I adopted a lurcher in July 2016. I love him and I've worked so hard with him and he has come so far but there are some issues he has just never improved on and I'm not sure how much more I can take.
He had been in kennels for about a year and had no history having come in as a stray. When I met him we just clicked (as silly as that might sound) and after he met my children, other dogs and cats he seemed like a good fit for our family. He's very calm and unphased by pretty much everything. He gets along perfectly with my other dogs and lives happily alongside my cats. Loves to snuggle on the sofa. He can be so silly and has the sweetest face. Vet thinks he's about 5 but he knew nothing. He's been very easy to train with most things - I had to toilet train him, teach him to sit etc., walk on a lead and so on. There are some things he just can't seem to stop.
We neutered him within a week of taking him home but he still marks in the house. Everything, all the time. I keep him attached to me by a long line when I am home but he still manages to wee on things. One time I didn't have him on the line and he ran about as only a lurcher can weeing on everything. He will come in from a 2 hour walk (where he can mark to his heart's content) and wee on the sofa or the fridge or anything he can reach really.
The most disgusting behaviour has started in the past month or so. I'm pregnant, 20 weeks, and he has started to wee on me too. I'm scared he will wee on the baby when it comes along.
He poos on my things. My clothes, clean and dirty, my handbag, my coat, my bed, my desk chair. He's capable of opening doors so has to be crated if he's not attached to me otherwise he will go straight upstairs and poo on my things after weeing everywhere in the room he was closed in. Even if I'm only in the shower or something rather than out of the house.
He has started to try and chase all children. He's never off the lead unless in a secure field we hire but we have to walk through a kid's park to get to the woodland path we usually walk and if there are children running about he tries to chase. Yesterday he did backflips trying to get out of his harness so he could chase some children. I don't even know where to start working on this issue.
He has become really reactive towards other dogs on walks. Even dogs he sees everyday. I'm doing my best to not put him in situations he might find frightening but I don't always have time to walk him on his own so we do watch me/LAT and he gets rewarded for not reacting but 99% of the time he is so fixated on the other dog nothing gets through to him. I know this is my problem and I have probably caused this somehow but right now it just feels like I can never help him overcome it. He's not my first reactive dog but it's been months with no progress.
His separation anxiety has improved so much. Before he had to have at least 1 person within his line of sight at all times but now he happily sleeps all night in his crate downstairs, even if the other dogs are in other rooms. If all people are out of the house he can last 1 hour before he starts screaming (not howling, awful screaming noise) and pooing/weeing in his crate.
If he is out of his crate then he just goes bonkers. Poo/wee everywhere, destroys things, even after 1 minute alone.
I've consulted two trainers and recieved pretty much the same advice from both. Tried lots of different stress/anxiety relief things for dogs. He's walked 2-4 times a day, we play games, train everyday so I think he's sufficiently stimulated.
I hate having to lock one of my dogs away but I just can't take anymore. My entire house stinks. I've had to throw away furniture. I'm tired of cleaning up after him.
DH wants to return him to the kennels and I have refused to consider it before but now I'm at my wits end and maybe it's the right choice. I hate the thought of sending him back there but how am I going to cope in a few months time with a dog who messes everywhere?
He's such a good and lovely dog in other ways.
I've recently had my hours cut right down but I have been saving for a proper behaviourist to work with him. I just don't know what to do. I really need some help and advice.