My anxious beagle pees inside!

[beagle_problems]

hey, im sure you get asked this question a lot - stopping dogs from peeing inside - but everyone's dog and situation is unique, and I'd appreciate if anyone could take some time to help my unique dog and situation

my family has a 4 year old beagle, and his behavior problems are causing a lot of pain in my house. when he is outside for a while, he barks very loudly and doesnt stop when he gets started. most importantly, he pees and poops in the house, in one specific spot: just on the area of carpet behind our sofa, sort of close to the sliding screen door. we dont know why he does this, he's been doing it for a long time, but will sometimes stop for short periods of a week.

our carpet back there smells strongly of urine. we've been told that the scent can make him want to pee there, so we've spent thousands re-carpeting 3 times, but he still pees there. he does NOT have a bladder problem. we think he goes down there in the middle of the night while we're asleep.

i also think he has some kind of anxiety problem, as he shakes a lot, freaks out barking when we get home, and will bark incessantly when we take our other two golden retrievers on a walk without him. he also gets terrified while riding in the car, and just as a sidenote, he tries to stand over us (T stands) if we ever lay down, but is not at all aggressive.

PLEASE HELP US, this is getting to a VERY difficult point for my mother and myself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[chellard]

sorry i dont know much about dog behaviour but have you tried just putting down some puppy pads in that area just to protect the carpet?

[MyBirdIsEvil]

First of all, if you think he's having accidents in the middle of the night, could you maybe get up and let him out once in the middle of the night? Maybe he just can't hold it that long. He could be going there behind the couch because he knows he's not supposed to go in the house and is trying to hide it.

Also, maybe you could try crating him in your room, or locking him in there so he can't wander down there and use the bathroom. Since it's a habit now he may just think that's an ok spot to go since he never gets reprimanded for it. If you can't supervise him and catch him doing it, then there's no way to correct it. You have to keep him from getting to that spot when you can't supervise him.

lso think he has some kind of anxiety problem, as he shakes a lot, freaks out barking when we get home, and will bark incessantly when we take our other two golden retrievers on a walk without him. he also gets terrified while riding in the car, and just as a sidenote, he tries to stand over us (T stands) if we ever lay down, but is not at all aggressive.

First, why are you not taking him on walks with your other dogs? Dogs are pack animals, so he's feeling left out and probably anxious when you guys take the other 2 dogs and leave him there by himself. If you have more than one dog, they should always be walked together if possible. It's not uncommon for one dog to have anxiety and become destructive or loud if they are separated from their pack.

The standing over you is probably just trying to get your attention. Another possibility is that he gets worried when you lay down and think you're hurt so he's guarding you. The older dog we adopted awhile back (who has now passed) would come over and paw at you if you layed on the floor and whine anxiously as if she thought something was wrong. Once you got up she would be fine again.

In general it sounds like your dog is not getting enough exercise and mental stimulation (how do you exercise him when you are taking the other dogs out and leaving him at home?). Beagles are not necessarily high energy breed, but they like to have a job to do (they're, after all, hunting dogs) and go for daily runs/walks. They can be deceiving because even if they're not getting enough exercise they may still just lay around most of the time like a couch potato when indoors. They tend to show their pent up energy by barking, being destructive, having accidents, etc.

[we3beagles]

Beagles are especially prone to seperation anxiety. They absolutely need to be around their pack. If your leaving him alone at night he is probably peeing out of anxiety. Try giving him a pillow on the floor beside the bed or in a crate in the room at night. Same reason he barks incessantly outside. Beagles bark and bay to call their pack to them and to find out where they are. He just wants to be near you. I have 5 that follow me around he house like a flock of sheep when I'm cleaning. I feel like Bo Peep sometimes. A lot of beagles suffer terribly from being away from their people. Other breeds are more independant, but that is something I strive to tell potential adoptive homes is that they can expect their beagle to be like Velcro.

As for the car he needs to be worked up to it slowly and positively, not just thrown and expected to be okay with it. It can be terrifying for a lot of dogs. For instance, start by getting in the car with him. Have him sit and give him a treat for just being in there with you. Don't start it or drive, just get in, give him a treat and a good boy and get back out. Do that as many times as is necessary to make sure he is calm in the car while not in motion. Only then can you start the car. Start it and just remain parked. Good boy and treats for calm. When you are sure he is calm each time you start the car then you can drive (very slowly) while someone gives him treats and praise for calmness. Then increase the speed. The whole process can take a month or more, but my beagles are all fairly calm and go to sleep in the car (unless they know we're heading to the dog park).