Dog knows WHERE to go...just not WHERE NOT to go.

[robocop]

I have a 6 month old Yorkie (neutered) and i gotta say, we've gotten him trained pretty well go go potty in his litterbox...i bet 95% of the time he'll go in there....and he rarely pees/poops outside of it.

HOWEVER

im starting to sense that he knows WHERE to go....but not WHERE NOT to go....i.e. the stairs, the carpet, etc....he always seems to take a dump right on the stairs when my wife is getting ready for work in the morning....

what would be the best way to make him NOT go where we dont want?

ive bought some spray thats supposed to stop them from going where you spray it...but no real luck w/ that....

any help!?

kasey

 

[Renee750il]

I think he probably knows you don't want him to go there, but he's figured out when your wife is getting ready to leave - and isn't going to be home to pay attention to him for awhile - and is manipulating the situation. We had a little deal like that here for a short while. Everytime I would (finally) sit down to eat dinner, Kharma would run to the door and scratch it. Charley would announce that she must really need to go out since she scratched and decide I should go ahead and let her out. Of course, it was all just a play for attention! After a couple of weeks I pointed out to him that she always did it just as I sat down to eat, and he was playing right into her hands - AND undermining my authority. The next night when she did it I just looked at her and told her she was full of it and we weren't falling for her little drama tonight. She looked at Charley, expecting him to tell me to let her out and when he told her that she wasn't getting her way this time she layed down (muttering under her breath) and chilled out.

The point of all that is just an example - they do figure out certain behaviour patterns we have and will try to do things to interrupt if it suits their purposes.

I'd do one of two things: either put him in a puppy-proofed room while your wife is getting prepped for work, or - and this is much more proactive - get a squirt bottle with a good range and keep an eye on him. The minute he starts to squat on the stairs, nail him with a good stream of water and tell him to go to his litterbox, and make sure he does it.

This is his way of trying to control YOUR behaviour, and you need to get a grip on it before it gets out of hand. They can be frighteningly smart and clever about manipulating you to get what they want.

Your little guy might be a dog that benefits greatly from NILIF, Nothing In Life Is Free, training.