Help! Foofoo dog is driving me insane

[Gempress]

All right, my family is on vacation. I am dogsitting Scandal (mom's maltese). And this little dog is driving me NUTS!

I go over to my parents' house about 4 times a day to feed Scandal, groom her and let her out to potty. No problem, it's what I do every time they're on vacation.

Well, this time, Her Royal Foofoo-ness has decided to throw an epic tantrum. She's never had seperation anxiety before, but it seems to be causing a problem this time. When I found the first puddle, I figured "Ok, fine. I guess I didn't let her out soon enough." But then I started finding them regularly. Every time I went over, there was a puddle or a teeny pile of poo.

Last night was the final straw. I went over to to the house to feed and brush her. There were four seperate puddles and three piles of poop, scattered all over the living room. And this was just a four-hour span! How can a dog generate that much $h!t in such a short time???

I am so fed up with scubbing tile and deodorizing. I finally just put her in the crate. I tried to avoid doing that, since I feel badly about crating her 24/7, but I don't know what else to do. I'm worried that her housetraining will be completely screwed up by the time Mom comes back from vacation on Monday--if it hasn't already been shot to heck.

Taking Scandal to my house is not an option. I really wish I could, it would solve this issue easily. But I'm sure that my jealous cats would rip her to shreds, not to mention the danger from overexhubrant Horsemen play.

Any ideas? I am 100% certain it's not a bladder problem. She's fine when there's somebody home, and is fine in her crate. Do you think she'll be ok in her crate, with just the occassional potty and play break, until Monday? I don't like the idea of confining her that long. But I'm at my wit's end.

 

[Renee750il]

Maybe confine her in the room with her crate in between a couple of your trips?

But - you're going over several times a day, so surely it won't be too bad. I seriously doubt her potty training is affected at all . . . this is probably Scandal's version of a tantrum.

 

[Gempress]

But - you're going over several times a day, so surely it won't be too bad. I seriously doubt her potty training is affected at all . . . this is probably Scandal's version of a tantrum.

*sigh* That's what I think.

I remember when Mom was at the breeder's. She had her choice between two maltese: one was the sweetest, modest, gentle little thing, the the other was Scandal---with her continuous diva show trot, and her nearly palpable "oh, adore me and bask in my glory!" vibe.

And who does Mom pick? "Oh, I think I like Scandal. She has so much personality."

Yeah. Personality. That's not my word for it.

 

[Renee750il]

Heheh . . . what can I say . . . . look at the dogs I live with

 

[RD]

Do you have an extra crate for the Horsemen that you could take over there? Confine her to a smaller space so she doesn't feel comfortable soiling her surroundings, but giving her more room than she'd get in a Maltese-sized crate. I had to crate Ripley a lot when I couldn't supervise him because his housetraining wasn't the best, but I put him in a great dane sized crate and he had room to play around.

I don't like the idea of keeping a dog in a small crate 24/7 but an oversized crate for a dog Scandal's size wouldn't be much different than being boarded at a kennel IMO.

 

[Renee750il]

Great idea, Grace

 

[Gempress]

That IS a great idea! And is just-so-happens that I keep a spare Horseman crate at my parents' house, since they dogsit Zeus all the time.