Quote:
Originally Posted by sandy simpson  Thank you Jilly! Yes he is anxious about something. Probably when I leave him. He gets uptight. Hit three spots with pee yesterday. Looks at me like Duh whats wrong with you?
Im mad cleaning his pee! So frustrating. I chase him with that belly band but it keeps him from marking! |
It's SO hard, I know, not to get angry at them but if you try to see life from his view - something is frustrating, scaring or worrying him and he's powerless to stop it so all he can do is express his frustration and psychological(if not physical) pain in the only way nature has given him. He can't read an exciting novel, watch TV, surf the net or even take a walk to help himself out of his situation so he has to try to share his feelings with you by changing his behavior in the only way he knows of trying to tell you something is wrong in his life. It's either he's bored silly with a lonely, nothing life or worried over new, worrying scents from another animal that's moved into the neighborhood or the scent of a female in heat - something like that.
If you think it's separation anxiety, being working at enriching his life. Buy him foraging food bowls/toys so that he gets to forage for his meals and at play - a natural activity for canines in nature and can bring out his natural abilities of working for his food and encourages his fun prey drive. Get him as many things as you can afford and feed him his meals via the foraging bowls. One of the best is the foraging mat -
see attached sites and learn more:
https://www.google.com/search?q=snuf...hrome&ie=UTF-8
Next, I'd give him a job to do - learning how to obey your commands for the wonderful feeling of teamwork and reward he'll get from you as you work teaching him basic, fun, simple obedience skills so that the two of you work as a team as you learn how to form a tight bond and become a working team, during which he'll surprise you by showing you just how smart and willing your dog is to learn what you want to teach him. Google 'positive reinforcement dog training' and become the most enthusiastic, upbeat and dedicated dog trainer you can. Read and watch all the YouTube videos you can learning basic training. It's simple really, just turn on enthusiasm and joy as you start to teach your dog simple, easy skills and watch him light up with joy that you care in this way and want to richly reward him with your pride and treats! His oxytocin levels will skyrocket and so will yours and he'll work hard at learning more to keep all that going:
https://www.google.com/search?q=dog+...hrome&ie=UTF-8
As you two work on training skills and your bond tightens, you will find you have a much happier, satisfied dog who no longer feels so isolated and bored, lonely, frustrated and unfulfilled. He'll better accept your away times to take the opportunity to sleep and rest up for the fun you two will have when you get home as he's formed a more trusting relationship with you during the training period. He'll try VERY hard to keep you happy with him and you'll find the stress peeing either disappears or severely lessens as he goes along in this fun life.
As a good, long walk where he's allowed the first half of your walk for sniffing all the pee and scents of other critters in the neighborhood - like reading email and Google News to a dog - and marking over that scent himself; and the second part of the walk for fast walking exercise on the way home. No doubt you've heard that dogs get a great deal of information about other dogs', cats' and other critters' urine/feces that obviously thrills them to know:
https://www.google.com/search?q=snif...hrome&ie=UTF-8
By adding these 3 things and interactive toys to your dogs' life, you can remake it to one that totally changes him into a happy, satisfied and well-behaved pet who has few, if any, behavior problems. And you'll have a far richer and enjoyable relationship with him. So get to work being the best dog mommy you can be and watch JoJo grow into the perfect pet you're very proud of!