I apologize in advance if this is not the right forum for this topic.

We have a 12 year old Pomeranian that has been housetrained since she was a pup. In recent years she has been soiling when we are away from the house. We thought this to be separation anxiety and did some things to reduce this, such as desensitizing her to us leaving and working on her barking. Things were getting better.

Seven months ago we got a rottweiler puppy. Our Pom is acting up again. Now she is to the point where if we just go into the bedroom for a few minutes she will often soil the floor. It is getting very aggravating! Is she jealous of the attention the new pup is getting? Is there something else going on that we aren't taking into account? She doesn't get crazy when we leave anymore, but when we get home from work or wake up in the morning (the dogs stay in the kitchen at night), there will be multiple puddles and piles for us to clean up. Also she is becoming somewhat aggressive if she gets the rottie's treat ball and we pick it up. She doesn't care about her own food, but will growl and even snap over his.

We appreciate any tips you guys might have.

Are they separated? Is the pup crated?

Have you read any of the articles on Leerburg about introducing a new dog to a home with a dog already there?

Other, more experienced people will no doubt come in, but....I know you've seen the problems start again since the puppy has come, but has your Pomeranian been to the vet to rule out any medical causes? I'm just thinking b/c she is getting older, there may be more going on than just behavioural - it may be worth ruling that out.

Also, for the aggression with food etc - maybe try feeding them separately? I have two dogs, and while they're both fed in the kitchen, my female is in her crate when the dogs are fed. Something similar would stop her from even getting the chance to snap or act aggressive over your puppy's food.

Sorry, a little more detail:

We did introduce the pup properly. He was housetrained properly and has not had any accidents in the house for many months. Also the two of them eat separately - he is penned with his food and hers is put down at the same time in a crate. Sometimes we give him a treat ball because he doesn't finish his breakfast and she can get nasty if she gets possession of it. We had to take it from her today and she snapped and shortly after came and wet on the living room floor while we were watching, which she never does.

We have taken her to the vet several times about this problem and they have not been able to help.

At this point we think it is behavioral because she will go outside properly if we are able to see her. It's only when we are out of the room or house that she soils the floor. She will often do it just a couple feet from the dog door!

do you do groundwork/NILIF is free with them?

what happened today sounds like she's doing it to purposely piss you off or challenge you - 'see what i can do'. promoting correct pack structure might help some - i'm sure there are other things you could do as well. i'm thinking working on that may also help w/some of the aggression, it could make it clear to her what the limits are and that she needs to stay in them. i've never encountered this problem, just thinking out loud

It does seem that way, but I think it's an easy trap to fall into, thinking of our dogs the way we think of humans.

It may be possible for dogs to behave in a passive-aggressive way, and it probably happens, but I bet more often than not we've inadvertently taught them to behave precisely the way they do.

Give us some more detail on the urination. What happens 5 minutes before she does it? And what do you do when she does it? You said she was getting better then she reverted and it became more obvious...How do you clean it up? What do you do to correct her when she piddles inside?

i was thinking of this thread actually b/c teagan poohed inside tonight! twice!!!! once just after i got home, so i figured she had to go badly, and then immediately after our run (and i did take her w/luc and i, we did about 10k w/10 hill repeats, she did great, but sometimes after a run you can have to really go, so i'm hoping that explains the second accident). i'll have to keep an eye on this....hopefully i haven't taught her this behaviour! yuck! i'm pretty sure she's just feeling really poopy tonight though.

Well our big problem is that she won't do it when we are around to observe her behavior or correct her. She almost always waits until we are asleep or at work to mess the floor. We have thought about putting a webcam on her so we can see what is going on. The fact that she specifically waits until we aren't around makes me believe it is behavioral.

We did put in a larger dog door. Maybe she is having trouble getting through it. When we see her go outside she scratches at it a few times before nosing it open. We could make it easier to open. Beside that not much has changed.

So far we've been cleaning up with paper towels and clorox kitchen cleaner (we have vinyl floors in the kitchen).

What do you guys think?

 Quote:

Well our big problem is that she won't do it when we are around to observe her behavior or correct her. She almost always waits until we are asleep or at work to mess the floor. We have thought about putting a webcam on her so we can see what is going on. The fact that she specifically waits until we aren't around makes me believe it is behavioral.

Okay, here is the other way to look at it. Your dog knows not to pee and poo inside in front of you. If she did you would correct her/interupt her, whatever. She has known this forever.

At some point she did her business when you where not around. Guess what...nothing bad happened to her. In fact quite the opposite, she was self rewarded by no longer having to hold it.

So the dog has learned:
peeing and pooping in front of owners=dangerous/trouble

peeing and pooping when owners not around=safe/rewarding

If you look at it this way, the dog is not trying to spite you. Perhaps with the new pup, she is spending more time alone? Or maybe this is totally unrelated, I could not say.

If you are not able to catch the dog in the act, the behavior will not resolve. If you can't keep your eyes on the dog, you may have to start housetraining all over again. You may have to confine in a smaller area when you can't watch. Even a crate.

Now at 14 yrs old, you have to decide how much training you want to do. Health issues definately become an issue at that age, and soiling inside can be a problem as they can't control themselves as well. However if the dog doesn't do it in front of you, there is probably room for improvement.

Dear Lorinda: I have added a puppy to my house, and my older dog has not resorted to going to the bathroom in the house, but is doing things she never did before. I think she wants the attention I am giving the pup, she doesn't realize I am correcting the little guy for being bad, she now wants to put everything in her mouth so I have to tell her to spit it out, and will get real silly and more rowdy than normal so I will tell her, as I do the little one, to knock it off. Maybe your pom is wanting the attention you are giving the little guy. Perhaps you can spend more time with the pom, put a leash on her and keep her with you, so she can't soil the house. (put her in a kennel/crate when you are gone) spend time training her or reviewing her lessons and giving her treats. I do this with my older dog Bindi and it has really helped. She is doing much better now. I too do not feed my dogs together, or let them have their toys, they always want each others and can become agressive, mostly the little baby I have is agressive, Bindi isn't. I play with them separately. The baby goes into his crate for naps and earlier bed time than Bindi so we can have alone time with Bindi.
Maybe some of these suggestions will help.
Sounds like your pom has been alone for 11 years. How would you feel if your husband brought home a new friend to your house?
Its hard for an established pet to accept another dog.
and take it from me, don't spoil your dog just because of their past, its a mistake and will only harm them. Your pom has moved on, you should too.
Hope this helps
God bless you
Sharon Empson