staffy out of control!!!!

Me and partner got our staffy zack nearly four years ago.he was just a puppy when we first got him.and is genrally house trained excepted when he is lieing on blackets or has got a coushion bed we have tried everything to stop him from doing this and nothing seems to work.iam a stay at home mum soo he is let out threw out the day and if we ever go out he is let out for a good 10-20mins and does at least two pees and a big pooo.
but we now have a new problem with zack that we have been exprinceing since our son who was born christmas 2010 has been getting older that zack is choosing to pee aginest my sons toys and also aginest our tv cabenint.he constanly doing this whenever he is left on is own i can nip out for 10 minutes and he will have weed and pooed on the living room floor.i have tried having him in a cage when we go to bed or go out and he didnt foul in it but he beging to chew is way out and sprised the bars open (i think that he was doing as he could hear people round the house)..we do have a baby gate at the top of our stairs and sometime people leave it open when we leave the house and he then chooses to go pee in my sons room!!basicly me and partner are now getting to the end of our teather with it were constatly cleaning up at the back of him and it isnt nice when he is weeing aginest our sons toys we cant understand why he is doing has he is genrally really good with our son and sits and lets jacob pull and at him jacob feeds him food (not by our choice but you know what children our like),soo does anyone have any surgestions as to what we can do to stop him weeing and pooing in the house (but i must say zack can have up to five poos a day even more and pees for britain,we have tried him on different food and the one that works best is pedigree dry food)all advice will be helpful as me and my partner are now considering re homeing out staff as it is getting to much. (also to add he as been snipped)..

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Pedigree isn't a very nutritious food. I would recommend James wellbeloved, Royal Canin, Fish4dogs, Arden Grange or Barking Heads.
How often is Zack walked a day?
The baby has unsettled him and he is marking his territory in regards to the peeing against your sons toys.
It sounds like when you go out he is pooing and weeing out of anxiety but he shouldn't be capable of five poos a day, two is healthy so the food you are feeding him is giving him a runny tummy. He could even be allergic to it and unable to hold in his poo.
To start with I suggest you switch his food as soon as possible and buy him another crate. Start putting him in the crate when you are in the house so he gets less anxious. Don't just shove him in there when your about to go out as he'll know this means you'll be gone and get more anxious.

He's being bulshy and territorial, as is to be expected when a new human comes into the house. Changes happen on the molecular level when something drastic like this has happened, and unfortunately for you, dogs have a crazy sixth sense as well as hightened senses, so his mind will be in turmoil. It's not his fault.
I would seek a professional and crate train him whilst you're at it.
This peeing could go further as well, do not let him in your sons' room at all from now on IMO, he's marking his territory...basically, look up wolves acting like that and you may see what I'm on about.

No-one is to blame for this, and he's not out of control, just behaving in a normal manner, but it's unacceptable.

Have you tried going back to the very basics with him, it seems strange at nearly 4 years old that he isn't house trained. Have you had him checked over at the vets for something underlying possibly?

When he wee's in the house (silly question I know) but are really cleaning the stain out thoroughly, as they will want to re-scent there again. With your boys toys I'm sorry I haven't got kids but if you discipline him and are consistant with him I am sure he will learn that going indoors is a no no.

As its been going on for 4 years I would personally check that there isn't anything else wrong. I would take him off pedigree, its full of c*ap and can just make dogs hyper because of all the additives.

And as for the last comment I hope you don't mean that, it just takes patience and training.

Have you tried going back to basics with him regarding toilet training. Let him outside every hour if he goes lots of praise then back inside again. Everyone in the household must do the same, be consistent with his training. You will get there it just takes time and patience.

As for feeding Pedigree isn't one of the greatest foods, you may want to make a gradual change to one from the list below:

http://staffy-bull-terrier.co.uk/dryfood.html

we have had on james beloved once before and he had really runny pooo his poo isnt runny why he on pedigree it is like a normal not dead soft and not runny.he does have at east 5 poos a day.how come he has only just decided that the baby is making him feel uncomfortable???my son is now 15 month old??i used to pop in cage when i were in the house when i were having to open doors he would try to get out and get is head stuck.we went out saturday and we left him cheewing away on a knuckle bone and he didnt noticed that we had gone and when we returned he was still chewing it but then when we went into the living he had weed on the floor.zack rougly has two walks aday he doesnt do anything when he is out expect little wees to mark were he has been.he also wont go out in the rain or when it is tooo cold he is very lay and just sleeps all day we genrally get about a mad half hour out of him allday also if we are sat at the kitchen table he comes and has to sit on a chair with us to. iam not sure if the fact that zack was bought with a dog that we also had she was a bordie collie they basicly had a love hate relasonship and zack would regular snap at her with jelousy and when we had our son we choose to re home her as they were constaly fighting when one of them went near the baby.(she was re homed as we found her a lovely home he still keeps in contact and we were very scared of were zack may end up as at the time there was a lot of dog fighting in the news and we didnt want him to goo to a bad home).

