Ask Ashley: Great Plains SPCA

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Our six-year-old Beagle/Coonhound mix loves to lift his leg all over the house. What gives? – Katherine B.

It appears that he might be marking his territory. Urine marking is when a dog urinates in multiple spots in the same area, usually a small amount of urine at a time. It is normal for them to not fully express their bladders when they mark. There are many reasons for this behavior such as stress, new pets in the home, environment changes, being an unaltered (not spayed or neutered) pet or around other unaltered pets. I recommend going to the veterinarian to rule out anything medical like an infection. Clean soiled areas well so the scent is removed from the area and handle him like a puppy that needs housetraining. Provide lots of potty breaks, positively reinforce when he urinates outside, and keep an eye on him all the time. I find it helpful to leash dogs to my belt and have them walk around with me so that once they start sniffing, I can take them outside immediately. - Ashley Flores, CPDT-KA

I have two seven-year-old schnauzers. My husband and I are retired so we are normally home with them all day. The dogs are very protective and territorial. Our three-year-old granddaughter does not have any pets at home and is coming to our house for the week for the first time. Any suggestions on keeping the peace? – Elaine Welsh

I recommend talking to the kids before introductions and asking them to remain calm and quiet to not scare the dogs. Teach the children to be gentle and go slow with the pets. If your dogs are nervous, separate them as needed. Always supervise children around dogs and go slow with introductions to set everyone up for success. Taking a family walk with everyone and the dogs before going into the home can make introductions go a little easier. There are tons of online resources on how to acclimate dogs and children to one another, so check them out.  – Ashley Flores, CPDT-KA

Both of our dogs hate our neighbors’ dogs. At first our dogs responded with curiosity and attempts at playing/running with them, but it has escalated to our dogs fully barking and snarling back at the neighbors’ dogs. We have tried introducing the dogs through the fence, erecting a secondary three-foot fence to create a buffer zone and a squirt bottle with water. None of these have stopped their instinct to escalate. What can we do to get them to just ignore the other dogs. Any ideas? – Dorena Gibson

Teach your dogs the “leave It” command when they are inside. Once they have learned this command reliably, take them outside on a leash and get close enough to the fence so that your dog is still listening to you and will follow basic commands, but can view the dogs in the other yard. Once the dog barks at the other dogs, say “leave it” and make them sit. Reward calming behavior and redirect them into “watch me” when they are reacting to the other dogs. Do this routinely until they learn the command, then try it closer to the fence. This will take patience but is highly effective. It would be even better if your neighbors practiced this with the dogs on their side of the fence. Train your dogs individually for even quicker results. – Ashley Flores, CPDT-KA

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Help Find Noah A Home – A Two-Year-Old Terrier Mix

Noah is a two-year-old terrier mix who is a bit shy when he meets new people, but his foster family has new people over all the time, and he does great with them! He is still getting the hang of the whole "family dog" thing. What really helps him open up is having another dog or two around! He absolutely loves being with other dogs, and being with them helps build confidence!

Along with being super dog-friendly, he also does well with kids! Younger kids may make him a bit more nervous, so he would still like to meet all the children in the home before being adopted! Noah is also super smart and absolutely loves being with his toys and learning new things. If you are interested in meeting Noah, please email foster@greatplainsspca.org for more information!

Email askashley@greatplainsspca.org for a chance to have your pet question answered here in KC Parent magazine.

Great Plains SPCA is an independent 501(c)(3) no-kill shelter serving approximately 6,000 animals annually in the Johnson County community. As Kansas City’s premium family shelter, we continue to support the seven municipalities with which we are contracted including Overland Park, Leawood, Lenexa, Shawnee, Lake Quivira, Johnson County Parks and Recreation, and unincorporated Johnson County.

Great Plains SPCA

5424 Antioch Drive Merriam, KS 66202

(913) 831-7722(SPCA)

https://www.greatplainsspca.org