Re: 2 naughty dogs

 Hello!  My mom just woke me from a nap to answer you, so I hope this is good.

Lord, I do not know what to do with dogs - especially dogs who pee and poop where they shouldn't!  If you have been following my column, which everyone should, you know that I cannot conscience animals who are sloppy about their toilet habits.  I mean, okay, I understand that is the way that most animals express themselves when they are upset, mark territory, leave information for others to smell, etc.  I also know that I am an Exceptional Cat, as well as an Exceptional Being, and what I hold as my standards... well, let's just say most others fall short.  But I am particularly keen on keeping one's toilet business where it ought to go, and I'm very good at it, so you'll have to excuse me if I take a moment to be disgusted.

Okay, I've been disgusted.  Time to carry on.

Here's one thing I can tell you: not only are dogs less adapted to - well, everything - than cats, but the one dog you're talking about - Giacomo, is it? - is no more than a puppy!  Really, five months old is extremely young for a dog.  Did you know that most dogs can take over a year to get out of puppyhood, and some kinds of dogs even longer?  We cats take to toilet training pretty quickly, in general, mostly because it is a natural instinct to us and it is taught to us by our mothers as soon as we have the ability to control our butts and bladders (unless we are taken away from them too young).  Let's face it, not being pack animals (and being generally smart), we cats have to learn fast to be independent.  Dogs, on the other hand, aren't as prone to cover up their leavings as we are, so as to hide from predators, but rather to leave them all over the place for other dogs to smell.  We rarely do that, unless we are specifically marking our territory.

(By the way, you might suspect otherwise if you knew the other cats I live with.  They go outside the box all the time, even though my moms do a lot for them!  One of them is an idiot because she's feral, so I'll give her that, but the other one - well, he's just a heathen in cat's clothing, as far as I'm concerned.  And yet they still keep him here!  My mothers are just too kind for their own goods, I tell you.  But I digress.)

Anyway, I might be in a bad mood today, but what I'm trying to tell you, believe it or not, is to cut him some slack. He's technically a puppy, and still learning - not just mentally, but physically.  So, it will take some time and training to get him to do it right.

As for the other one, the older one, that Doberman is probably doing it more because she is stimulated to do it by the puppy doing it around the house.  The sight and smell of him doing it not only make her wonder if it's an okay thing to do, but triggers an instinct for her to do it, too.  The same thing happens with some cats, in fact.  One cat pees somewhere, and the smells in it - what you people call pheromones - make it almost irresistible for the other cat as an area to pee in.  Many cats, that is.  Not me, of course.

So, what can you do, well, here is where I plug my mom (it's in my contract - hee hee!) and say that she's got a good link for you on toilet training, and also a communicator can be very helpful to you in getting your dogs to understand.  Not that she's got a perfect track record, mind you, but she's done some good with getting other dogs to understand what their people want, and she frequently tells me that it's harder for her to communicate with her own "trouble cats" because she gets emotional about it.  (I think they just don't listen, to be honest.)

In addition, when your dog friends do have an accident, it's really important to clean the area with a product that's made to specifically remove the pheromone smells that trigger more dog peeing and pooping.   Nature's Miracle is a popular one, but there are others.  My mom says that for the other cats' markings, she also likes to use the Nature's Miracle Orange Oxy along with the regular stuff, because it removes the scents that you humans smell well.  Take a look at your local pet store or wherever you order online stuff, and see which products are rated highest and look best for you.

Finally, because training a new puppy to do it right can be so labour-intensive, it couldn't hurt to get someone to help you on a daily basis.  You may want to hire a trainer with experience in potty training, or at the very least, a dog walker who has some experience with this kind of situation.  The benefits to this are:

1. You don't have to shoulder it all alone.  Let's face it, watching the dogs 24/7 and walking them as much as the little one needs in order to avoid accidents is probably more that one person can handle.  Getting a helper both gives you a break and gets them outside more, which means their bladders are more often empty when they're inside.  Plus, the exercise is good for them and wears them out!

2. You'll have another set of eyes and ideas.  As my mom said, sometimes with our own family members, we have the most trouble being objective and communicating clearly with them.  Another person, provided you discuss with them how you want your dogs to be treated and you trust them, might notice something about your dogs' elimination habits that could help you.  Plus, if your helper is experienced in this field and practices something like clicker training or other positive reinforcement methods, he or she can not only help the dog to learn faster, but give you pointers on how to do it day-by-day, and report on how your dogs are progressing.

3. It will help socialize your dogs.   While we cats are fine not being overly people-social, dogs need to learn to get along with other dogs and people more, since they go outside more and can be more dangerous.  If your dogs get used to both hanging out with other people and peeing and pooping as they should with another person, they're likely to be more comfortable with doing it consistently in general, and not going off-track when faced with a new situation or when you're not around.  Makes sense?

Well, I hope this is helpful to you.  I could go on and on about how disgusting I find improper elimination, and how I always use the litter, no matter what, but my mom says I've made my point.  Hang in there, because even though it's hard, once you have them both trained, they will probably stick well to it, barring any physical or emotional problems.  And hey, you humans have babies that poop on themselves for years after being born, right?  So a little animal poop now and then from the friends who give you so much love, well, I'd imagine you'd think it's worth it (wink).

Best of luck, and don't be afraid to ask me more questions.  I know a lot!

Purrs,

Your Advisor Friend Maya, Most Excellent Cat

P.S.: If you have any trouble with that link my mom gave you in the email, here it is in long form: http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pets_housetraining. 
Now, I'm going back to sleep.  (Cat smile.)