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5yrs old having accidents
by Eileen Dempsey
ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
HELP! I love PeeWee soooo much - he's the greatest. I adopted him from the Humane Society in August 97. They said he was Bichon/Maltese, but I think he's pretty much Maltese. He has consistently had accidents in the house while I'm at work during the day. I started with crate training from scratch - seemed to work after 3 or 4 months, then we just kept him in our spare room with a baby gate while away at work. He has a 13 year old sister who is a Cockapoo named Crooz'r that gets the run of the house. Both dogs are on a very strict routine as far as going outside to potty. They go out when we get up, before I leave for work at 8 a.m., at lunch, when I get home at 5:00, after dinner, and before bed. He goes every time he's out and sometimes days go by without an accident. We just moved into a new house and now we keep PeeWee gated in the tile entry way. I love him dearly and his previous owners abandonded him and I could never part with him now so I will accept the problem; but was just wondering if anyone else has had a similar problem with an older dog and if there is any hope?

DISCUSSION:

Yes this has been Aurora's only major problem, from the day I brought her home from the HS, other the the messing in the house, which has improved in the past 3 months, she is the best dog I have ever been around. She is a very quite young lady about 2 years old, who from all appearences, may have been left in her crate for extended periods of time as much a days or weeks in a streach, based on the fact that she will mess in her crate if left alone in, she will get the stuff all over her, so we do not leave her in the crate alone anymore. She will never go to the door an bark to be let out, but when put outside, now will now go to her place and sometimes just sit there, with a look only a maltese can have, as if to say I know what you want, but I don't want to do it, I might need it later, to mark my space. Then sometimes she will go and sometimes she will not. I have worked in mental health, and have seen the same type of behavior in people, especially small children who have been, abused and abandon, and know it will take her a long time to trust, to the point she no longer fears, being left along again, so good luck, and remember that this problem also is related to seperation anexity.
malteze