Pets Asked by Jenn on April 30, 2021
I and my roommate both have dogs and we recently (6 months) moved into a new place. I thought the dogs were getting adjusted fine, we walk the dogs around the new area to get familiar and now have a backyard so they can play as well.
Every morning I am the last to leave and usually leave my bedroom open so my dog can walk around. Last month, twice, I came home and one of the dogs had an accident in my room.
The first time, I cleaned it up and caulked it up to getting familiar. The second time, I put my dog’s nose in it and said “no” forcibly. That night my dog was so anxious and walk around the room for over an hour panting and shaking. Now this went on for about 2 weeks and finally, I just let him sleep outside.
I talked to my trainer and she said I had over corrected and he didn’t associate the correction with the mess, but with being in the room.
I have tried playing with him, treats and praise but whenever I get him in the room and get ready for bed, his anxiety comes up and he pants, shakes until I let him out. Now, he waits and at some point sleeps on the couch which is a no no for me.
Long story short, how do I get him comfortable again to sleeping in his bed in my room and not outside and/or on the couch? Any help appreciated.
Update: Thanks for the answers – I am trying the praise and reward and leaving the door open so he can come and go.
This is a very unfortunate situation and is causing a lot of stress for your dog.
In every situation, whether you want to reward or reprimand your dog for something he did, you have to do it within 3 seconds of the action / behavior. Anything that happens later than that might be associated with something else entirely.
One example most people misunderstand:
Now why did one of your dogs (you don't even know for sure who it actually was) poop in your room?
One reason could be that your dogs need more potty breaks. How long are your dogs alone in your new house? Could you leave them in the backyard if there's no-one at home for several hours? Please keep in mind that dogs need to do their business more often during the day than the night. "My dog can go all night without needing to pee" is no argument to not give them the chance to pee all day long.
Another reason - which sounds more likely judging by the strong reaction to your reprimand - is that your dog is anxious. He becomes nervous when he's left alone and poops out of anxiety. Reprimanding him for his anxious behavior is just going to make it worse. Anxiety is hard to treat and I cannot give you a sure solution, so please ask your trainer how to proceed.
To make your dog feel safe in your room again, you must associate your room with positive emotions.
Answered by Elmy on April 30, 2021
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