Hi there,
I am at a loss on this one and have tried everything I can think of. I have a 6 yr old male neutered Yorkie, and a 3 yr old Yorkie/shitzu. Both have been house trained etc. The Yorkie has always marked in the basement, or around my childrens beds in our old house. We reprimended him, but because the house originally, (and still did when we moved), reeked of animals and their excriments, we put it down to that. (We actually closed off two of the three bedrooms of the house because they had been used as a "crate" room for the tenants previous animals and the carpets reeked, were stained beyond repair and had an oily feeling to them when you touched them, that never went away no matter how many times we washed the rugs.
2 yrs ago, we moved into a new home, where no animals had been before. Almost immediately, the Yorkie marked corners (on lino though). He was reprimended (I grabbed the scruff of his neck and growled, said no, similiar to how his mother would have reprimended a dog), I took him outside, showed him his pee area. I thought that was the end of it.
Two weeks later, my friend came over with her dogs. (1 male/1 female), and at the time neither were fixed. Her male immediately marked carpet in the upstairs hall way. We blotted up the urine, and used white vinegar to help clean it, and remove the smell. (I have also used Oxy clean as well to help clean the stains), I have sprayed neutrelizer as well in all the areas).
Both of my dogs immediately went after the spot that her dog marked on and marked behind him.
I have purchased a crate, and put originally both dogs in during the day while I am gone to work. (I am gone from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m.), but then after awhile the Yorkie would run and hide underneath the middle of my bed and refuse to come out. If I crawled under to grab him, he would dart out and run away and hide somewhere else. Eventually I gave up, and only put in the Yorkie/Shitzu in the crate. Things got better, and the Yorkie/Shitzu actually began to enjoy going in there every morning, and when we were home at night, the crate door stayed open, and he would lay in there to sleep. When ppl came over, he would stay in the crate once he got to tired. The Yorkie wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. Eventually, even Brody left it alone, the crate became a catch all for everything, and eventually was dismantled and put in the basement.
I would only see problems amplified if my friend brought her dogs over. She had her female fixed, but not the male (she is using him for stud purposes). My hubby and I have decided that her male would not be allowed back in the house until he is fixed, and stops marking. We will no longer be bringing our dogs to her house as well.
2 years later, I have had the carpets cleaned 8 times in two years because of the smell/sight of the white carpets with yellow spots on them. And I am not even sure it is peeing. But more marking. I have had to wash cold air vents (on the walls), which seem to be my yorkies favorite place. I am going to have to replace baseboards as the wood has swelled to the point where that is the only option left. I have also come home and found feces on the carpet. This is all in the upstairs hallway/office area. I have closed off the doors, but then the Yorkie is peeing right up against the door. (The height of the pee mark tells me it is the Yorkie). The feces have been from both dogs.
I have tried the crate, (to some success) with the Yorkie/Shitzu (who I am not even sure is the culprit, but rather the Yorkie. Having said that though, does it not make sense that if one animals is marking the other would follow behind and do it as well?
My upstairs hallway is maked daily, while I am at work, but by the time we get home at night, I am not sure if I should be disciplining the dogs by that time, and frankly, should I discipline both or only the one that I suspect?
We are moving to a new house next month, and while the previous owners have had a Yorkie, he was home all day with the wife and never peed in the house, therefore there are no smells or spots in the house. But my hubby and I have discussed this and will be putting the dogs in the crate everyday, to ensure that there are no messes.
My concern is this though, when I put the Yorkie/shitzu into the crate everyday, he had no access to water/food during the day, and got sick. My vet informed me that a shitzu cannot go without food/water during the day due to thier systems getting more acidy and it caused vomiting. (He was sick for days before the vet figured this out. Now I keep 1/2 cup of food down for them and the problem is fixed.
1. I worry food/water being spilled everyday in the crate, and that is a mess.
2. I worry that being in the crate punishes the Yorkie/shitzu when he is not the one doing the mess.
So my thought is to test this theory out and put only the yorkie in the crate this month before we move and see if I am right about the messes in the hallway.
There is no way for me or my hubby to come home during the day to let them outside to relieve themselves. I have had both dogs checked for medical issues that would not allow them to hold until we get home, but it worries me. I couldnt wait all day to go to the bathroom.
We are at our wits end with this issue, and are running out of solutions. Could you help us?
Any advise would be gratefully accepted and tried.
Thanks! Tammy
