Dog issues help please!

Kerryairsofter

Hey iv a male and female springer spaniel and they been around my 8 mouth old sister since she was born and recently he peed on her play mat my dad thinks this is a sign of aggression and is thinking about rehomeing him any one have any ideas why he would pee on her stuff all of sudden and is it normal thanks Dean

SillyMangoX

Maybe he just got caught short and had to pee in the house and it just happened to be on the mat. I wouldn't worry tbh.

**Vai**

Were your dogs toilet trained on those pee mat things? Could have been a case of mistaking the childs mat for one of those.

Otherwise, could be marking behaviour, which isnt necessarily aggressive. How old is the dog and is he neutered?

Millie94

I used to have a little dog who would make it a point of peeing on my son's bed whenever he came to stay, it is a territorial thing so I think your dog will not do it again if he is neutured. He is not been aggressive

andreac

How is peeing a sign of aggression? I don't understand how the two could be connected??

jimf

this sounds more like poor dog needed to go to toilet badly i have seen dogs piddle on other males ok this i would see as dominance maybe

ISDW

Your sister is only 8 months old, is it possible that she had an accident on the play mat, and even with it being cleaned, the dog could still smell it?

jimf

ISDW wrote: »

Your sister is only 8 months old, is it possible that she had an accident on the play mat, and even with it being cleaned, the dog could still smell it?

very good point super sensitive noses on springers

Pabmac

ISDW wrote: »

Your sister is only 8 months old, is it possible that she had an accident on the play mat, and even with it being cleaned, the dog could still smell it?

Thought the same myself. Sounds like he's marking. Has he shown any aggression towards the child? Keep an eye on things and see how it goes.

abbyw1989

Peeing is not a sign of aggression at all! Do not re home a dog just because of one accident. Keep an eye on future behaviour, but peeing is generally territory marking or an accident. I find that dogs usually show aggression to new babies out of jealousy, not toddlers. Good luck, I hope everything works out and someone just needed a wee!!

Qualitymark

What about separating the dogs from the baby? My dog isn't allowed upstairs or into the scullery part of the kitchen, where cooking is done. Not a big issue. Actually, I think it makes her more secure.

It took a bit of training (stern pointing, removing from stairs) at first, but she settled into it, and now wouldn't go upstairs if you paid her (especially as the only time she's brought upstairs is for a bath!) Mind you, she'll shoot up to get comfort from sleeping humans if there are fireworks or if there's thunder. But she knows where her territory is, and where it isn't.

On the other hand, when you say the dogs are "around" your sister, what exactly do you mean? Are you talking about aggression, or are they just eager to be near the baby?

My niece's dog adores her baby, and spends all her time up on the couch beside her, or lying beside the pram or cot, and acts as if the baby is her special charge - an attitude highly valued by the baby's parents.

Thing is, you need to take the decision that is best for the baby's safety.

kylith

Definitely not aggression. I'd say he was just marking the mat as 'his'. One of mine will do that if we get a new dog bed; the first thing she does is wee on it to say 'this is mine now'. Your dog was almost certainly marking this mat as belonging to his 'pack' (i.e. your family). Just keep an eye on him in case he's tempted to keep refreshing the smell. Wash it with biological detergent to remove the ammonia smell from the wee; washing with bleach will just attract him to pee there more.

jjdub1

Qualitymark wrote:

My niece's dog adores her baby, and spends all her time up on the couch beside her, or lying beside the pram or cot, and acts as if the baby is her special charge - an attitude highly valued by the baby's parents.

Wouldn't necessarily consider this a good thing. If the dog acts like the child is his charge and the child has done something the dog considers she shouldn't he could take it on himself to 'correct' her behaviour - and then people are surprised that dogs act like dogs.