At Wit's End!
 

Stewie is almost 9. He barks non-stop for any noise, for treats, for anything. He barks at the cat whenever she enters the room. He attacks us when we're leaving.
He pees in the house. He no longer barks to go out--just pees and sh*ts wherever he feels like.
He's really out of control and nothing has changed with ME or in his environment, so I can't blame it. I can only blame him.
My neighbors hate me. My husband hates how I feel because I hate the dog now. I don't know what else to do.
Can anyone offer me any advice?! I am thinking of medicating him.

THANKS. And no, I'm not a flamer. This is true feelings.

It sounds like he thinks he's boss. Might need to go back to Yorkie 101 with training. I don't have specifics to help you but I'm sure others will be coming by to offer help. Good luck, I know these behaviors can be corrected because I have heard of others that had to take a few steps backwards.

I am assuming 9 is almost 9 years old and not 9 months old. If so, your dog is well into middle age. THis is a time when organ systems can start to decline.

If you have not had him thoroughly checked out by your vet, that is your first step, along with a very clear explanation of what is going on with your dog. You need to rule out UTI, prostate enlargement, bladder problems, also his thyroid should be thoroughly tested (that is with the expanded panel).

Now have these behaviours gradually over a period of years built up, or have they been realatively recent ..say over the past 6mths. If there was years of build up, how did you correct in the past for excessive barking, peeing in the house etc? Have you stopped those corrections? A dog that is well behaved and changes over a period of months quite drastically usually has some underlying medical issue. One whose behaviour has done on gradual slide downwards.....well the person to look is yourself.

If he gets a clean bill of health, try getting into your home an animal behaviouralist. Both of you will need to re-learn good habits.

If he is peeing where-ever he wants to in the house etc, then he has not earned the right to be "free" in the house. Confine him to an expen, in between the many walks, and outdoor play sessions you are going to do daily with him. A tired dog, is more likely a good dog. Every two hours out he goes for a walk, and to pee and or poo. Always after eating, getting up from sleeping, and if you have an indoor play time after that too.

Then get yourself a black light, and lots of enzymatic cleaner and go over your whole house cleaning out the smell of the urine stains. You can also get a steam cleaner for rugs and floors, after your have cleaned up the urine stains.

Barking; here I would say try to have him bark on command. Then over treat if (of course he obeys), once he is quiet say GOOD BOY, and do a short play session with him.

Eventually he will understand Quiet Good Boy and obey that command.

Work on his obedience commands 2 or 3 times a day - including the times you are walking him.

It does sound like he has gotten into the habit of barking, and while hard to break it can be done.

Ask your vet for a reference to a good animal behaviourist in your area.

Hope this helps

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thum bup:;)

I agree with Gemy a vet check is in order, I'm wondering if he might have diabetes, and it sounds like his vision could be bad, dogs often get cataracts from the diabetes and this makes their vision poor. They see things more as shadows and this could be why he’s barking at the cat when he never use to. Diabetes also increases thirst and so urination is more frequent, perhaps this might cause soiling of carpet? Anyway, I hope the vet can find some answers. Regarding barking, I had a lot of success with Teresa Ford's thread on barking. http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/gen...h-barking.html. I trained every day for two weeks and I could see a difference by the second week. It's not as immediate as punishments such as coins in the can, but it's long lasting. Sorry you're so frustrated.

Thanks for the tips--some I will definitely use. His behavior sharply declined--it wasn't a gradual thing.

I consider myself a very experienced dog owner and am baffled at his behavior. I did have him checked by a vet--a full blood panel and muscle tests. Everything checked out perfect. I even went to a second vet to get a second opinion to my wallet's dismay. I luckily work from home, so I have him out and playing every hour--whenever I get restless behind a desk myself. I stay out there until he pees. When I get up the next hour or 1.5 hours to take him out again, there will be a small puddle in the living room. Like, whatever he could squeeze out since he just went. Luckily, I have all hardwood floors :D

His vision is definitely not going. He is just spiteful and mean all of a sudden. I know it sounds stupid, but I truly believe it. I was wondering if he is going senile. He attacks visitors when they LEAVE, not come. He attacks the cat in a mean way now--they used to play fight and it was very charming. Now I am afraid for her.

What Diane said really struck a chord...I am going to have to start doing de-alpha dog training. Not free feeding, not sleeping in bed with me, off the furniture, and working on keeping his mind stimulated learning tricks. He definitely thinks he's the boss.

Thanks ladies for the tips. The thread on barking is great. He knows ENOUGH and QUIET, but not how to bark on command, so this might work on him.

If anyone else wants to chime in on anything else, please do because I am feeling empowered to get the behavior in order, but can use any more motivation and support so I don't strangle him. :p

Oh, and Nancy, I love your avatar! Brilliant!

