Living with dogs: training, adapting, compromising
Dear Cathy: My letter is in response to Carol in Massapequa regarding her new dog’s bathroom habits. I also had a dog for 16 years who would take long walks and wait to relieve herself in the backyard. Carol may appreciate this during the winter. I can let my dog into the backyard to relieve herself (without having to go outside in wintry weather). She’s been house-trained since she was 4 months old and never had an accident in the house.
My dog also has other particular habits. She will only eat out of her own food and water dishes, and she loves to sleep on an old bathmat. So, we take her dishes and bathmat, which she sleeps on in the car or wherever we are staying, when we travel with her. With a little patience, she could end up with a puppy as great as ours.
— Janet, Rego Park, New York
Dear Janet: Puppies (and kittens) are so much fun, but it does take time to help them adjust to living in our homes. There are three main ways we can help them adjust: Train them, adapt to them or compromise with them. In Carol’s case, training her dog to relieve herself during leashed walks works best for her lifestyle. She wants to take her dog on long walks and doesn’t want to worry about getting her home in a hurry to relieve herself.
In your instance, Janet, you adapted to some of your dog’s quirks and interwove them into your lifestyle. Not having to walk your dog to relieve herself is a plus for you. You know her habits and make sure you bring her food dish and water bowl when you travel. By getting her used to sleeping on a bathmat, you have trained her to be comfortable on that mat, regardless of where you are on the world. (Having something familiar and part of her everyday routine is very comforting for a dog when away from home.)
When not training our dogs to perform a certain behavior or acquiescing to one of their peculiarities, pet owners learn to compromise with them. This is when a behavior is something you can live with, but only if you tweak it a bit. For example, I once had an 80-pound dog who wanted up on the living room couch. I allowed him on the family room couches, but not the living room couch because that’s where visitors sat. I know he understood because he never got on the couch during the day. But at night, as soon as I fell asleep, I could hear him climbing on the living room couch. I would get up and ask him to get down, but as soon as I started to fall asleep, he would sneak back on the couch again. In this instance, we needed a compromise that worked for both of us. So, I trained him to get on the couch, but only if there was a blanket on it. He understood that and did not get on the couch again unless there was a blanket on it. By compromising, we both got our way, and he seemed happy I “heard” him.
It’s wonderful that you understand your dog and can accommodate her wants and needs. She is eager to please you as well. This is what it means to be in relationship with a companion animal.
Dear Cathy: My little girl Chelsea is 12 years old. Six months ago, she started urinating down the front side of her box. I’m using pet pads/diapers to absorb it. I’m at a loss as she does her fecal business in there fine. I’ve moved (the box) in different positions, removed the top and even put her food where she piddles to no avail. I withhold treats, and she does well. But after a couple of days, she pees on the floor again. Any advice?
— Jon, Pompano Beach, Florida
Dear Jon: Considering her age and sudden onset of the behavior, it sounds like there may be a medical problem, like a urinary tract infection. When a cat has a urinary infection, he or she will often poop in the litter box, but pee just outside it but near it.
Don’t withhold treats or put food where she pees as this won’t change her behavior. Instead, get her to a doctor for a health exam.
If she doesn’t have a urinary infection or other health problem, then sprinkle some litter box attractant (available online) to coax her into using the box again.