May 03, 2011

Our pup has been great until recently when he was neutered. Now he urinates in his crate everynight. What could be wrong?

Full Question:
Hi!

I spent countless hours on the internet trying to find an answer to a new situation with our 7 month old shi-tzu/cairn terrier mix which we got from a pet store. (I know...we never intended to go this route but it happened for good reason) Upon finding your site, I feel you are the person to talk to, as I agree with your training philosophies.

From day one he had never, ever soiled his crate. (He has however, exhibited submissive urination) Our routine/food...... EVERYTHING...is the same, and for the past three months he has been excellent and highly trainable.

Until Now....

He was neutered and one week later began urinating in his crate...every single night!!!! He also is whining at times when in the crate during the day which he never did before. All of this new behavior is puzzling to us and we simply can't go on with the baths, scrubbing of crate/floors on a daily basis for much longer. We have had him checked thoroughly by the vet for urinary infections - which wouldn't make sense because he only urinates in the crate at night, but we checked anyway. We can't help but wonder if this is a result of his surgery - or is this crazy? These two new developments only occurred after the surgery.

This dog is very eager to please and has up until recently been a total pleasure. Unfortunately, this is a problem we need to fix soon because it is very difficult to deal with each morning. There is no water after 7:00pm. He gets fed at 5:00pm. He goes out around 9:30pm and is out by 6:30am. He has never had human food and is very good at the basic commands of SIT, STAY and COME, in other words he is smart and we are diligent. He gets plenty of fresh air and exercise. I am home all day, and my children spend time with him as well as my husband.

What has gone wrong??? HELP!!!!!!!!

Ready To Throw in the Soiled Towels.

THANK YOU.
Cindy
Cindy Cindy's Answer:
It sounds to me like this is a stress reaction. If you think about this from the dog’s point of view, depending on his temperament and self confidence it may just be a temporary set back.

He is a submissive dog, we already know this because he submissively urinates. Submissive and sensitive dogs don’t always deal with changes easily. I would not make a big deal about the whining or the urinating. I would ignore the whining and simply put absorbent material in his crate. If you act upset or try to comfort him, this will only make it more of an issue. You need to be a calm and reliable pack leader, and continue to give him structure.

His body has been altered by surgery and anesthesia and all animals and humans react differently. Hopefully he wasn’t vaccinated or anything else at the same time as the surgery? If he was, then I would have a huge problem with the vet!

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Expert Dog Trainer Cindy Rhodes
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