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Post by kukibear on Apr 29, 2004 23:31:14 GMT 1
I have a foster dog, Spot now known as Sam from Dave and Rachel. I am going to adopt him since he has really bonded with my son, and seems really happy and settled here from day one. Today I took him and my other dog kuki for a ride over to Dave and Rachels to pick up some dinner for him. While he was there he kept growling at his former kennel mate. When we got home he was quite growly to Kuki, which i assume is him re-asserting himself with her. This evening he has pee'd twice in the house, which is something he hasnt done before, even when I first bought him home. I was wondering why he did this? I didnt acknowledge to him what he had done , just quietly cleaned it up, although when i walked into the hall where he had done it, he looked really sad and hung his head, even though I ignored what he had done on the floor. Is it an assertion thing or did I just simply upset him by taking him for a visit ( like he thought I was taking him back or something? ) any thoughts would be greatfully recieved
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Post by LurcherGirl on Apr 30, 2004 7:41:09 GMT 1
Hi kukibear, I need a little bit more information How long have you had Spot? What breed is he? How old is he roughly? Tell me about his general character? Is he generally timid, boisterous, assertive, protective etc. Do you know anything about his previous history? Is Kuki your other dog? How old is he, what breed? Do they normally get on well? Vera
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Post by kukibear on Apr 30, 2004 8:49:30 GMT 1
Hi Vera I have had Spot just over 2 weeks, he is a boarder collie X and just around a year old, not yet neutered. He is quite a confident dog, tho Dave and Rachel said his confidence has grown alot since being at home with me. He can be boisterous, typical of his age. He gets called an oaf a hundred times a day! I think his history is, he was at Dave and Rachels - poplar farm for a few months, then previously at another rescue for approx 4 months. I'm not a hundred percent sure about this, Dave or Rachel could correct me if wrong. Kuki is my Samoyed bitch, she is 8. They dont ineract much together, Kuki isnt all that bothered about him, tho he was pleased to see her come home when i took her to the vets. Kuki is a very placid dog, and doesnt do much these days, except sleep. there isnt any agression towards each other unless there is food involved and Spot will growl at her, as Kuki is used to sharing food bowls with other dogs, she finds this odd. They dont play together yet, but that is due to Kuki being reluctant for her own reasons rather than Spot. But it wont be long before she will be ready. I'm not at all worried by his weeing inside, I was just wondering why he did it. There were no more accidents in the house overnight tho i did wake up to a nice pile of cat sick but that's another story Trish
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Post by LurcherGirl on Apr 30, 2004 11:05:13 GMT 1
Sam has not been with you for long, so you will find that behaviour will change throughout the next few weeks. Although some dogs seem settled instantly, they can take a long time to really feel comfortable, trusting that this is a permant home. Many rescue dogs get worried throughout their lives every time a routine changes. Even after 2 years, our lurcher still wees indoors at times of changes (e.g. we are at home during holidays when we would normally be out at work), even if they are positive. They just immediately think that something bad is going to happen... The fact that Sam was quite growly indicates insecurity (which is not surprising as many collies are). There are really two reasons why he may have weed indoors yesterday: He could feel confident enough now that your home is his home, needed to tell Kuki and everyone else as well and marked it to put his stamp on it. Not being neutered would tie in with this. The other possibility is that he got unsettled with going back to Dave and Rachel (albeit only as a visitor...), in his mind he thought that he was moved on again - weeing indoors could therefore be stress relief. So yes, you have got it right that it is either of the two things that you mentioned (assertion or being upset). Either way, your reaction was good. If he was marking, telling him off would not have done any good, and if he was upset, telling him off would have things made worse. So ignoring the problem (and make sure you praise and treat when he does his business outdoors) is the best thing to do. Also - and I am probably preaching to the converted here - don't forget that dogs don't do things to annoy people or out of spite. They do it because they feel they have to at the moment or because they expect a reward of some sort (can even be a negative reward like telling off). So he didn't wee indoors out of spite or anything like that, but as you rightly say, he had a reason for it! Hope this helps?
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Post by kukibear on Apr 30, 2004 12:07:16 GMT 1
Thanks Vera, there have been no more accidents in the house, and after the initial growling at Kuki when we got back home, apart from food orientated - which i completely understand, due to his background. he has been back his normal self. I am getting more and more convinced he was just upset, as you said thinking he was being moved on again, even thought i bought him back home with me thanks again for your thoughts
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