So what exactly are you doing to discourage it?

we tell him nooo and that it naughty and he knows it is he acts in a manner ike he knows its wrong.iam not sure if he chooseing to do as he has been treated like a baby and still does he gets life of riely basicly.he went to vets a few week ago and my partner asked if the vet thought he was a healthy dog and the vet checked and said yeah he cant see anything wrong with him he seems like a very healthy staffy i mean we love him to bits and he is very comical...and loving that is why we re homed are bordie collie because we culdnt bare the thought of what life someone may give zack...yep i clean the floor very well it is wooden floor i use bleach based cleaning products and milton......he is a very lazy dog and has been the same way since he was a puppy..do you think he may be jelous of our son or just making his teriorty???but he doesnt show any signs on jelousy with our son he even sits at the top of the stirs when iam bathing our son and putting him to bed also my son was once asleep in is cot and i were sorting is room out and zack came in room and went stright under my sons cot and went to sleep???i just dont want zack gettin jelous.

also zack licks quite alot it tends to be is paws or the floor the hoover sometimes jacobs toys the tv cabient the tv and the window ciel.he will do this all the time???does anybody know why he might do it??it doesnt bother us we just wondered why he does

If he licks alot of time that is an anxiety issue.... trust me I know..my nearly 13 year old staffy Jethro does that all the time ( well not so much now he is on medication! ) Sounds like he is quite stressed out.. maybe some rescue remedy drops in his food or water may help abit..
I watched Its Me Or The Dog the other day and a dog was weeing and pooing in the house and she used a special cleaning product that completely got rid of the odour and stopped the dog going back to the same spot.
Good luck!

You dont say much about how much excercise he is getting. It certainly seems like he is having anxiety based issues. As mentioned, going back to basics is a must. I would recommend the change to a better food but do it slowly to avoid digestion issues. I would also have the vet give him a once over. Walking him for at least 40 minutes twice a day is a must. Walk him with your son in his stroller. I imagine a little person in the house is taking all your attention so he may also be trying to get yours this way. At least he gets a reaction.

You asked why would the baby be making him feel uncomfortable?
-- Scent change, pack position change.
There's a new person in the "pack" and he wants to dominate them or be on top in the ranks. That one theory.
-- Theory 2, the patterns of the house may have changed. You or your partner may be more stressed, less attention is going to him.

He sounds anxious with a tiny touch of dominance and trust me, that is NOT good and can spiral.

The product that irradicated scent, I suggest you invest in it, pronto.
I also suggest not letting him in your sons room again, especially not un-accompanied, and I also suggest crate training him. Again, pronto.

Someone mentioned excersise, I agree, this dog needs to be OUT and I mean he needs to have something stimulating and you need to enjoy it as well. Anything from jogging or rollerblading or hikes or something.
A tired dog is a balanced dog IMO

soo could zack be jelous of jacob i have the safety of my son to think about and is our main piroirty.but we also dont want to have to get rid of zack if we dont need to. As for exercise iam in he house all day with zack and hes let out through out the day we as a family goo for walks but zack is a lazy dog and always has been and gets tired very quickly exercise is very short lived for zack and enjoys home comforts (he was once taken out for a walk with my in laws dog and was let of the lead to run about and choose to stand under the unbrella. and also on a second occasion he tried to run home beacuse it started raining but took a wrong turn and are other dog at the time found him sat down sobbing) i must say he is a very strange dog.....he does very human like things.....could he still be freting for our dog we re homed suzie???

Could Zack be jealous? Yes, easily, as I pointed out in my last post.

Lazy dog? Not an excuse to be honest. Going to be blunt here, love. Zack is a staffy and staffys are SMART. If they can get away with something, they will. Get him moving, fast, make his mind work. He's either getting bored or dominant or both.

