My mum and dad's 6 month old SWD has started pooing in the kitchen.  She can be outside for an hour come in they will leave yher in the kitchen for a few minutes so that the mud is not spread all over the living room and when they go back in she's pood.  They've seen her do her number two outside before so it's not as though she's holding it in she does do it outside too.

She is a very dominant little sod :d  We at first thought that she was shy of people but now realise that she is the one making the rules and decides when and who she will allow to touch her. 

Is this another of her dominance traits with my parents or something that can be dealt with.

As I say she is very dominant and demands my parents attention quite a  lot.  She's also an extremely intelligent and fun loving dog.

Any ideas on how we can stop this?  She can spend hours in the living room/dining room and never make a mess. She was a late developer though on being clean in the house as a puppy.

Hi - Just wanted to say that I don't think her not wanting people to touch her has anything to do with "dominance".  Neither does the fact that she likes attention - don't all dogs?  And least of all pooing in the kitchen.  :(

This link should explain:

http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/2004/Debunking.pdf

I have known dogs to do this if they are upset at being left - I'm wondering if normally she spends all her time with them, and on the odd occasion she is left somewhere "different", it is affecting her? Just wondering, of course I don't know her daily routine, but...:)

Lindsayx

I agree with Lindsay

Actually until you know the dog I don't think you can put the faces on onetwothree!  I've had the breed for 13 years and have met dominant ones!  A lot of people thought that she was nervous but when they see her walk into a room it's clear that she's not.  I have been told by a number of people who specialise in clicker training and also behaviour that she is a dominant dog!  I at first thought that she was nervous but realise that she isn't now.

When I say she wants attention I mean attention, all the time and on her terms.  If she doesn't get it she will do anything to ensure that she does and I mean anything.

Thanks for your advice re the pooing :rolleyes:

Archie does exactly the same thing Diane as did Daisy and Abby, I thought it was just an SWD thing, I must admit Ive never had a breed that was so hard to toilet train, I thought Archie was an improvement as he was clean overnight early, but he will still do this poo thing during the day, the only ones that ask to go out are the spaniels the SWD's will just go, even now, yet if we have to go out for the day we will come home expecting poo's etc and find nothing, if I put Daisy and Abby in the large puppy pen overnight, the floor remains clean, but if they are out then 6/10 times there will be a present on the floor in the morning even though I let them out when I get home from work at 12.30- 1pm. Little Monsters although Charlie calls them a lot worse as he is up first and gets the clean up job,

Sorry, I don't believe you've even read the link I posted or you wouldn't still be insisting this.

There is no such thing as a dog which is dominant over humans - dogs are dominant over other dogs, and have a hierarchy in a doggy household pack, yes.  But humans are a separate species and they do not have a ranking with us. 

Yes, your dog may crave your attention - I happen to have one exactly the same - however "dogs do what works" and if it works to demand your attention 24/7, usually because sometimes you give in and reward that attention-seeking by giving your attention, then they will just do it more in future.  Because it has worked in the past.

It has nothing to do with dominance and with them being out to rule the world, and everything to do with their just doing what they have learnt has worked in the past. 

Even if we stretch and try to be just a bit credulous and for one second humour the thought that dogs try to dominate people, in just what way, relating to wolves, do you think that toileting inside the house is a sign of "dominance"??  Do dominant wolves come in and toilet all over their den, to assert their dominance over other wolves??  Do dominant wolves jump up and down and "demand" attention of other wolves, to assert their dominance???  Sorry but rubbish.  A dominant wolf doesn't need to assert himself over other wolves by demanding attention because the wolf is entirely independent and doesn't NEED the attention of any other wolf.  A dominant wolf would never soil the den, only perhaps small puppies which can't hang on long enough to get outside the den first. 

Sorry but the puppy is 6 months old.  It's not even adult yet.  I find it v sad to see the word "dominant" applied to a 6 month old puppy.

The reason I hate the word "dominance" when applied to the dog-human relationship is because - what do people do if they believe a dog is "dominant"?  They try to "put it down", they try to "put it in its place", they try to "dominate" it, in turn - in order to put the relationship right and get "back on top".  Often this involves punishment.  Punishment for normal puppy (or dog) behaviours which have other behavioural explanations.  At the very least, the other explanations are overloooked and an answer is no longer looked for, because it's believed they already have the answer which is "dominance".

No one here can "know" your dog, but you have asked for advice here nevertheless. 

I was told to be "Dominant " over my pup but as I'm a very quiet person (and havnt had the experience of children!! )I was unable to do it, I just tried to lead calmly, anyway as it turns out it was for the best and I too dont agree with the whole dominance issue. My dog has turned out to be fantastic and very obedient with humans, he tries it on with dogs!! and someone tougher that me that used discipline and pain would have ended up with a fearful dog I think.

You don't know me then either.  I would never treat my dogs like that!

I'd better tell the behavourists and the people who specialise in clicker training that they are wrong. 

They actually have advised me re. the books that you say are good.

Maybe I should rephrase my wording and say she's a domineering little so and so :d

Actually Jenny, I've never had this before with my Spanish.  They've always been extremely clean in the house.  So maybe I've been lucky or you've been unlucky :d :d

no, of course we dont know you, and certainly not suggesting tht you would do anything unpleasant, we are just offering up our experiences, as sometimes they can be helpful.

SWD - I don't mean you would treat your dogs like that.

Just that, if we go throwing loaded words like "dominant" around, it catches on and it becomes a licence for _some_ people to treat their dogs like that.

Domineering little so and so sounds much better, to me!

I can certainly identify with this.

My boy used to do this and carried it on periodically until he was about 10 months :rolleyes: He demanded attention 24/7 and would do anything to get it, including nipping to the point of drawing blood, when all else failed Like your girl, he thought everything should be on his terms. He had lots of walks and interaction, he would also go on command when out, but the minute he came back in and was left in the kitchen to dry off, he would eight times out of ten, leave us a package even though he had emptied his bowls on his walks.

The only way we manged to get round it was to stay with him, of course, he didn't show any need to go when one of us was there, if we needed to leave the room for just 2 minutes, he would manage in double quick time to force one out whilst we were gone :rolleyes: I can still remember the frustration In that instance I would put him out, clear it up and then bring him back in and then leave him again. I don't know if he ever understood that it didn't get him the attention that he wanted or he just grew out of it naturally.

Probably not what you wanted to hear as it's not particularly useful but your parents situation sounds similar to what I went through.

I think it's just a case of playing the waiting game, waiting for them to grow up :D

:d :d  Actually that's just what I wanted, thank you!

Carmen is very much like your boy.  She demands attention all the time.  Which I have advised my parents not to do.

When they started ignoring her etc, oh boy!!  She kept on going up to them and hitting them with her paw.  She would jump up and lick them all over.  She would then sit and bark at them and she's got quite a bark, very deep and throaty!

Some dogs are more confident than others. This confidence allows them to demand attention in certain ways and more often than not they will find a human happy to catch their attention seeking missiles! However I cannot and will not buy into the dominance trap since it is not only thoroughly debunked but is also based on stamping out the individual qualities that I find so appealing in a confident and happy dog!