My dog digs if I leave him outside and pees in the house if I leave him in. I n

1. 59

   shawna.wilsonposted 13 years ago

   My dog digs if I leave him outside and pees in the house if I leave him in.  I need a solution!
   
   He's a 7 year old 90 lb. black lab.  He digs and gets all muddy when I leave him outside when I'm not home.  He pees on the carpet if I leave him inside when I'm not home.  I have to leave him somewhere!  Not sure what to do.

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2. 52

   Tatjana-Mihaelaposted 13 years ago

   Dogs always dig - this is natural instinct, you cannot teach them not to.
   And about peeing - hm, when we need to go to the toillete, for how long  can we wait? Most probably you are out for many hours , how can he surpress his natural urge? (if he wouldn`t pee that could cause him serious health problems).
   Much wiser option is to live him outside - he might get muddy but at least he has some fun and does not pee inside.
   
   There is also option to pay somebody to take him out while you are out.
   
   Having animal friends always requires some adjustment or sacrifice, but we love them, don`t we?.

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3. 91

   lindaceeposted 13 years ago

   I know this sounds cruel, but have you tried keeping your dog crated while you are away? I have a small dog and she just really feels right at home in her crate--it is her den and she sleeps in it at night with the door open. She was crate trained as a puppy so she loves it and is even very possessive of it.
   
   I don't know how older dogs adjust to crates. You might want to ask your vet for suggestions.
   
   Good luck with your pooch!

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4. 61

   keepitnaturalposted 13 years ago

   I agree with, Tatjana-Mihaela, in that it depends on just hoe long you are leaving him for?
   You can show him the pee when you get in & tell him 'Naughty' & put him straight out. If he pees sometimes when you are there without asking to go out then do the same & follow him out, when he goes tell him 'Good Boy' & make a fuss.
   Otherwise he is bored. Try giving him a good walk before you leave & he will be too tired to dig so much. Sounds to me like lack of excersie/ mental stimulation is the key here. Like Tatjana-Mihaela says - pets requireadjustment & sacrifice, they need your time & attention. Try being a bit more sympathetic & bonding with your dog a bit more -more exercise too!

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5. 59

   shawna.wilsonposted 13 years ago

   Thanks for all the advice everyone.  The peeing isn't an issue of being left for too many hours.  Sometimes he pees in the house when I'm home with him.  And when I do leave, it's never for more than a few hours. 
   
   We've had him since he was a puppy, and never used to have these problems.  This all started within the last year or so and seems to be getting worse.  I think he has anxiety.  When I leave, I have to drag him outside and he physically shakes once I get him out there.  It's very sad and it makes me feel horrible
   
   He was crate trained as a puppy, so I think we're going to try that again.  That way he can be inside when we're gone too.  We'll see how it goes!

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6. 60

   Celtic Weddingsposted 13 years ago

   That is so sad ... did something happen to him while he was outside - it sounds like he is afraid to go outside.  My dog loved the dog park and interacting with other dogs until one day he was attached and now he is very skittish around dogs that are larger then him.  It breaks my heart that the one instace seemed to really scare him.
   
   You might want to get help from a trainer.

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7. 60

   LukeMasonposted 13 years ago

   Is this an issue that has been ongoing or just recently started?
   
   You can crate him while you are away (I have a friend who does it with her Great Dane - and that is a big cage!!).
   
   I know it sounds corny, but the only book that helped me train my dog was Dog Training for Dummies

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8. 93

   cat on a soapboxposted 13 years ago

   Sorry for your frustrating situation!
   I had always assumed that dogs felt happier when given a large area in which to run and play when left alone; however my golden retriever would chew, dig, and leave bare paths from nervously pacing.  A dog is much more secure in a smaller space like a crate, igloo, or doghouse.
   Good luck!

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9. 50

   A Fresh Approachposted 13 years ago

   Training dogs is psychologically like training small children. They aim to please. Labs in particular get separation anxiety quite easily. I have a chocolate lab that we trained from little puppy to live in her crate. Now she's full size and goes straight to her crate when everyone looks like we're going to leave, or whenever we call her by name and say "bed". It's her place of refuge, and we've been able to keep her there for up to four hours at a time.
   
   You may want to look into crate training your dog. I'm not sure if they have to be young when they start or not, but it's always worth some research and a try. It's been wonderful for us.
   
   Best of luck!