Could he be fretting: he could, but it's unlikely. He's targeting your son and no-one else at the moment.

- partially use the pack mentality idealism and that is where my experience is coming from, it may not be 100% correct, or accurate, but it's my opinion. If all else fails, get a professional in a stick with the methods that work. Don't re-home him. -

we do have balls that jacob throws for zack and they with each other in that sense and zack is more than happy when jacob is giving him cuddles is there any more things that we could be doing to make zack feel more involed with jacob?? i myself grew up aound german shepards and as we grew older they grew more protective over us and was always very efectionet to us soo having a staffy round a baby is new to me. so what type of discepline shoud i use for zack when he has foulded in the house??

The only thing I can suggest is either crate training (as mentioned before) or as other members have said, go right back to basics....
This sounds like a very mixed up and hectic situation.
If i was in your position, I would make a puppy rota, crate train him and work him more. You'll be suprised how monotonous running after a ball can be for a Stafford.
This isn't going to be a quick fix.

thanku al for advice.more advice would be great!!!

also can anyone help with when to feed him at the moment food is just left down for him

i forgot to say the licking is someting zack as done from being a puppy reali

Feed at least an hour either side of his walks, leave the food down for 15mins, whatever isn't eaten after that bin it and start afresh for the evening meal, not a clue on the licking Xx

also can anyone help with when to feed him at the moment food is just left down for him

Here is the root cause of your problem. Zack is eating how and when he likes so he'll NEVER KNOW when he needs to go to the toilet. The weeing is anxiety, he is doing it for attention. The pooing is because he doesn't have set meal times and is also probably eating too much.
Measure his food. I don't know what food you are going to use (please stop using pedigree if you can afford it) or how big he is so I can't tell you how much. But you should split the feeds in two, give him one feed after his morning walk and the other feed after the evening walk. This will make his bowels more regular and he -and you- will be able to predict when his next movement will be.
There are lots of good quality foods out there, if JWB doesn't agree with him try fish4dogs, Royal Canin, Arden Grange etc. You might have success with raw feeding as the bones would keep him distracted. If he doesn't eat his food within 15 minutes then take it away.
He should be having regular exercise, the more he does it the fitter he will get. If he stands about and is lazy then keep him on the lead so he is forced to walk with you. Make sure he has at least 40 minutes a day. My dog has no interest in fetch, lots of dogs don't. You could try to get him moving with a flirt pole or build him a spring pole.

shakespearesdog wrote:

also can anyone help with when to feed him at the moment food is just left down for him

Here is the root cause of your problem. Zack is eating how and when he likes so he'll NEVER KNOW when he needs to go to the toilet. The weeing is anxiety, he is doing it for attention. The pooing is because he doesn't have set meal times and is also probably eating too much.
Measure his food. I don't know what food you are going to use (please stop using pedigree if you can afford it) or how big he is so I can't tell you how much. But you should split the feeds in two, give him one feed after his morning walk and the other feed after the evening walk. This will make his bowels more regular and he -and you- will be able to predict when his next movement will be.
There are lots of good quality foods out there, if JWB doesn't agree with him try fish4dogs, Royal Canin, Arden Grange etc. You might have success with raw feeding as the bones would keep him distracted. If he doesn't eat his food within 15 minutes then take it away.
He should be having regular exercise, the more he does it the fitter he will get. If he stands about and is lazy then keep him on the lead so he is forced to walk with you. Make sure he has at least 40 minutes a day. My dog has no interest in fetch, lots of dogs don't. You could try to get him moving with a flirt pole or build him a spring pole.

I am a terrible person, I thoroughly overlooked that =[
But Shakes is right. Dr.John Silver is also a good complete dry food and cheap to boot as well.

I am a terrible person, I thoroughly overlooked that

I still think that its anxity as well, its a combo of things.

Dr.John Silver is also a good complete dry food and cheap to boot as well

Oh really i've never heard of that i'll have to look it up. Theres also a great german food called Lukullus, its great for dogs with allergies Autarky is also a good food-although if i recall it may be a working dog food but that might give Zack the energy he needs.
The lack of energy and listlessness you describe is likely due to his diet. Trust me when I eat a lot of junk food I feel tired and slumpy as well-I feel much healthier when I eat clean, lean food.

