A Few Problems with my Adopted Dog

[Ellie & Cooper]

Hello! Overall Cooper is the perfect little boy! However, now that he has had about a week to settle in to his new forever home, (was adopted May 20th) there has been two different issues that have come up. The first I think is an easy fix - the second, I am not quite sure! ALL ADIVCE & TIPS ARE WELCOME! :)

First Issue: Cooper has been eating our toilet paper. Not just spare rolls, but literally off of the holder that is attached to the wall. Is it just because he is bored sometimes? (I have been traveling for work the past week and my boyfriend is a police office who works night shift and has odd working/sleeping hours). He has still gotten plenty of exercise but this past week he has had long periods of time where it is quiet around the house. Is this just a boredom issue and we need to get him another chew toy? (he tore up his duck earlier in the week so we threw it away). Help!

Second Issue: Cooper was a stray and is about 1 year old. He was neutered on May 19th of this year, which was a little over a week ago. Since he was a "real boy" for his whole life, and just being a male dog, he likes to mark his territory. He has never had an issue with marking inside - just outside. Well..... I took him to the vet this past week and when he was on the weigh scale he started peeing! I was so embarrassed but apparently it happens often...? Or at least they told me. So, I am assuming he was marking his territory over other dog's marks? I didn't correct it because I didn't know what to do and once he starts peeing, he can't stop, just has to let it go. It didn't happen anywhere else in the vet's office. So yesterday, my boyfriend calls me and tells me Cooper is in timeout bc he marked on our cat's litter box TWICE and obviously missed and peed everywhere. :/ He hasn't done it since yesterday but that is because we are now keeping a very close eye on him when he goes down stairs (where the litter box is). My first guess is to move the litter box up higher on a shelf or something? But, I know this wont fix the bigger problem - marking his territory. What if we go over to a friends house and he smells where a dog has previously had an accident? Is it just his hormones since they are still in his system? How do I get him to stop marking inside when he smells other dogs? HELP!

[Marie and Hoka]

#1: Every dog we have ever had has ripped up toilet paper rolls at some point in their life!  Hoka is 6 months and all our paper is currently kept out of reach... which confuses guests!  LOL At some point they al outgrew it.  We keep antlers and non-destructible toys all over the house.

#2:  We always kept litter boxes in a place off limits to dogs.  For us, that was installing a cat-door on the laundry room door. The dogs will eat the poop and possibly scare the cats.  I was afraid the cats would end up giving up the boxes, and that would be a bigger problem.  

#3 As far as marking, we had a foster pup boy (1-2 years old freshly neutered) in the Spring who inside marked.  As long as we kept him confined and only slowly expanded the territory that was allowed we did alright.  As far as I could tell, once he felt he established and area, he stopped marking.

Good luck!!!! 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

There's nothing you can do about the smells of other animals in the vet's office or other public places. I would make sure you have given him a chance to relieve himself before going in, and then if he does mark, it will only be a few drops. If you have friends who have dogs having accidents inside their homes on a regular basis, and who do not use an odor neutralizer in addition to cleaning it up, well, let me just say that I wouldn't be visiting their homes even without my dog, lol. No matter how carefully you clean up after a dog has "gone", the dog can still smell it unless you use an odor neutralizer like Nature's Miracle. 

He must be corrected every single time he marks indoors, and in order to do that, he simply cannot be loose and unsupervised indoors. You have to see the behavior and correct it immediately when it happens or it's meaningless. I understand that this may be difficult with your boyfriend's schedule, but if you don't want a dog who is urinating inside your home for the rest of his life, you have to do it. He cannot be alone on another floor of the house (or anywhere) right now. 

You also have to keep the litter box immaculately clean so that Cooper is not attracted to the smells. The easiest thing would probably be to move it somewhere where the cat has access but Cooper doesn't. A cat door on the laundry room door as Marie suggested is a great idea. We had a similar arrangement when my cat was alive, as JD did like to snack on cat poop. (Ewww)

In any case, the instant he gets "into position" to mark, he needs to be stopped with a calm but stern verbal correction (Cooper, NO!) and taken outdoors immediately. If he then finishes what he was about to do outdoors, he should get a treat and lavish praise. 

