Recently, I got an e-mail from a concerned pet parent about some interestingly-named pups. Bae-Bae and Blue are a new addition and almost an angel, respectively, so we are going to focus on Cartman and Butters. Cartman is still very much an immature puppy. Though he seems to be potty-trained when out of the crate, but he will poop and pee in it, sometimes plopping down right in it. Though he is going outside for potty breaks more frequently, he is not “getting busy” during the extra trips outside. Butters is a little older, and he has started marking in the house, sometimes pooping, so he is certainly not what I would call “house trained.” His mom never catches him pooping, finding his little “prizes” long after he has left them, but she can sometimes catch him marking territory. Butters can also be quite aggressive with outside people, and he has bitten a few people.
Photo Courtesy of Comedy Central
First things first, get those dogs neutered as soon as possible. You are sitting on a powder keg of testosterone among the three pups, and I would not want to be around when it explodes! You should also have Bae-Bae spayed soon after she is old enough. I know that it can be expensive to get your dog fixed, but it is certainly worth not bringing any puppies into a world with so many puppies in need of homes. You will also see a tremendous change in behavior in your boys.
Butters is the one that concerns me the most. We need to establish the hierarchy in this pack. Humans should be the ultimate alphas, and that certainly is not the case. Being the ultimate alpha, you must never show any form of submission. You should never allow any of the dogs see you cleaning up their waste, because that is a job reserved for the lowest members in the pack. Following this rule, you will start down the right road with both Butters and Cartman on the .
The next thing to do is to follow Mom’s #1 training rule: YOU CANNOT TRAIN WHAT YOUR CANNOT CONTROL! To do this, you will need to put a six foot non-retractable leash on each dog anytime they are outside of the crate. If you find that you have a problem with leash-chewing, spray them with Bitter Apple, or something equally heinous in taste. It is also imperative that they be put in a confined place, like their crates, if you cannot physically keep your eyes on each of them. Roaming free in the house is a privilege that must be earned, and that privilege is lost when they soil the house, be it marking or otherwise.
Remember, you cannot correct a dog for misbehavior, unless you catch him in the act. you cannot correct it. What I mean is, if you find waste on the floor, you need to ask, “Where was I when the dog did this?” If you have to ask yourself that question, YOU are at fault for not keeping an eye on your dog. If you do catch your dog soiling, you must say a very stern “NO” and take the dog to his outside potty spot. If your dog runs in the opposite direction, all you have to do is step on his leash. BINGO! You are back in charge. If you stick to the advice above, there should not be any reason that you cannot stop this behavior.
Why does he run to the crate? Butters’ mom stated that he knows he has done wrong, but he actually does not know that what he did was wrong. What he DOES know is that marking territory, soiling in the house, or hiding his poop and waiting for you to find it is a fun game to play. You follow him to his crate, and you pay attention to him. Dogs do not care what kind of attention we get. Even negative attention, like screaming at him, is okay. To us, negative attention is almost as good as positive attention. What is it that Butters gets for all his hard work? ATTENTION.
Your pack order should go like this: YOU, Butters (alpha dog), and Blue will be the omega. Bae-Bae and Cartman will work out the “second in command” position. In fact, they may make it so that one holds it one day and the other the next. The only position you need to worry about is the alpha position. As the alpha, Butters should be greeted first, fed first, and “treated” first. By treating Butters special, you are sending a sending a message to the others that HE is the alpha dog, but you need to reinforce the fact that he is NOT above you. You still need to go through the door in front of Butters, eat in front of him (without sharing), and ignore him when he demands attention. Remember, YOU are the ultimate alpha, and everything is up to YOU!
As for Cartman, he thinks that it is his job to “get busy” in the crate. Since he has done it before, you have probably cleaned his crate in front of him, and you probably talked to him while you cleaned. What did that teach Cartman? If he soils the crate, he gets attention from you. Cartman’s view of these actions are that you enjoyed them so much, it is his job to keep doing it.
The first thing that you should do with Cartman is to reduce the size of his crate. He needs only enough room to stand up and turn around. There should be no blankets or bedding of any sort in there with him. When he stops soiling his crate, he has earned having a blanket. Until then, you should clean his crate with Simple Solution, a cleaning solution that truly removes the odor of a dog’s mess. It goes without saying that you should clean the crate outside of his presence.
I also suggest that you feed your dogs a “premium” dog food. I know it costs more, but there are numerous benefits that outweigh that slight difference in cost. For one, the dogs will need less of it to satisfy them, so they will not expel as much waste.
The neutering of your male dogs should be your top priority, as it will result in some serious behavioral changes nearly immediately. Since it is obvious that neither Butters nor Cartman is fully potty trained, your first training focus should be correcting that. Make sure that you bookmark my Potty Training page for any issues that pop up there.
As for Butters’ aggression issues, we can talk about that once you have addressed the neutering, marking, and indoor soiling issues. Keep me up to date on the situation.
