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Pupforum presents your training questions answered by professional dog trainers.
Simon has a Bachelor of Science in Zoology and Psychology and specialized in Canine Behaviour. He was recently the first New Zealander approved for membership to the IAABC, and he is also a member of APDT Australia. Simon founded Dog Guru in 2002. Dog Guru has helped hundreds of dogs and their owners with training and specialist problems, and is also a dog trainer for the ministry of Education. Simon lives in Auckland, New Zealand with his wife Michelle and two golden retrievers. Sherlock is often used as a demonstration dog in schools and retirement villages. He was also used as a demo dog in the Auckland pet expo in 2004. Training is always using positive reinforcement.
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[Edit]
7/6/2005
I have a six month old Portuguese Water Dog... she had seemed to be house trained, barking at the door, or coming to get us when she needed outside. She was recently spayed, and since then, has had numerous 'accidents' in the house. She will stop in the middle of whatever she/we are doing and urinate.... no warnings at all. We have started from the beginning again, but are wondering if this is normal? (Fireguy, Alberta)
Well this sounds like fun. A lot of the time people ring up for a consultation and they have a dog of similar ages and say that they have just had their dog neutered or spayed and then the dogs behaviour changes such as urinating inside, aggression or even just forgetting everything that was previously learnt. On closer inspection it does not even rate a mention as to the cause of the problem but is just because it is the last big thing that people remember that may change the dogs behaviour.
There are a few things that I could hazard a guess and please note this is only a guess with the limited information that I was given. One possibility is not the spaying itself but how the dog was treated after the spaying. After a dog has been spayed as per vet in
structions the dog must be confined inside due to infection and the likes. After a few days the dog is allowed to go back outside again to do all its business. If it was allowed outside then it may have done a lot of its toileting while walking with you which it is unable to do for a few days. Give it a while and just go back to the basics and see how you go.
Another option is a change in the climate. If you are in the Southern Hemisphere the winter has been fast approaching and if you are in the Northern Hemisphere the summer has come down on us. These changes have a huge impact on dogs and toileting. If I got a dollar every time someone said their dog was toileting inside but and it was on the sudden changes in weather, I would be a rich man. The dog gets used to it and some dogs are more prone than others to react.
Another option is a medical condition. Though this is not likely in your case if it does continue then get it checked out.
If you were a client of mine I would ask you specific questions such as how long had you had it, change of diet, change of house etc. Just have a think and see how you go. Quite often the answer is in front of your face. Good luck and keep us posted
Simon Goodall is now a member of IAABC (International Association of Animal Behaviour Consultants). This means the information you receive is the most up to date.
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