My adopted male doodle was 14 months old when he was neutered by the shelter, and he came into my home 5 days later. He has never marked indoors anywhere. So Cooper's issue is most likely not hormonal, it's probably due to habits and previous lifestyle. He may never have lived inside a home. It is going to take time, patience, and consistency for him to learn the new rules. Each time he marks without a correction is reinforcement for the behavior, so you'll need to be vigilant. 

There is always an adjustment period when adopting an adult dog, and it takes time. 

Regarding the toilet paper, the easiest thing would be to keep bathroom doors closed. But he also needs more than one stuffed toy to chew, lol. Antlers, marrow bones, chew toys, Nylabones, these are your best bet. There is lots of info on bones and antlers in The Food Group. 

Hang in there. Most rescue dogs don't show their true personalities until they have been in a new home for at least a month. With time, patience, and love, he will "get" it. And it will be sooo worth the effort. :)  

[Deborah Brown]

You've already gotten good advice.  Let me reinforce that Cooper is not ready to have free access to your home.  If you don't want to crate him, then use baby gates to keep him confined in a small area when he is not supervised.  You should treat him like a new pup who is not housebroken.  

It is a big adjustment for him and he's probably been on his best behavior but you'll start seeing more mischief.  He is still a young dog.  Keep your shoes put away and your dirty clothes off the floor.  Put the remotes out of his reach.

Good luck with Cooper!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I agree with what everyone has said.  Even though he's neutered he may never stop marking outside.  Both of my males mark.  When we go out for a "potty walk" and I give them the freedom to smell around they will mark several times...I swear they "store it" up so they can be sure there is at least a drop or two left.  I also agree that for now until he learns the "indoor rules" he needs to be confined.  Take him out on a leash to the pee spot you decide is his for awhile to reinforce that that is where he should be going....I would always praise and treat at this point when he goes there.  If you see him begin to lift his leg inside calmly grab his collar and move him right outside to his "pee spot".  Be careful that your correction isn't too harsh at this point....remember he's trying to learn how he's supposed to behave in your home and right now he's clueless.   With patience...he'll get it.  At the Vet's office I always give my guys a chance to smell around the doorway...there are always great "other dog scents" and they will mark there several times before we go in.  As Karen said, I think if you take a few minutes to to that you shouldn't have a problem once you get inside.  Thanks for giving this guy an opportunity to have a home....hang in there.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

You've received great advice from members who really know what they are talking about, especially when it comes to rescues.

 

I want to reiterate that Cooper was a stray and you have no idea what his real past was like - it's going to take him a bit to get adjusted. But with some training and PATIENCE, I am sure he will be a wonderful, wonderful companion. Just hang in there and come to DK for advice as needed!

[Ginny Nightingale]

I agree with Marie and will add that he is not yet beyond the hormones and the marking...it will take some time. My dog was two when he was neutered and he never peed in the house but marked all over the yard...he does not do that anymore at all. But it took a while.....I will also add that he should not yet have freedom in your house ...he needs to earn that and is getting into too much trouble. He should be confined to a kitchen, etc with a gate unless he is supervised, in my opinion.
And he will need chew toys for sure! Not rawhide, but there are hard nylabones and Kongs that dogs enjoy and a lot of people like elk antlers for their dogs.

[Stella]

Awesome advice from everyone already. As he was a stray, you should treat him as a new puppy and assume that he is not house trained. Go through all the usual house training that you would do with an right week old puppy. Hide all things that could be tempting for chewing on & close the bathroom door when you go out. My six year old LD will still chew on the phone or tv remote, or shred paper if given the opportunity when I am gone!!

[Emily, Bentley, & Maserati]

You received wonderful advice. Hang in there, be diligent with the supervision, and keep praising him for the positive things so you don't feel like all you do is correct the negative behaviors. Good luck!