middle of the night, I fail to see the connection between that and eating. My dog needs to pee AFTER he eats, not when he's hungry. She probably holds it during the day because she's sleeping--is it possible something is preventing her from sleeping at night? Does she some exercise above and beyond trips outside? I'm glad to hear you had her checked for a UTI! Does she sleep in your bedroom with you? Are there other pets in the house? If something is going on outside that she hears, it could wake her up. Simply being up and awake after a few hours of sleep is enough to make her need to tinkle. So MAYBE if you can figure out why she can't sleep you can stop this issue? Until then, you might try putting some pee pads on the floor. At least you won't have to clean up piddle if she manages to go on them.

Me too. I have nothing on my slider. But I also have a small condo and an older dog who doesn't play. He's never not understood it's solid.

I used a Scat Mat for my cat who kept trying to bolt out of my door--but they know the second you turn it off because it makes a faint hum when it's on. I don't worry about my cats on my counters because I only do food prep on one area, and I just make sure it's clean before I start. As to the dog--perhaps it's excellent motivation not to leave dishes in the sink? Or just baby gate the kitchen off from him. I'm not fond of using fear-based training on a dog. I only tried it with my cat because I felt her life was at stake. She was an outdoor cat I adopted as an adult from the shelter--and I turned her into an indoor cat.

My bet is also lumbar stenosis. Good luck, and let us know what the vet tells you!

Having way more experience with this issue than I ever wanted, I would say that with a Serenity pad in them, yes, they would hold a full piddle, and the pad remains dry to the touch, so she would not be "stewing" in urine (which seems to be what some people believe happens). I now use human incontinence pads on the floor because George and I have finally stumbled upon the right combination of drugs so that he can hold it all day-- I was lucky in that he ALWAYS went right next to my sliding glass door (making and effort to get outside, I think), so I leave the pads there. The last accident he had was right on the pads, and I was SO happy! They're washable too, so it works out really well.

Wanna trade???? But seriously, my parents female English Setter regularly went 14 hours or more without peeing.

I don't see a single word about "we had her checked out at the vet for a UTI." That's what I'd do if my dog could no longer hold it. After you find out she's perfectly healthy, you need to pick a schedule that works FOR YOU and stick with it. She does not need to eat just because she wants to eat. I'd be concerned that she isn't 100% herself first, and once you eliminate that as an issue, work on getting her back on a schedule. And dogs don't pee out of spite.

Yes, it is safe

Janet, I couldn't bear to read this until now. I'm so sorry for your loss. It's so shocking. Peanut had a WONDERFUL life. Loved every minute. What more could any of us want? I know you'll miss her, and I know Cathie is heartbroken too. :f_white :f_white The daisy emoticon will always remind me of Peanut. Lots of love, Susan and George

I'd do a clean catch, or have the vet extra some urine directly, and retest. Crystals in her urine can be serious.

Sure sounds like she broke something to me. I'm so sorry. I hope I'm wrong and that she's feeling much better today.

Neither of those drugs does anything for inflammation. If you haven't had x-rays yet, please get them. My dog would be a whacko on that much Tramadol (which he occasionally takes for pain).

I started with sit. If George can learn to sit, ANY dog can learn to sit! And i used the exact same "ols fashioned" tuck and fold method that I have always used.

Chad, I thought you were VERY helpful--how were you to know that the OP is experienced? I see picture after picture on GT of dogs whose collars are WAY too loose. I can't even imagine how a dog slips out a harness if it fits properly? George popped his collar once--it was brand new and very stiff, and he went rapidly backwards (between my legs no less!). And that's how I learned that George is afraid of carnival rides! I bought him a Wiggles, Wags, and Whiskers harness that night, and there is no possible way he could get out of it.

If your house is no longer for sale (you said "were planning on selling"), I'd suggest you put one crate back up and put the snarly one in it during meal times.

Neutering and spaying are very different, obviously. Given that racing males are NOT neutered until they retire, and NGA hounds have such a high rate of osteo, it's hard for me to see how early neutering of a puppy could possibly be considered a factor.

My advice is to remember that you're responsible for what goes into them, and if what you're doing now is working, messing with it makes no sense. They're not children. They don't watch TV ads and understand the concept that other dogs might be getting treats and they aren't.

Concrete steps won't be slipperly or jiggly. There's no reason that any dog cannot learn how to navigate them. It might take a while though, and since I assume that's their only way in and out, it could be an issue.

Rising early is common with newly adopted dogs; but it doesn't sound like this dog IS newly adopted. My guess is his prior owner let him out whenever he wanted to go out. You don't have to do that. I agree with the idea of having him checked out by a vet, but once you've done that, you need to teach him what "go lie down" means. If you take him out right before bedtime, he should be able to hold it for quite a long time.