He's not spiteful - dog's don't have that reasoning ability but he very well might have dementia. Read about sundowning and some of the things dogs with brain problems do. Also, he could have something the vet just hasn't found. Dogs don't just change their behavior for no reason or to get even with or spite people. Changes of behavior are routinely recognized by experienced dog experts and handlers and trainers as a cry for help. Google the term "my dog's behavior has changed radically". Our little dogs have no way to talk to and tell us when life is throwing them curves and all they can do is react poorly to things happening around them as their health or lifestyle is going wrong for them. But I wouldn't say I hate him - which of course you don't - you're just worried and puzzled. I would understand that he's in trouble and needs your understanding and help. You are his only voice now and must find out what is wrong and help him deal with it. I'll bet when you find out what is really wrong, you will realize underneath his trouble, he's the same sweet family member you've longed loved.

Whatever training you do use with him to help correct his barking, please don't use aversizes and further traumatize him or stress him with spraying him in the face with water and things, just use positive reinforcement and make it a fun game to bark for a treat and then stop barking for a treat and praise.

ASPCA | Behavior Problems in Older Dogs

Helping Your 'Good Old Dog' Navigate Aging : NPR

On the first link you give, it says:


Treatment of Cognitive Dysfunction

The primary signs of cognitive dysfunction syndrome can be summarized with the acronym CRASH, which stands for:
•Confusion/disorientation
•Responsiveness/recognition decreases
•Activity changes
•Sleep-wake cycle disturbances
•House training lapses

Cognitive dysfunction syndrome can be treated by your dog’s veterinarian with the drug selegiline hydrochloride (brand name Anipryl®). There are a number of other medications and supplements that you and your vet may consider as well. It’s most effective to combine drug therapy with behavioral treatment that’s based on the specific problems your dog is having.

Just a few more links. Just for research to see if any of these things sound like your dog and to show you that so often dogs misbehaving and acting out is so frequently due to something going on with them physically. But not always - it could be some other stressors in his life associated with your lifestyle changes or schedule with him or another dog is giving him troubles and he's insecure. Whatever it is, you really need to find out even if you have to hire an in-home animal behaviorist after a thorough vet check, second opinion and all physical factors have ruled out. I sure hope you find a way to help your elder.

Sundown Syndrome in Dogs??? - Behavior & Training Forum

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sic...-syndrome.html

The Pet Docs

What about one of those thunder shirts? Would that help him calm down.. It's worth a try maybe.

He mostly likely is not being spiteful or doing it out of spite. If this is a sudden change. You did right going to the vet and double checking with another vet. What did they say about his hearing? Our old black lab had to be put down just before Christmas. His behaviour changed about a year before his final decline.(spinal problems) He barked more and louder as his hearing went, it seemed someone moving made him jump, because he didn't hear them coming in. Sudden movement, had him jumping out of his skin, due to the hearing loss and he went quite senile also. He'd appeared to forget what he was doing half way through doing it. Stare into space for ages, then seemed to come out of it. He also started pooing, accidently...when walking or sleeping. Eventually peeing also.
Any chance the movement of the visitors leaving, is confusing your dog, startling him in some way?
I hope you find a solution. It can feel as it's personal, but it's not. Going back to scratch with the training is a great idea, here's hoping that works for you.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thum bup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Our first vet said is hearing is normal and our second vet was surprised at how great is hearing is for his age.

I think he thinks he's alpha dog. Just since yesterday when I posted this, I have made a couple of changes like making him sit and wait for me to do something, or making him sit and wait to go outside and I've noticed a change already. I allowed him to sleep with us, but I didn't accommodate him as much as I normally have for the last 9 years.
I "made him" sleep in a different spot than he normally does and he acclimated!

Today he has peed and poo'd outside and has only barked once at my husband when he was leaving for work. We both told him QUIET and to SIT and he did and stopped. We always do this, but he doesn't stop. Normally he jumps up on the couch and acts like Cujo for 10 minutes while we're leaving and won't hear anything we're saying to him. It must've been the other de-alpha changes that helped him listen.

That's great news! I really believe that it's important for the dog to feel like you are the alpha. If you relinquish this position, the dog will assume it and become hypervigilant in protecting his surroundings. This can be exhausting for the dog, it easier if they believe that you are the pack leader. Another easy way to show you that you are the alpha is to make the dog sit before you give him his food.

I am big on confinement training. I have a boy who wants ALL my attention when I'm home. He is friendly but if Im talking on the phone, or to a person standing up, he barks at me non-stop until I give him attention. This is just not acceptable behavior. I have started putting him in a gated room where he can see me and hear me, but cannot get to me. He sits quietly now and stares at me. I leave him there for 5 mins, then let him back out. If he does it again, I calmly w/o stopping talking to the person, pick him back up and put him back in confinement for another 5 mins to calm down.

This has helped SOOO much, you have no idea. Its literally sanity changing when you are busy and talking to 5 people in your house and the dog is barking and everyone is trying to talk over him. This works great. Make sure where you put him you can see him so you know he's not peeing there.

