To HATE my dog

[Blossomo]

We have a 7 year old pug who literally drives me nuts, he comes upstairs whilst we are out pisses on the banister. I am so sick of cleaning/re-painting. We have quite a big garden and all he does is chase passers by barking constantly. I know a dog is for life and everything but since having kids I really do not have the time and every time I look at him he just annoys me. It is really unfair to him as he could be with a family who love him, dont get me wrong, the kids LOVE him so I could not get rid but he just really gets on my nerves. I used to love dogs, we got a cat a year or so ago and he is amazing!

He may be anxious hence the pissing
He may sense that you don't like him
He may be unwell
He is scent marking and neutering should solve this, or at least help
He may be barking as he's bored, senses dogs on heat
Book him a health check at the vets in case he has eg a kidney problem
Obviously stair gates and/ or a crate when you're out
I'm saying nothing about your reasoning
I have a much loved dog

I feel sorry for OP: people really are sticking the boot in and not reading her posts (saying he was never trained?) It's silly, because if they do feel sorry for this dog then giving advice would be more in his interests than scaring OP away with abuse.

The dog was trained and has developed new behaviours with age. He sounds stressed. Apart from attention, adequate exercise and being confined at times (with stair gate type arrangement) perhaps advice from a vet or dog behaviourist is needed on how to proceed and if neutering would be a good idea?

If you're a responsible dog owner, you should make it your business to find out about your breed. Have you sought advice from a vet/dog behaviourist? Honestly it sounds like you just can't be bothered with the poor dog 😕 people shouldn't own dogs if they're not going to make the effort to train then properly and make sure they have the stimulation they need.

My dog has his nuts and hasn’t weed in the house since he was about 12 weeks old; If he had started weeing in the house as an adolescent I’d have had them off in a shot.

how much exercise is he getting? And by this I mean meaningful walks - not being put in the garden.

Did you read the OPs comments?

"I know a dog is for life and everything but since having kids I really do not have the time "
"every time I look at him he just annoys me."
"It is really unfair to him as he could be with a family who love him
"he just really gets on my nerves"
"I really do not like him"
OP says in the title that she hates the dog.

As a do lover it's pretty hard to read that stuff and not be angry. Also, PP have been giving advice. Tons of advice, all of which is in the public domain and the OP could have researched for herself via the net or at her vet.

Exactly.. mine stays in the kitchen when we are out, and isn't allowed upstairs. Do most dogs just have free reign of the place? He doesn't piss anywhere inside, but at least if he did it would be on a cleanable surface 🙈

how much exercise is he getting? And by this I mean meaningful walks - not being put in the garden.

and is he put in the garden as frequently as he needs?

I have 2 pugs, best dogs ever

You definitely need to get his nuts off - that's why he's scenting

I also have to express my male pugs anal glands every week - the vet showed me how to do it (my vet has 6 pugs!)

Plus obviously good off lead chasing a ball walks every day - they're very smart and need a 'job'

I hope you at least get a ton of cuddles off him. Mine never leave me alone, they're such affectionate dogs

And yet another 'but since I've had kids..' complaint. It's so predictable on here. The dog (also a member of the family) gets pushed out, is disliked, is not wanted...blah blah blah.
I've seen first hand the devastating effect it has on the poor dog that is cast aside for the baby.

Of course the Cat is "amazing". It didn't demand anything from you.
Your poor sweet dog, kids arrive, cast aside.

Exactly. If you didn't train your dog early and took your eye off that ball when kids arrived (totally understandably IMO) then it's not surprising but you should have been more serious researching your dog's needs.

Please get him checked out by the vet.

Excessive urinating can be from an underlying condition. Also changes in behaviour.

Not training a dog and then being mad at them is totally crazy.

You chose to get the dog, so you should find the time to sort the behaviour and bond more.

I do feel this dog has been let down. But some practice tips now we’re here:

-Don’t leave him unattended in the garden. You have to train him to ignore passing people. Put him on a long line and reward him for coming to you or ignoring. Bring him in if he barks.
-Don’t give him unsupervised access to upstairs. Have a crate or stair gate your kitchen. Dogs don’t like to pee where they sleep. Go back to rewarding when he goes outside.
-consider castration. It may not help ingrained behaviours but it’s might help.
-get a urine sample if this is new behaviour
-stop letting him practice behaviours you don’t like and reward the right behaviour. Dog training doesn’t stop when they’re adults.
-get a good odour neutralising cleaner to properly wash anywhere he does urinate in the house.
-find ways to bond with him again. Whether that be training or nice walks. A relationship with a dog is one of the best things but it requires effort!

I wish there was some sort of exam ppl had to sit before being allowed to take innocent animals home

and also parenthood should be restricted via arigorous process of application, interviews and examination

So, one neutered male animal doesn't piss everywhere to scent mark when it's in a new, stressful place with an animal it hasn't lived with before (plus children).

One unneutered male animal does piss everywhere to scent mark when there's a new animal it hasn't lived with before (plus children).

As an 'I like animals, not just cats and not just dogs' person, I think the clues to why this is happening are pretty clear.

Your poor, poor dog. He will pick up on this.
Why the hell did you ever get him??
There should be proper vetting for people to own a dog.
He needs LOVE. You know, the same that you give to your kids.

Why did you keep him entire? Why isn’t he trained? Why not use a baby gate? Is he walked enough? Have you got the vet to check him for diabetes or renal issues?

Yeah, you’re failing the dog. It’s not his fault.

Mine is shut safely in the kitchen - if she has an accident it takes seconds to mop the floor.

I’ve never known anyone who doesn’t do the same.

I feel really sad for him. He deserves a better life, probably has picked up on that you don’t have time for him.

I have a pug, she is the most sweetest dog. They just want to be loved and cared for.

She does have free reign but she prefers to lie on a cushion on the settee if we go out and cannot take her.

Here in Germany it's not standard to neuter dogs.

There needs to be a medical reason.

Neuter.
Behaviouralist.
Stair gates.

Hi, I think some of these responses are harsh. You've said yourself that you don't feel you have the time to deal with these issues. And to be honest, I have seen plenty of people that just never really click or bond well with their dog and it makes it way harder to find that effort for training. I fully support people that are considering relinquishing, and rehoming responsibly, for this reason because who wants to spend 10+ years living with a dog they don't really like. But it sounds like this is not an option with the kids being bonded with him.

There are some good suggestions in this thread about getting a stair gate to try and prevent the established habit of weeing in a certain place.
Enrichment may also help with the barking behaviours. The change in behaviour may also have something to do with the recent addition of the cat.

The easiest thing for you in the long run may be to seek support from a behaviourist who can come to your house and see exactly what is going on and give you some practical advice (and not be judgy and rude like mumsnet can be). I would recommend looking for someone with APBC or CCAB accreditation as there is no current regulation on who can call themselves a behaviourist. Get the one off time-consuming thing out of the way and it could help reduce the irritating things adding up longer term. They could also give suggestions of things you can do together to help bonding so more of your interactions are positive to help offset the negatives.

I believe Dogs Trust and Woodgreen pets charity also both offer behavioural support services to help keep dogs in there homes and improve dog-owner relationships (not sure if these are free).

Best of luck!

Our dog wasn't neutered until he was 6, it did stop scent marking.

He wasn't banned from going upstairs til then either.. he started ferreting in the bedroom bins, so we put up a baby gate and now confine him to the kitchen/diner if we leave the house and overnight.

The dog will adapt to the changes.

Get him neutered, use a baby gate, confine him to a room easily cleaned when you're out.

Even bitches?