HI CAN SOMEONE HELP ME I HAVE A CROSS STAFFIE AND SHE IS 10, SHE IS STARTING TO SHOW HER AGE. WELL WE DONT WANT TO GIVE HER UP AS WE HAVE HAD HER SINCE SHE WAS 6 WEEKS OLD, SO ITS A LONG TIME AND COULD NOT BE WITH OUT HER. THE PROBLEM IS THAT SHE IS STARTING TO HAVE SMALL ACCIDENTS AROUND THE HOUSE MAINLY WHEN SHE IS ON HER OWN. I WILL BE WORKING FULL TIME SOON AND SHE WILL BE LEFT MONDAY 2 FRIDAY FOR 4 HOURS WHILST MY HUSBAND COMES HOME.
THIS IS WORRING ME AS IT SEEMS SHE DOES NOT LIKE TO BE ON HER OWN BUT WHAT ELSE CAN I DO WE MUST GO OUT TO WORK.

I WAS THINK OF GETTING DOG CAGE AND PUTTING HER IN THIS JUST WHEN WE ARE OUT. WHAT DO PEAPLE THINK OF THIS ? IS IT CRUAL AS SHE AS ALWAYS HAD THE RUN OF THE DOWN STAIRS AREA. I NEED HELP QIUCK TO PUT MY MIND AT REST. :hihi::hihi:


ang101

Has she been seen by a vet as it could be the initial signs of incontinence dont be alarmed as this can be controlled by medication if that is what it is. Her age and that she is a bitch points in that direction. Or she could have an infection. If she hasnt been seen then get a sample and take her and they will be able to confirm one way or the other. It does seem odd that she would urinate in the house otherwise. Has there been any major changes to her routine lately as it could also be stress related.

Hi yes we have had her at the vets and all the tests have come back clear, the vet said it could just be that is does not like being on her own. she as alway had someone around and never been left for more than an hour at a time. so that is true because at night we do have to take her bed up with us other wise she cries alnight. she does not wee or riun anything when we are around. the vet said she is spoilt as she does get her own way most off the time. what do you think about a cage just for when we are out?? i dont know how i feel about locking her up.

ang101

If it was because she is on her own, have you tried reassuring her you are coming back, maybe she thinks when you go you might not come back, try leaving her for a little while and come back keep doing it little longer each time, will take a while but eventually she should understand you will come back, get her used to it gradually and betime you go back to work she should be ok for them few hours alone.

EDIT: crate training isnt cruel if it introduced correctly.:)

we have tried doing this for the last six weeks. I start work in a school next week and thought that if i start at the being of the hols by the time i do start work we would have cracked it but no such luck. my husband said we need to think off what to do or find another home for her if she is going to keep ruining the house we have never had this from before apart from her puppie stage, which we was ok with but now it is getting us down. I don't want to give her up we have had her too long the kids will not forgive us, so it might be that we buy a cage for her to go into, when we are out.

At ten years old, I'm sorry to say you've very little chance of rehoming her - especially with the problems she has

We've had several older staffies at RainRescue, and they really are difficult to find homes for - and that's without incontinence problems

If she misses you when you go out, how much do you think she's going to miss you if you rehome her, when she's had your constant company for 10years?

I don't know how you've gone about trying to teach her that you do come back if you go out, but it would be helpful if you stick to the same times each day - so she's expecting it to happen, rather than it being random

If you're planning to crate train, you really do need a good quality one for a staffie - flimsy argos ones can cause injury to a dog who's trying to escape from one!

I take it she's never been left alone for any period of time?

I don't know what you've already tried so please bear with me if I'm teaching you to suck eggs!

Have you tried leaving her with something to do? Extreme Kongs are really good for staffs as they have fantastic chewing ability and usually enjoy a challenge. You can stuff them with their favourite food and make it hard to get out so they have something to do, you can even get kong dispensers that hold four kongs and let them out at intervals. Please remember when using food to decrease the amount of dinner the dog has otherwise they can become overweight!

Alternatively, a really good chew toy, maybe leave the radio on...

Try varying what you do before you leave the house. What you see as one action, your dog sees as many. Your dog will see every separate little thing you do leading upto your departure so when you first get your keys, for example she think 'uh oh' then you get your bag and the stress levels get a bit more, then you put your shoes on, then your coat - by which time your dog is more stressed.

Then, no doubt you talk to her before you leave, give her a kiss or a cuddle, pet her or tell her to be good and then after all that... you're gone.

You need to decrease the contrast between 'bliss' (you being there and fussing around) and the 'abyss' (when you leave and everything goes quiet).

You can do this by getting ready out of sight, altering the routine of what you do (try putting your coat on before getting your keys for example), not talking to her or fussing her before you leave and leaving the radio on.
Remain calm when leaving so that she can remain calm.

While you're in the house, go over and put your coat on, grab your bag - then put your bag down and take your coat off again. Do it a few times a day so it's not so disturbing for your dog.

Then leave her in a room, shut the door and open it straight away, return to the dog and sit down with her for a few minutes, gradually build up the time (and I mean gradually! Like a few seconds to a minute at a time) that you leave the door closed before returning.

When you get home, don't immediately fuss and cuddle her, remain calm for a few minutes, wait until she is calm and perhaps ignore her until she goes to her bed and then give her a fuss and a cuddle so that she knows you returning is no big deal either.

If she's had an accident while you're out, NEVER EVER scold her, ignore it when you first come in, do the above, then greet her. Then clean up the accident (this will be easier for you to do if you leave her somewhere that is tiled/laminate so easier to clean) with no fuss at all.

Dogs are pack animals and to a dog it is a very, very bad idea to be separated from the rest of your family. You need them for protection and on your own you're vulnerable. Hopefully by following the steps above to make your departure and arrival less of a big deal and getting them used to be separated for a few seconds, building upto a few minutes you should improve matters for her.

Once you've worked upto leaving her for upto an hour, it makes very little difference I think if you leave them for one hour or four as long as they can physically hold it because dogs have no concept of time.