Here are some thoughts to consider, use what you want and toss the rest. I don't know you or your dog so I'm just going on your words and posting what seems to be the problem if the dog is not ill or suffering from some outward stress as yet unidentified. If I've totally missed it or read the situation wrong, discard it all. I'm just trying to help you and your dog with not much info so it's hard to be accurate, yet I will try and post what seems to be wrong and what might help.

Sounds like you can't blame him for his behavior but perhaps a lack of a positive, strong leader is what went wrong. Healthy dogs are just a reflection of the kind of training and boundaries they have had in their lives - nothing more. Years back I fostered a dog that I didn't train or give boundaries to or work with in any way just to see what would happen and in no time he was a scandal of an animal - doing most of the things you describe plus some you didn't. He was just 18 mos. or so in age and not an elder, his health was perfect so I knew he'd be a good one to test out. It took very little time for this rather submissive guy to become the total pack leader of me and acting out in every way possible in time. So my early theory back then that a dog left to his own devices and without strong leadership goes south quickly seemed to be right.

I hadn't heard of Nothing In Life Is Free method for teaching a dog how to come to see me as pack leader but I still did all of many of those kinds of things to start to fix him. He had to wait or perform a command to get his food or water(at first - after that water was freely available), go out or in a door, get a toy, treat or even his bed brought into the room.

We started 5 minutes of obedience training x3 daily and he quickly learned the joys of working and achieving, having a job and he loved the learning and bonding of it. Fifteen minutes a day but some days I had to skip due to working late.

We started loose leash training and the start and stop of that. He was one headstrong booger but in time, even he learned that a loose leash was what he preferred and that the minute he pulled or crossed in front of me and that leash went taut, all progress stopped and we just waited until he stopped pulling before we could ever go again. Once in a while when I saw him refrain from pulling or catch himself as he would start to cross in front and put himself back in the heel position, I'd give him a treat and a "Good boy". We kept it up once or twice a day until he walked at heel and rarely pulled. Being a dog, of course he occasionally forgot or his dogness got he better of him. I would stop and he'd remember, "Oh, I can't do that."

I started showing him things, toys, chewies, and saying their name, letting him sniff them, even dabbing a spot of peanut butter on them sometimes at first, letting him sniff and sniff that good, getting him excited, putting him in a down stay and hiding the item in the other room. Then I'd show him with my outstretched pointing finger which way to go, saying "Seek...." walking beside him to lead him to them and we'd celebrate when he "found" the item. And he'd get a treat sometimes. He'd lick and play with his find. Then, after showing him how to find it for a while, I'd let him go seek and find them himself and you could tell from the rumpus when he had. I'd run in and we'd celebrate, maybe a treat. I began to make the game harder, hiding them in high places, far under bed, behind furniture, etc. He worked like a little devil to sniff and hunt that thing down and start his celebrating with me, see my pride that he could "Seek" and find! We'd do it again and again - usually x3 in a row. Moved the game outside for a change at times. I challenged him with other such games after a while - we always were working a challenge.

I taught him to bark on command and then how to "Quiet" on command. He just loved that "game" we played. Thereafter, when he would begin to bark too much, it was "Quiet" and he was! But by this time, he was being trained to respond to me in the obedience training and walks, having fun seeking and finding, so he wanted to bark and quiet on command. He'd learned he liked learning and pleasing me and having me proud of him.

We had our play and cuddle sessions every day, too. He loved to lie stretched out lengthwise on me and stare in my eyes. Fine - it hurt my back but we did that. We never missed those special times.

Before long, with Nothing In Life Is Free type pack leader training, a good obedience program, good walks and lots of challenging games, this vagabond became a model canine citizen.

Once you see any dog is becoming a behavior problem and you are convinced via vet confirmation that he's not ill from disease/age/injury or suffering from outside stressed such as another dog or person bullying him, etc., look inward to oneself for any blaming, if you want to blame. But I wouldn't really do that. There's no blame necessary. People just get caught up in our daily lives sometimes and can't keep up the things we maybe should be doing with our dogs. It happens. Just recognize that all but the most submissive leaderless dogs usually do become behavior problems and all you have to do it just undertake a few little projects to bring them back into line, which most dogs are painfully eager to do. Good training and bonding, strong but loving leadership and boundary-setting together with keeping your dog's life fun, challenging and interesting, lots of loving and play sessions and you have your loving, well-behaved, happy pet back. I''ll bet you won't be hating this guy after a month of this kind of a program - you'll be thrilled at how hard your sweet elder guy works to please you and get it right. But if he's not eager or has problems, please do get another vet to check him out just to be sure something wasn't missed before. Best of luck to you - I think you can help him so much if I've even guessed only half right.

Thanks, Jeanie, for the suggestions. As I look at myself, I think that I thought of him as more of an "adult" that I could just coexist with. I was a very strict puppy mom and have become more lenient with him over the years as he has gained more of my trust and has behaved very well (for a yorkie!). I guess I realized I have to keep up the "strong leader" attitude and not assume he's not going to regress.
You gave me some good ideas for challenging and fun games for us both.