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A special tip from Carole

Dry Food for Dogs

Natural dry kibble, dehydrated, air-dried and raw pet food available from a variety of manufacturers. Paleo-inspired, organic, grain-free, weight management, and many other special formulas for your dog - the ingredients are pre-screened so you don't have to!

  • Nutrition is the foundation of good health for our animal companions
  • Dogs are almost biologically identical to their wolf ancestors, so they thrive on a diet of raw, uncooked ingredients
  • "The ideal dog diet is based on the prey model: good quality animal protein and fat, and very little carbohydrate" ~ Dr. Jean Hofve

Is your dog driving you crazy
in your house?

Repeatedly defecating in the same spots on your carpets, rugs, flooring and furniture?

And what you can do about it!

Stop dogs peeing inside

Dogs that constantly pee and poop inside, can be one of the most frustrating canine problems that owners have to cope with.

That's the bad news, the good news is, that there are a number of processes, that owners can put in place to solve this unwanted behaviour.

Solving the crisis is simply a matter of understanding the underlying factors that are causing your pet to constantly return to the same spot day after day to pee or poop.

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Young dogs and old dogs can learn new tricks!

Solving the crisis is simply a matter of understanding the underlying factors that are causing your pet to constantly return to the same spot.

I can hear you thinking "easier said than done".

However, I make this statement with complete confidence, because I have recently been through the experienced with two adorable little Maltese and Shih Tzu crosses called Molly and Rosie, that my Mum and I adopted last year

Their gorgeous little faces are in the photo to your right.

When we first brought them home they made the occasional mistake or two; but before they could form any bad habits I set about putting a few basic steps in place to help them learn, that peeing and pooping is for outside only.

Molly and Rosie love their treats and we love spoiling them. After a short amount of time they quickly learnt to pee and poop outdoors, and everything was just fine for months.

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Molly and Rosie - stress and anxiety

Then out of the blue we had a series of evenings with very bad thunder and lightening, which absolutely terrified them and for the next few weeks we had two little stressed out and anxious dogs, that were peeing and pooping inside, given half a chance.

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The carpet repair man helped solve our problem!

How to stop dogs chewing carpets and furniture

We were becoming desperate. And then I remembered what the carpet repair man said when I asked him if he had any suggestions on how I could stop Molly and Rosie chewing the carpet on our stairway again.

He replied, "with dogs it's all about their noses, try something hot like cayenne pepper".

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And then the penny dropped about Molly and Poppie

When they first came to live with us they had a few puppy accidents, and I cleaned after them with the following homemade remedy for removing dog urine smells, stains and odour from carpets and rugs.

Click here for the recipe, and instructions on how to apply the mixture.

The mixture worked well initially, because Molly and Rosie, simply had "puppy accidents", and really just needed a refresher course in house training. However it became obvious to me there was a missing link when psychological issues d where involved and their noses came in to play, as in their reactions to unfamiliar loud noises.

So that's when I put my thinking cap on and started experimenting with various mixtures which would have a "hot" component as the carpet repair man suggested. It was of paramount importance to find something that would deter Molly and Rosie, but at the same time would:

  • Not harm them
  • Not stain our carpets and rugs
  • Remove smelly doggie odours and leave our home smelling fresh and clean.

After endless testing I came up with my magic No dog odour spray-on formulae. If you would like the recipe and instructions for application, Click here.

NB -as well as being an effective deterrent on carpets and rugs, No dog odour spray-on formulae. works equally as well on furniture and beds, which is handy to have on hand if you have a dog that likes to mark its territory.

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How I treat Molly and Rosie's stress and anxiety problems

  • I give them Rescue Remedy every day, and particularly before things I know will stress them, e.g. before their bath or having the groomer come in, if we are having visitors in who they haven't met before, taking them to see the vet,or if we have to go out and leave them alone for an hour or so.
  • I have bought them a thunder coat each, which I pop on when thunder and lightening happens, or people in the neighbourhood are celebrating with fireworks. These coats wrap around them quite firmly and give them confidence.
  • I've increased their exercise levels to two long walks daily, usually around day break and again in the evenings, and they can't wait to get going! Exercise is a great stress reliever and tired dogs are far less likely to get into mischief, e.g. chewing our carpets.
  • I regularly spray all areas in the house where they used to leave their calling cards, plus the stairway steps with my special No dog odour spray-on formulae.

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Other common behavioural causes why some dogs start peeing and pooping indoors

There are many other psychological reasons apart from anxiety and the stress of loud noises like thunder, lightening and fireworks that can cause dogs to pee and poop in the house.

Common behavioural causes

You can access the complete list by clicking on this link common behavioural causes brought on by outside influences.

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Territorial "marking"

Their is one particular factor from the list of "Behavioral reasons brought on by outside influences" that I would like to expand on, and that is problems associated with territorial "marking".

How to stop dogs peeing and pooping inside

Territorial "marking" is not to be confuse with wanting to pee indoors.

With urine marking the dog deposits a smaller amount of urine. Marking in the house is usually done to an upright surface such as a doorway, table leg or piece of furniture.

The dog will lift his hind leg and mark urine on practically any object in your house that takes his fancy.

Quite often the object is something new or different with unfamiliar smells, that has come into the house but not necessarily so.

He is also likely to mark items that he feels belong to him, such as anything that he has become possessive about including you. He thinks you are his possession and any objects related to you are also his possessions by right!.

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Why do dogs lift their leg and mark territory with urine?

Dog urine marking is not a house training issue, but rather an issue concerning a whole range of instinctive behaviors including dogs which have experienced a fearful situation.

Other dogs may be fully house trained and would not dream of peeing in the house but to a dog lifting his leg to scent mark is not the same as wanting to have a pee.

We as humans tend to think of dog urine as something unpleasant but to a dog it is something of great interest. A dog leaves it's scent in urine to tell other dogs a message. This message could be about:

  • Whose territory it is
  • About the dog's social order
  • Or advertising mating availability.

Dogs use urine marking to show their dominance or to claim something as belonging to them. Dogs with feelings of insecurity or who have separation anxiety may also mark, as territory marking builds the dog's confidence.

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Do all dogs urine mark inside the house?

How to stop dogs peeing and pooping inside

Fearful or scary situations can cause dogs to start marking their territory.

Most dogs that are castrated or spayed at an early age do not mark in the house. Prevention is better than cure.

Although intact male dogs are more likely to mark urine than females it is not unknown for a female dog to scent mark too. Often a female dog coming into heat or during it, will mark to advertise her availability. A dominant female will also mark.

Females don't usually mark inside the house if they are house trained. Female dogs may also urinate over a spot where another dog has urinated (but not usually in the house if they are house trained).

Small breeds tend to mark in the house more than larger dogs.

Two or more dogs living together in the same house may regard each other as "competition" and are more prone to practice urine marking. Urine marking can also be a dominance issue. There may be no problem with one dog, but when a second dog is introduced into the house, then this may be the beginning of your marking problems.

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This article and information forms part of the Carole's Doggie World Holistic Library and is presented for informational purposes only.The information is not intended to be a substitute for visits to your local vet. Instead, the content offers the reader information researched and written by Carole Curtis for www.carolesdoggieworld.com

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