So angry with my dog, why does she do this?

[Marne]

Our dog is kept in one room when we go out (which isn't often for more than an hour or so), she kept in with a stair gate. A couple times in the past week she has bashed through the stair gate (its just a presure fit gate) and has gone upstairs, peed on our bed (ruining the duvet) and pooed on the landing (and today in dd's room). Today she has done this twice (whilst i have been on the school run), i am so angry with her, why does she need to wee on our bed and poo on the floor, she never does this in the room she is left in and has a huge garden to poo in. She knows i'm angry and keeps looking at me with her sad eyes , i am fed up with replacing duvets and now she has peed on our matress (as i had already stripped the bed from the time before). I wish she could have access to the whole house but she can't as she cant be trusted.

Eek. No experience, but that sounds awful. Is it an option to crate her when you pop out for a brief trip?

Stress I would of thought. Why can't you keep her in the one room with a door? Can you get a pen to put her in when you go out? Then deal with the stress.

sorry, also no experience of this, but just to sympathise! Stronger gate? seems perverse to go upstairs to wee.

We have tried a crate, she got very distressed and made her mouth bleed trying to get out, if we shut the door she scratches it . She loves company, took us a while to get her used to being left but was then fine. She doesn't chew when we leave her, doesn't seem to be stressed unless something starttles her (like fireworks).

I would of thought she is stressed when you leave her which is why she messes upstairs.

You really need to shut the door and put up with the scratches.

Aw, what a lovely photo of dog and cat on your profile :)

Can you leave her with a toy/radio on/treats and see if it distracts her enough to not bother with the 'shitting escape artist' routine? I have no clue about seperation anxiety, though, so not sure if that would work.

Perhaps get a sheet of perspex to cover the bottom third of the door as well.

She has plent of toys, i think its just human company she craves .

Lots of advice on separation anxiety on this thread Marne - www.mumsnet.com/Talk/the_doghouse/1335209-Separation-anxiety

Thnk you, will have a read when dd's are in bed.

Sounds very much like separation anxiety - doesn't have to be chewing and destruction, soiling and anxiety also fits the bill. I suspect if you left a camera recording while you were out you'd see a much more distressed dog than you expect. Have a read of the thread and see if there's anything you can put into practice. :)

My dog used to be very naughty when locked in one room and end up slyly breaking out of the room.

In the end I stopped locking him in, only restricting access to rooms I really didnt want him in. Ie lounge, our bedroom.

He did wee a few times on the landing, When I came in I pointed at it and said "who did that" he knew it was him and it was wrong by his sheepishness.

After about 4 times he stopped doing it at all and now has the run of the house, he seems a lot less stressed as am I trying to lock him in.

Thank you Signet, i think thats the problem, she has always lived in the living room mainly because the stair gate is there to keep my Autistic daughter from getting to the kitchen (and turning on the oven ect..) so the dog has never had run of the house, she probably see's 'the other side of the gate' as being outside IYKWIM. I have seen her wee on our bed before when my eldest dd left the gate open, the dog came running up the stairs, scrathched at the bed covers and then peed on them (she was not stressed at all) so she will also do this if we are in the house.

"He did wee a few times on the landing, When I came in I pointed at it and said "who did that" he knew it was him and it was wrong by his sheepishness."

Dogs really don't understand this - he looked sheepish because you were gesticulating and sounding/looking angry but has absolutely no ability to link this to the wee he did earlier.

Marne - so you think this isn't isn't separation anxiety or to do with stress at all. What's the alternative? Your dog dislikes you and punished you by shitting on your bed?

Apparently not. Someone has told me that before. I never shout and keep my tone neutral but he still seems to know.

Mind you I think my dog can spell too.

He knows that W-A-L-K is the same as walk.

Its no wonder he is the way he is, living with me really is it? :)

If you still have the crate you can try putting her in it whilst yo uare in doing regular day to day things. She maybe more relaxed with you around and you can put a few of her favourite toys in or only give her a favourite toy in the crate. Then just gradually build up to an hour in the crate, then leaving her in for 10 mins or so whilst you are out. If you are worried about her biting the crate and injuring herself you could consider a box muzzle, so she can still drink, open her mouth etc but jsut can't injure her mouth. Just an idea if you want to crate train as it does make life a lot easier :)

It does sound like a separation anxiety issue. I'd say your best bet is to see a good behaviouralist, as it will need time and patience to try to remedy it.

In the meantime have you tried a DAP diffuser (now called Adaptil)?

I'm not sure Katherine, it seems odd that she would still pee on the bed if let out when i'm in the house (it has happened several times), maybe its more of a boundry thing (knowing where she can and cant pee), sinse she's been house trained she has only been in one room which she never pee's in. The only time she has seemed stressed was last week when she did it (she was shaking and hid behind the sofa) this was because of fireworks. I try not to shout at her, she's not scared of me (she's curled up next to me now), she is a very odd dog, she reminds me of my autistic dd as she loves routine (if her dinner is late she cries) and i can tell her things over and over like 'get down' (off the sofa) and she will just keep getting back up over and over. She has been hard work but she's great with the girls and loves to try and lie on my lap (she's a bit too big), she loves cuddles and walks and loves people a little bit too much (jumps up a lot and licks).

So we have had many problems with her but we love her to death and would not shout loudly at her.

I can't crate her as i know how much she hates it, we tried for months to get her used to the crate and she got so distressed. We sold the crate when we moved house as we would not have room for one here, she spends most of the day asleep on her own duvet (which is in the living room) and is walked every day, she has a huge garden which she plays in but hates going out there alone.

Negative training doesn't work. That's why saying 'get down' from the sofa over and over doesn't work. Where is she 'curled up next to me now'? On the sofa by any chance?

I hope you find some good advice on toboldlygo's separation anxiety post I linked to earlier.

Thanks Katharine, the thread is very uselfull and 'yes' she is on the sofa with me .

I would say she is trying to tell u not to lock her! By going same spot she is telling u something. It's not as if she is a cat who marks territory

Please don't be cross with her - this is definitely a stress reaction or fear. Now you wouldn't like it if I were cross with you if you were terrified now would you

Joking apart the reason she wees on your bed is that she feels she can hide it. You know when they scuff the bedding etc so she is very frightened needs a pee - you understandably come back, she knows you are not happy. So next time you go away she is more worried needs a wee more wees on your bed because she thinks you wont see (rather than in the room she is left in) etc and the circle goes on.

Once she has used the bed it becomes harder to break the habit, make sure you clean with specialist cleaner other cleaners actually make it more attractive for the dog to wee in the same spot again.

So what to do about it?
Make sure all doors are closed when you are out.
I would love to video her to see what she does when you are out - does she sleep, does she pace etc. That would give a real indication of her mood when left.

I would also build up the time left (I know really hard to do in a busy household) so leave her for 10 mins come back in ignore her.
Leave for 15 mins come back in and ignore her.
Gradually she will realise you come back, you are not grumpy when you come back and everything is fine when you are away