We Have A Dominant Dog

[geo]

Hi, my partner is pregnant, and we have started to make her dog (staffy/mastiff/pitty) sleep outside of the bedroom on her mat which she always sleeps on... She is obedient and well house trained and it seems that she is not liking being at the bottom of the pecking order by pooing at night in our living room. she is just over 2 years old, trys to dominate everything, this includes rubbing againt the couch, humping pillows (not often) and cuddles which are never cuddles in her opinion as she is always trying to gain a little, getting her head on your shoulders etc.. we do not spoil her and she listens every time to our commands, it's just this pooing we're trying to stop.

As for now she's outside at night, except up here in the tropics the mossies are eating her alive at night.

Does anyone have any similar experience or advice they wish to pass on?

[SkySoaringMagpie]

I would treat the pooing on the floor as a remedial house training issue before getting too caught up in dominance theorising.

We have had the odd poo on the floor, and apart from illness it's always been because one of us has overlooked the routine of kicking them all out to go to the toilet before we retire for the night. Were you doing this? Another option is to take a walk with her in the evening, that usually empties them out. if you can't do that because there are too many loose dogs or mozzies or whatnot around, see what else you can do - many people train their dogs to go on cue.

I think it's really good that you are making changes before the baby arrives, but territory marking often arises from insecurity. You might have made things a bit harder for yourself by putting her outside where she is getting bitten. More stress = more likelihood of inappropriate elimination. Go back to toilet training 101 - you and the dog might need some tropical strength aeroguard while you do!

[laffi]

I would treat the pooing on the floor as a remedial house training issue before getting too caught up in dominance theorising.

:rolleyes:

Great advice anita :p

[geo]

Thanks, however our back door is always open right until we sleep, and last night i even watched her do a poo before she came in!!! She has never pooed in the house since being a puppy and the only times she has is when she's not been allowed upstairs,.... we'll revisit the house training, she's pretty smart and is a quick learner and responds well to our training, this is why we were a bit miffed at this pooing..

[Seita]

Could you crate train her? She'd probably be less likely to poo if she was contained in a crate and unable to wander and it would definitely be better than chucking her outside. Alternatively if you don't want to go with the crate you could pen her in a certain area of the house and get her used to sleeping there - laundries or bathrooms are really good for this!

[geo]

i think laundry is a good option, we'll try all i guess and i'm sure it'll stop.

thanks!!

[SkySoaringMagpie]

i think laundry is a good option, we'll try all i guess and i'm sure it'll stop.

thanks!!

Cool, I was just going to give Seita's advice the big

When we've put dogs in the laundry I've always made sure the hoses and electrical cords are out of reach but your girl sounds pretty well behaved apart from the pooing. Only thing I'd say in a "planning ahead" kind of way is that if you're planning to use cloth nappies you might want to crate train instead. Dog + nappy bucket =

[Seita]

i think laundry is a good option, we'll try all i guess and i'm sure it'll stop.

thanks!!

Cool, I was just going to give Seita's advice the big

When we've put dogs in the laundry I've always made sure the hoses and electrical cords are out of reach but your girl sounds pretty well behaved apart from the pooing. Only thing I'd say in a "planning ahead" kind of way is that if you're planning to use cloth nappies you might want to crate train instead. Dog + nappy bucket =

I do the same thing, although my girl is usually in her crate in the laundry, but when she's in season she lives there when we're out. I think crate training is definitely a good option for when the bub arrives, you can safely have your dog somewhere if you need it to have some time out but you can have that crate in the living area etc so it doesn't feel left out or anything. The nappies thing is definitely a good point, even the disposable ones are pretty appealing to dogs so either a secure bin or the crate will solve this.

I honestly don't think it's a dominant thing, your dog might be a little confused about the changes to it's sleeping habits but the most important thing is that you are preparing your dog well in advance. Well done, it's great to see someone think ahead like this. Securing your dog overnight in any way will help to fix the toileting problem, I hope things work out well for you.

[geo]

Thanks for your help guys, really appreciate it!! oh and when the bub comes i'm sure blondie (the dog) will enjoy getting to know him/her.. we're going to get one of those dolls that crys so she'll get used to the noise, you wouldn't know it but big bad blondie is scared of some noises, like plastic bags, plastic plates (though her tin bowl doesn't scare her..hmm) oh and my guitar playing!!!

thnks agagin

[Guest Willow]

One of my dogs will poo or wee in the house if he is stressed, or if his routine changes.......could it be the change of routine has stressed your girl???