Question:

I have two weimaraners – a 3 year old castrated dog and a younger bitch. The problem is with the bitch who has been wetting her bed since she was a puppy even though she is not reprimanded and all other aspects of her house training have been fine. She only seems to do it when the dogs are left alone even though they are not left for very long and have each other for company. I seem to be having to wash her bed nearly every day now and I am fed up and desperate for a solution.

ANSWER:

It sounds as though your bitch has a separation anxiety problem – i.e. she is uncomfortable being left alone. If your bitch was not trained to accept periods of isolation as a puppy, then you cannot expect her to accept it as an adult. As you have discovered, the company of another dog is not always sufficient to detract from the anxiety of an absent owner.

You need to go back to basics and work on building up the time she can be left. To begin with, put her in a room, shut the door and literally 10 seconds later, re-enter the room but without giving her any fuss or attention. Gradually build up the time you can leave her until she can cope with the couple of hours you might be away. And before you go away for longer periods, make ure she is well-exercised, has recently been to the toilet and is left with an interesting diversion, such as a Kong stuffed with some food.

Written by Karen Allport, resident dog training expert from Be Dog Savvy. For more dog training articles from Karen, visit bedogsavvy.com