I know this subject has probably been spoken about many times but I need some help.
I have two cocker spaniels one is three and half and the other a year younger. We bought both dogs from a breeder who could not show them and they were both one-year-old dogs when we got them and we bought them separately about a year apart.
Honey arrived with a crate and she has been a lovely dog with very little problems and 99% clean. As she was so good we never closed the crate and they just use it as a bed or if we go away.
Smudger arrived and we knew he had a behaviour problem as he goes mad when a bitch is in season. It got so bad for him that he had to have medication from vets and living with six bitches did him no good so that why we bought him.
However, the problem we have with him is that he keeps messing in the house,
We can be around him have the doors open so he can go in the garden take him out for walks but he still does it. What makes it more annoying is that you can let him out then go out for an hour and he will mess in the kitchen.
He is not fussy where he does it so I do not believe it is a territory thing.
In addition, he can suddenly go a month with no problems and then the next month he changes. We have looked at our behaviour and habits and times that we are with him fussing over him and we do not change month to month.
We cannot put him in the crate as he becomes very distressed and just barks.
Can anyone offer any advice it would be gladly appreciated.    

Hi,

I'm no expert but have had years of doggy experience and there will be others that offer different opinions to me ;)

First up, have you had him vet checked to see that his health is ok? Him going mad when a bitch is in season is nothing unusual, some dogs are very keen, and afterall, his prime objective in life is to reproduce :P I'm not surprised that he was so restless living with 6, presumably unspayed bitches.

You say that he messes periodically, this sounds like either a resentment thing of perhaps a slight change in routine that you have not noticed, but that he has picked up on. I would completely forget the crate idea as he shows such distress towards it.

I would suggest that you will have to go back to basics with him and treat him as if he were a puppy. Take him out into the garden often, always go with him and when he does his business, give it a word, like wee wee or poos and then praise him and give him a treat. He should then associate this word with what you want him to do.

HTH

Thank you

Has he been castrated?  I wonder if there is a bitch in season locally, that you may not be aware of, but he is feeling frustrated....

He was castrated when he was younger but that made no difference to his behaviour when dogs are in season. There are no other bitches locally that he might sense.

I had a similar problem with one of my cocker spaniels. Like you I have 2 which came as older dogs from a breeder, Blue at 3 years old and Niamh at a year old, a year later. Blue had been used as a stud dog and took forever to become clean in the house and really only became reliable once we got Niamh and he realised that he could also use the dog flap. I had the boy castrated early on but he wasn't very interested in bitches anyway which was why his career was cut short! We just kept on with the basics with frequent visits outside, praise for a result and ignoring any messing. Unfortunately we rewarded his performance with a treat and I still know now if he's been in the garden as he comes and sits by the treat cupboard and looks hopeful! Good luck!

Liz

Thanks we will be giving it a try

'Smudger arrived and we knew he had a behaviour problem as he goes mad when a bitch is in season. It got so bad for him that he had to have medication from vets and living with six bitches did him no good so that why we bought him.'

Entire dogs going mad when a bitch is in season is not a behavioural problem, it is an environmental problem.  If this poor dog was amongst six bitches then no wonder he was frustrated.   Thank goodness you got him out of this situation.    Because of his environmental experiences he will be difficult to housetrain but going back to basics, you have had him castrated but he will have a repertoire of learned behaviour and will not forget.   Rewarding him whenever he does go outside should help.   Accidents indoors are probably not a housetraining problem - more a territorial marking problem because he was exposed to so many bitches in season before you had him, and before he was castrated.  Castration will not take all testosterone away - some is produced by adrenal glands, and any surgical intervention will not stop him being a boy.

Keep up the good work and positively reward the behaviour you want and do not punish the behaviour you don't want, just adjust and mangage the environment.