The worse thing you can do is leave food out all the time...if you make set times to feed him, then leave the food no more than 30 minutes, then pick it up..this is what Victoria Stillwell did with a dog that kept messing in the house...then after eating a dog normally wants to go to the loo..take them outside and wait till they go...say a word when he goes, I use widdles. ( no matter what they do ! ) and then after a while they go on command so if he doesn't have free access to the outside you can take him out and say the magic word.
He needs to have allsorts of toys and things...staffys are easily bored, and the more walks and exercise you can give him the better..

Feed him once or twice a day. Leave the food down 15 minutes and than pick it up. You will have to completly remove the scent from the areas he is peeing on inside or the scent will attract him to do it again. I think he might just be frustrated. They really do need at least 2 45 minute walks every day or they just aren't happy. If he is getting tired or reluctant to walk try putting a treat in your hand and getting him to follow you.

I believe in dogs 'working' for their food hence I feed only after walks. Also make a ritual out of it. He gets his food when he is ralaxed and calm and certainly not if he is begging for it. Also you can try putting food inside a cong or other food dispenser so that it is a bit of a mind game to get to it. You can try using an empty plastic soda bottle with holes cut in it filled with kibble. He then has to roll it and shake it to get pellets out. Should keep him busy for awhile. When I mention walking I was thinking on a lead with you in front.

thank u all for your help we have had our first dey night last night and nooo pooo either!!!!!!after 2 week.he was even licked jacob this mornng when we came down and said good boy!!!(is that a good sign??)wer giving him dog bistcuits as a treat when were leaveing the house and when hes bin a good boy??is that ok or can recommend any others that may be better for him??also i have look at some of the foods you reccomend and we doo want to change him to food that will suite him betta can you recomand any that are cheaper as the prices of the fish4dogs and others are too expensive for us???and when you to re crate train zack do you mean cage???(iam not 100% on wanting to re cage as we live on a high street and i like the tought of knowing zack is there as pretection for me and my son when my partner has gone to work when were still in bed....even thooo when people come threw backgate he dont movee) and also as for removing the scent can u recomend any to buy that work wel and also what claning products do u any of you use in your backyard??iam using bleack at the moment but zack seems to like going to like it when iam cleaning the yard(it is dileauted bleach i put a dribble in a bucket fill with water then scrub bkyard then wash down with warm water)

I would recommend to feed the best food you can afford. If you are going to change foods do it over a period of 5-7 days and gradually add the new food in or it will upset his stomach. Treats are fine and a good training tool.

A crate is a cage. There is nothing saying that you have to close and lock the door though. It is used as a place to make them feel safe or a place for them to go when they want to be left alone

I use www.chemistdirect.co.uk for Moo's food, she is on Fish4Dogs and its only 34pounds for a 12kg bag which lasts about 4/5 weeks, so it really isn't that much at all, you need to order over 40pounds to get free delivery though but I get her treats and wormer from there also. Worth a look.

I really hope you are heading in the right direction now

What sort of budget do you have monthly for food and do you know roughly how much he eats?
It might be cheaper for you to feed raw. You can get lamb ribs and spine for pennies from the butcher, also raw chickens wings and ox kidney are very cheap.
Wainwrights is a good food and resonbly priced. A 2kg bag is just over £7. I know a same sized bag of James Wellbeloved will last my dog at least a month-useally its 5-6 weeks. He eats about a cup of food a day.
http://www.petsathome.com/shop/wainwright-s-adult-large-breed-with-salmon-and-potato-2kg-52951
To make it go even further I suggest you mix it up with some chappie dry (2 parts wainwrights to one part chappie) Chappie is not the best food but it is very bland and good for dogs with sensitive tummies. You can also mix in healthy scraps from your own food such as chicken, meat, carrots, small amounts of pasta and rice.
My dog always has a slice of dry brown toast for breakfast with his food.

and its only 34pounds for a 12kg bag which lasts about 4/5 weeks,

Wow Moo gets through a 12kg bag in the same time Romeo gets through a 2kg bag! Perhaps I underfeed him? It doesn't look it.

