I have 3 dogs that spend the day outside while I work. However I was off work for 6 weeks because I have breast cancer and needed surgery. I have recovered and returmed to work this week. My daughter, son in law and my granddaughters are living with me to help me with recover from the surgery and the chemo I will be facing next month. They moved in with me when their rental house flooded to save money. I was diagnosed when they were about to move so it is a two way street.
The problem is since I have returned to work one of my dogs, we don't know which one, will go into my daughter's room and pee on something clothing, text books, whatever.... you get the picture. My daughter gets angry, understandablely, and I don't blame her. To help prevent the problem I put a sliding gate between the living room and hall so they can't get to her room but no one closes it but me. Their bedroom door is usually open, too! Is there something else I can do?
It seems my dogs are angry because I am not home during the day anymore. Is this normal? How long will it last and what can I do to make it stop? When this happens I put my dogs outside and we have to listen to them bark the rest of the evening. I let them in my bedroom at bedtime and I do not have any problems. Suggestions?
Tell her to close her door and/or keep her things picked up off the floor.
IMHO, dogs do get mad and they DO get even!
First, you need to train your daughter. Why the heck will no one help out with closing gates and doors?
Second, do you have someone in the area that could come while you are working and walk or run and play with the dogs for a bit? I think this could go a loooooooong way to help.
Good luck with the chemo!!!!
Daughter needs to close her bedroom door and I do not believe leaving them in the backyard is helping anything, in fact I think it is probably making the situation worse. The dog(s) wants attention, not to be put outside and ignored.
If I were you, I would make sure to give them extra love when you get home from work. If you make it a pattern and do it every night they will look forward to you returning home and know that they will get some love and maybe not be so upset during the day.
~It makes sense to me that the dog(s) is targeting your daughter's things...she is the 'new' thing in the house...the 'new' disruption of their routine.
It could be anger, or it could be separation anxiety. They've had lifestyle changes, just as you have. You've been anxious about your health, and dogs pick up on those feelings.
We use baby gates when we need to enclose a dog in a certain area. When you go off to work, make sure each dog has something safe and sturdy to chew on (chewing helps a dog work off anxious feelings). When you are at home, give them some extra time and attention, or ask your family to do it for you. Play; walk; sit on the floor and scratch their tummies. Talk to them. Pretend they're little kids who don't quite understand what's going on and need special time. If the improper behavior goes on too long, talk to your vet.
I have a granddog who had a major overload of anxiety when his master (now my son-in-law) moved into a relative's home. When all the people went to work the first day after the move, the dog chewed up the sofa. And a set of French doors. Yes, he's still living.
I agree that she needs to keep her door closed. My five year old knows to close his bedroom door before we leave the house- not for peeing, but our dogs like to "hunt" stuffed animals and disembowel them! If he doesn't close it, he is taking the risk of losing one of his toys. Baby gate across her bedroom door if she won't keep it closed and you don't want to clean up the mess. Tell her she has to climb over the baby gate or learn to keep her door closed.
Anger/seperation anxiety... whatever you call it, yes, it probably is intentional. I have seen similar behavior from my dogs before. I don't recall what exactly DH did to upset his dog one time, but cripes did she get her revenge. 3 TIMES she peed on his pillow! Right on the pillow! Then she peed on his side of the bed - 3 more times. What a mess! After the 2nd pillow episode, he finally believed me when I said she was mad about something.
Lets face it, there is nothing you can really do to bring the situation back to what she wants. But you CAN find ways to give her the 'quality' time she needs. Extra brushings? Belly rubs? Snuggling in the evening? Walks? My dogs are thrilled when I do a little obedience training with them (they don't know it's training - they just love the attention.) Make it consistent, whatever you decide to do. Dogs are creatures of routine as you have already learned.
In the meantime, cut off all access to her targeted areas. Lock doors if you need to. It's likely she's targeting your DD's room because she perceives DD is getting the attention she should. (Probably won't make a difference if DD spends more time with her. It's you she's trying to get the attention of.)
One final bit of advise - try not to take your anger of the peeing situation out on her. Just like kids, sometimes negative attention is better than no attention! (the barking in the back yard? yep, she's just trying to get a reaction from you.) I think the more you lock her out there and deprive her of the attention she needs, the more you will prolong the situation.
Good luck!
it's stress, pure and simple. dogs can't verbalize "OMG THE WORLD AS I KNOW IT HAS BEEN TURNED UPSIDE DOWN!". so they "act out" - and no, i don't believe it's deliberate. at least not in the sense that you should punish the dog. it is being a dog, that's it. dogs generally want nothing but to please their people. if they knew how to stop it, they would.
i'm a little concerned that your family gets so upset AT the dog - but they aren't willing/able to close the gate? right there the blame gets shifted COMPLETELY off the dog. it's a dog. not a person. your daughter is putting human-like responsibility - on . a . dog. kinda silly.
these dogs have been through a lot. mom is sick, they don't know exactly what's up but they know you've been unwell. strangers are sharing their space. new rules. new routine. and some crazy lady screaming at them for getting upset and reacting like many animals would.
give them a break. come down on your daughter and insist she KEEP THE GATE CLOSED. she's taking her frustrations out on a dog - that's not right. SHE is the human. SHE should be responsible. if she's not, guess what? her stuff gets peed on by an upset dog. getting angry isn't going to fix that. ya gotta be smarter than the dog....and as the smarter being, you have to work with the dog on THEIR level - not expect them to come up and communicate with you on yours.
