HELP!!!

[weenie]

My mom is having problems with housebreaking her 8mo old boxer. She felt that he was housebroken back in January but things have taken a strange turn. Every day for about 5 days, Jake would go outside and come back in and then pee in the house (right after coming back inside). Jake knew it was wrong and would even hide or stand by the door pressed up against it shaking. We took him to the vets thinking it may be a UTI. The vet recommended that he be neutered ASAP and he had a negative urine dip at that time.

After he got neutered back in March that behavior quit for quite awhile. Then about 3 weeks ago that behavior pattern came back but Jake only did it about once a week with the latest episode being today. My mom has sort of lost patience and I have run out of advice. Any advice on this would be very helpful.

Thanks,
Kris

[Tanya]

Go back to the housebreaking menu and read what Penny's Aunt wrote. That sounded great. I hear that crate training is one of the most effective ways to housebreak. Tell her to hang in there and not to give up on Jake. And you ruled out a health problem, huh? I wish your mom lots of luck. Sorry I haven't been a whole lot of help. Let me know how it turns out.
Tanya

[Wienergal]

Yes, Ms. Weenie, Penny's Aunt's treatise on housebreaking is SO valuable! Do check it out.

And one more thing. You said that Jake "would go outside and come back in." Can't housebreak a dog that way. Have your mom put Jake on a leash and WALK him until he produces, at which time she should praise him furiously!! http://dachsie.org/ubb/smile.gif If Jake loves food, he should get a little treat when he goes too. Dogs don't automatically think of "outside" as being the same as "bathroom." Even if she's taking him into her yard, she should take him on a leash and stay with him until the deed is done.

It can be SO frustrating, but there are tricks to this trade that actually work! Good luck!

[WOTANSMUTTI]

It's so sad when you can look in their eyes and they know they've "done wrong". Poor baby. This boxer seems a bit on the anxeity ridden side. I remember when your mom just moved and she had problems with him.

I agree, take the stress off the dog and help him "produce" as Wienergal says.

Tell mom Good Luck and be kind! Boxers have such expressive faces...

[Penny's Aunt]

And don't forget to REALLY clean up the pee spots in the house. You'll have to use an odor neutralizer on them after you clean them, or the dog will smell the old urine & think that it's an OK spot to do it again. (Eau de Pee)

Some of the good neutralizers are Nature's Miracle, Simple Solution, & F.O.N. (Feline Odor Neutralizer). Don't waste your money on the cheap stuff.

And don't be skimpy with it. You'll have to use about 1.5 times as much neutralizer as there was urine.

Remind your Mom that making a lot of fuss about the urine makes doing it again a lot more attractive: bad attention is better than no attention at all. Just suggest that she immediately put the dog out (silently -- I know it's hard), then clean it up. It's possible that if his actions don't bring any kind of attention, it will help discourage him.

p.s. Has anything new been happening around the house? New pet? New people? Changes?