We've got two Cocker Spaniels, one is only 10 weeks old (a dog and he's is an absolute angle) the other is fourteen months old and is a bitch. We have a problem with the older dog in as much as when we leave her she usually wets or is dirty, we recently went back to putting her in a cage, the first time we did this she was good, however, since then she has both wet and dirtied her bed. We leave both animals in a utility room with the radio left on, we do not make a fuss of them when we leave, they are just put into their own cages, they are only ever left for a max. of two hours. She tends to follow me around a lot of the time, I work from home and have an office upstairs, where she sleeps under the desk, she also sleeps in our bedroom at night in her own bed at the bottom of ours. The puppy sleeps downstairs in a cage as good as gold, the older one used to be extremely dirty and my husband got so fed up with the clearing up every morning we unfortunately gave in.

What can we do to try and stop this?

Heather

Is she due her season? May be she is feeling worried because of the puppy, she is after all not much more than a puppy herself. Perhaps if she was clean until now, a check up at the vets. may be an idea. Sure you will sort the matter, have you asked her breeder for help? JH

I think your 14 month old is reacting to the new addition to your household. Her behaviour smacks of insecurity. Has the new pup meant that her routine has changed? Is he receiving a lot of attention, and putting her nose out of joint? Have her walkies got shorter? etc etc etc

The soiling is just a severe anxiety symptom and should be treated with as much understanding as is possible - try not to react to it!!! as it's adding to the anxiety - yes it is hard!!! I would say stop using the cage - or at least leave the door ajar- it's stopped being a training tool when your girlie has become so agitated that she's soiled it. Could you put her night-time bed in it so she feels that it is a safe place to be?

I think that this phase will pass quickly, she is just reacting to a stressful situation and should be treated patiently and with understanding - it could be worse, the anxiety could have manifested itself with destruction as well as soiling! I think if you try to identify what in your 14 month old's life apart from the new pup and remedy it you will get faster results, but she will settle down eventually anyway once you she has got used to the new change in lifestyle, quicker still if you remain understanding/forgiving.

Re the cage. If you will be using it the future she needs to feel happy about using it. Could the cage be used in the bedroom for her to sleep in? door open. She must be associating it with punishment at the moment and needs to have good feelings about it for it to be kind to leave her in it in the future.

I hope any of this is helpful. I suppose it's just a case of sibling rivalry! a companion is probably just what she needs to break her dependence on you - she just hasn't realised yet :)

Good luck!

I have to say that my daxie ( who sleeps on the sofa at night - terrible liberty I know ! )...started pooing ( in my living room !! ) when I got my shep pup....now why this was one cannot really know....the only individual who really knows about dog behaviour is the dog ! .... he appeared to get on well with the new pup, except for this one thing - then one day it suddenley stopped and he is perfectly fine again now.

One thing is to maybe not let the dogs follow you around during the day and to make sure they both get time with you individually, while the other one is put in the utility or something - after you've walked the older pup, would be a good time to shut her away and play with the tiny puppy - and then while the puppy is tired and has a kip, vice versa.....

that's how I manage my new pups - well all the dogs really as they mature - they each get ' time out ' after they've had excercise or play, while I lavish attention on another indivdual - works for me - I reckon it's just a temporary problem and as one other poster noted, could be related to a season....

Good luck, I'm sure it will sort itself out in due course....