For cleaning areas where your boy has messed, first clean thoroughly with warm soapy water, mopping with paper towels. You may have to do this several times. Then mix surgical spirits with cold water in a spray bottle (about a third spirits) and spray the area generously. I get large bottles of 'expired' surgical spirits from my pharmacy at a reduced cost. This works well at also erradicting othe pet odours in the home.

i shall have a look on the sites and a look round pets at home he has had chappie before we used to get hime a tin every soo often as a treat because e lovess it.we also used to give im sardines.which he realli enjoys we do get him knuckle bones from butchers also that he enjoys but i cant give them to him when the baby is around for obv reasons...and zack would just eat and eat if we let him.... we have also made him fings like rice n chicken and when he went for the snip he got given best mince beef!!(that was ment be for my tea).............we also give im lil treats like when a chirstmas or when we have beef chicken dinners that sort of things we make him is own lil dinner tooo (i didnt realise before how much this dog gets spoiled!!) this is gunna be a realli random Q but do any of your male crouch down to have wee like how girl doggies do because zack does it all the time and people find it hilarous lol.(he was bought up with a female dog well he as only eva been aroung girl dogs)

Have you tried Wainrights? http://www.petsathome.com/shop/dog/dog-food-treats/dry-dog-food/?ref1=1|Brand-|Wainwrights

It's a little cheaper than some of the others but is still good quality.

I agree with the others, leaving food down for a dog to 'pick' at during the day is a bad way to go. Regular feed times makes for regular poo times!

I also think you should be walking your dog more, even if he doesn't want it! A dog that gets little exercise will become troublesome & lazy.

There's no point telling your dog off for peeing or pooing in the house unless you actually catch him at it. He won't know what you're telling him off for & it'll just confuse him & add to the anxiety. If you want a cheap way of cleaning the pee stains out of a carpet, try a solution of biological washing liquid. It'll remove the stain and the smell. Don't use anything with amonia, as it'll smell like pee (to the dog) and encourage him to go there again.

shakespearesdog wrote:

and its only 34pounds for a 12kg bag which lasts about 4/5 weeks,

Wow Moo gets through a 12kg bag in the same time Romeo gets through a 2kg bag! Perhaps I underfeed him? It doesn't look it.

If a 2kg bag lasts Romeo 4/5 weeks I hate to think what your bulking it out with!

If a 2kg bag lasts Romeo 4/5 weeks I hate to think what your bulking it out with

I don't add anything to it. Sometimes he has meat or a raw meaty bone instead.

I think Moo is a very active dog, and quite a big girl, too!

Hi, how are you getting on?
Sounds like there's been a lot going on with your dog but here's what I think, now your little one walking zack don't know where he fits in in the pack...the bottom! It does sound like you've spoiled him a lot, think you need to give him clear boundarys, give him lots of stimulus and routine. Well done for sticking with it.. as for the wee thing my old boy used to wee like a girl sometimes, a combination of lazyiness and arthuritis in the end! imo...

As for food iv had healthy dogs on omega before now and my 2 staffs are on wagg at the moment, my vet told me not to change as they are doing really well on it, my girls coat is thick and shiny, iv had my boy 3 wks, he came with bald patches and a really thin, dull coat and already its shinier and thicker and the bald bits are growing back, so I'm sticking with cheap and chearful wagg for now, I add a tiny bit of water to dampen it.

Lots of good advice given, would love to hear how your getting on x

he isnt doing to bad at the moment the pooing in the house as stoped.but he is still weeing an awful lot and its not just on my babys toys he his doing in places were we wouldnt notice soo iam now having to inspect the whole of the living room to see were he has done it iam beging to think that it is down to lazyness and unable to hold his bladder.

is he getting walk?

if so how many time and how long for?

Steve wrote:is he getting walk?

if so how many time and how long for?

Same here. Also, how are you clearing up the wee? What are you using?

He gets bout 3 10-15mins walks a day and he his rarely left in on is own.there are times i can b stood next to im and he will pee and he does not seem
To notice that he is doing i wipe the pee up by hand with squrtiy floor cleaner then i mop the area with bleach he doesnt do
It in same place all the time hes doing in it places were u wuldnt even notice ...

that why then dogs need 45mins plus each walks.

They really need at a minimum of 2 walk a day for at least 45 minutes. A tired and well exercised dog is a well behaved dog. They have lots of energy and the problems you are having could be a result of boredom or frustration.

zackp2012 wrote:
To notice that he is doing i wipe the pee up by hand with squrtiy floor cleaner then i mop the area with bleach he doesnt do
It in same place all the time hes doing in it places were u wuldnt even notice ...

Just as a hint I wouldn't use bleach to clean the area. The smell of bleach may encourage it further.

I agree 2 walks of 30 mins plus would be better than 3 of 15mins also 5 or 10 min bursts of fast play like Chase or ball is good for them x