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10. 38

    TheSmurfposted 13 years ago

    this might seem strange or funny, but regarding the problem of peeing...you should put bottles of water in the places he should not pee...I know it works with cats, but cannot garantee the same result with dogs. hope this helps.

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11. 59

    zduckmanposted 13 years ago

    You could put wire mesh down in the area you plan to contain him in outdoors

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12. 61

    BarbBicknellposted 13 years ago

    He digs cause he is lonely. Get him another one to play with!

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13. 48

    yoeselposted 13 years ago

    I know its hard when animals does like that but however you can always train them to make them live up to your standreds.
    Your dog seems to be the kind which is aggresive (well in animal terms). I know its gross but sometimes we need to toilate train our animals . Try keeping a cartton filled with soil inside your toilate. Let the dog do his thing ( both peeing and diggin) . if the dog still continues to do his habbit then here is another solution. Whenever the dog pes in our house send it outside and ignore its digging for 2 to 3 days and don`t let the dog inside . After that let it inside and when he pes again then do the same procedure and oneday the dog will stop doing it. If the dog still dosen`t stop his habbit then send him to the dog pond.

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14. 60

    alley11posted 13 years ago

    Ok. There are multiple solutions.
    1) If you want to leave your dog outside and he digs, you need to give him more exercise. Especially since he's a lab. The more bored he is, the more he digs. The more tired he is from exercise, the less he digs.
    2) If you are going to leave him in, crate him and put a pee pad in the crate. Most vets have them. They are very absorbant.
    3)You could contain him where there is no carpet in your house, that way it is easy to clean.
    The best idea I think is to crate him and if he pees, then you can just toss the pee pad or clean the towels.
    Or you could hire a local teen to let him out every couple hours. It just depends if you have the money to do that.

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15. 49

    Horatio32posted 13 years ago

    Kill him and eat him it solves all of your problems.

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16. 59

    larrymark32posted 13 years ago

    I know this sounds cruel, but have you tried keeping your dog crated while you are away? I have a small dog and she just really feels right at home in her crate--it is her den and she sleeps in it at night with the door open. She was crate trained as a puppy so she loves it and is even very possessive of it.
    
    I don't know how older dogs adjust to crates. You might want to ask your vet for suggestions.
    
    Good luck with your pooch!

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17. 80

    Les Trois Chenesposted 13 years ago

    I've read all the advice below and have one or two ideas. If you have small areas of garden you really want to protect, like your flower beds, you can try pepper dust. Sprinkle it on the areas and initially they don't like the pepper in the nose, but later on they learn to give the area a miss. My dog, a pointer, digs, she's chasing the mice that live underground. In the end I noticed that the amount of earth she shifts is exactly the same as the mounds the moles create, so I use one to fill the other.
    
    Inside, from being a pup she pooed at night, not pee, and so she sleeps in the barn unless it's really cold. This year we had B & B guests at Christmas and we slept downstairs and she was clean. When we moved upstairs, (she stays downstairs) she started to ask to be let out in the night. Did she feel more secure when she knew we were near-by?

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18. 74

    arbposted 13 years ago

    Make some creative doggie boots for his front paws. If he tries chewing them off, impregnate the boots with cayenne pepper. If you come home and he's wearing a sombraro and a mexican pancho, it didn't work. It worked on my boxer!

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19. 57

    consentinoposted 13 years ago

    You might find your dog his own area to dig and when your dog digs in another area, tell him no and bring him back to where you allow him to dig.
    
    Also, be sure he has plenty of toy's to play with and some treats that he can chew on.
    
    If he doesn't have a comfortable pet bed, you might want to invest in one.
    It is had to train them, I know, I have a digger for a pet.
    
    www.petsareagift.com

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20. 83

    renee21posted 12 years ago

    Get him a crate to leave him in when you're gone.  Dogs don't normally pee in their crate because that's their bed and they don't like sleeping in their own urine.  Make sure the crate's big enough that he can turn around and stand up in it.  When you introduce it to him, bring him to the door and let him go in on his own.  Once he's in, leave the door open so he can get used to his new "cave".  When he gets used to it, then you can close the door.  Also, give him something to do while he's in the crate so he's not bored and just barks the whole time.  Ex. bone, chew toy, kong, favorite stuffed animal, etc.  Some dogs like blankets in the crate so they're not just laying on a hard floor.  Make sure he's comfortable before you leave, whether he's just on the floor of the crate, or has a soft blanket.  Also, take him for a long walk before you leave so that he's tired and just sleeps in the crate while you're gone.

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