Hi John,

I apologize if I came on too strongly regarding the use of a shock collar. That type of treatment truly upsets me. Shock collars could make him more aggressive, so I implore you to not even consider this as a solution. I appreciate you providing me with a little more background on Petey. Based upon that, I have a couple of more suggestions you might consider.

You said Petey came from a place where he was practically ignored, to live with you and your family. Once there, because of all of the sudden affection etc. he became King of his Castle. That change on its face may appear to have been perfect for him, but by allowing it, you may have unknowingly set the stage for what is taking place now. It sounds like Petey has become the leader in your household and as such; he has decided throw his weight around. Dominant pack oriented animals often enforce their leadership positions within the pack by attacking when things don’t go their way. Urinating and or defecating (inappropriately) is another way of showing dominance, ie marking territory.

I’m a big fan of Cesar Millan, “The Dog Whisperer” whose shows appear on the National Geographic channel. I follow his protocol(s) with my own doxie. His philosophy in short is that you and your family need to assume the leadership roll in your household. In order for things to return to normal, Petey needs recognize his subservient position. In order to establish his new role, a daily routine is important. He also needs “rules, boundaries and limitations.” To get started try this; you as his pack leader must always enter or exit a doorway first. Exercise is extremely important! It helps work off pent up energy and puts them into a more receptive frame of mind. Dogs love routine!
Another important factor is your order of contact with Petey. You need to give exercise, then training, then affection. He should receive nothing without working for it… remember, “Nothing in life is free”. He should be walked at minimum of twice a day for 30 to45 minutes. When you take him on walks, he needs to walk beside you or behind you, NEVER in front. When you feed him, he must be made to sit and wait while you put his bowl of food down and than eat only after you give him an authorizing command.

I am very happy to hear you are contacting a behaviorist. I’m sure she or he will be very helpful. Without the aid of a behaviorist, you may not do your corrective training properly and as a result, only make matters worse. Also I think standard obedience training would be very helpful.

Cesar Millan has also written a book called “Cesar’s Way” (can be purchased at Costco or amazon.com). He also has a DVD’s available. Another book to check out is “Leader of the Pack” by Nancy Baer,Steve Duno. I also recommend Patricia McConnell’s books, “The Other end of the Leash” and “The Cautious Canine.” She also has one called “Leader of the Pack.”

Everything you want to know about Cesar can be found of the following web site:
http://www.dogpsychologycenter.com/index.php

Television Schedule:
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/dogwhisperer/index.html

I BOUGHT A DADOXIE FROM A PET STORE WHEN HE WAS 4 MONTHS OLD. IT HAS TAKEN ALOT TO POTTY TRAIN HIM. I HAVE TO ADMIT, AT FIRST I DID WRONG, BY HOLLERING AT HIM, I LEARNED QUICKLY. NOW WE, PRAISE HIM AND PET AND LOVE ON HIM WHEN HE USES THE PUPPY PAD. HE SEEMS TO UNDERSTAND BETTER WHEN I JUST TALK TO HIM IN A SENSIBLE VOICE. HE STILL HAS ACCIDENTS, SO WHEN HE DOES, I TELL HIM THATS NOT NICE. I TELL HIM , MOMMYS SAD, I TELL HIM TO BE A GOOD BOY AND USE THE PUPPY PAD. HE REALLY DOES SEEM TO UNDERSTAND WHEN I JUST TALK TO HIM. PATIENCE IS THE NUMBER 1 RULE WITH THESE DOGS.
BONNIE