Lissa_M
New Member
Baxter (aka "Teenie Weenie") is 4 and has been with us since he was 11 weeks old. I had wanted a doxie forever and when my son was born in July 2008 and I was going to be a stay at home mom it seemed a good time to add a new puppy to the mix. At that time we had a 2 year old rat terrier, Beau.
I knew doxies were hard to house break, but it wasn't as bad as I thought. He just followed Beau around and followed his lead so to speak. When he was little we had a few chewing incidents and some carpet digging, but nothing we weren't expecting. Overall, it was actually one of the easiest puppy experiences I have had.
Beau passed away unexpectedly in August of 2011. We all grieved severely over the loss and Baxter became a bit lost. When we'd go out for walks, he wouldn't do anything. He'd just wander around aimlessly and then promptly go to the bathroom inside when we came in. I talked to our vet and she suggested we go back to Housebreaking 101. We went out every 2 hours, we went out after he woke up, we went out after he played, we went out after he ate. Same old story, he just wandered around sniffing, no matter how long we were out for and after we'd come in, he'd find a corner to do his business on. Our vet had no more insight for us, "just keep at it."
Now, more than a year later, Baxter still won't go to the bathroom outside. He's also developed severe separation anxiety. I can't even go to the restroom without him whining and barking outside the door. He's also back to digging holes in the carpet rampantly. He just isn't the same dog and its breaking my heart. I know doxies are pack dogs and he'd probably be a lot happier with another dog, but that isn't an option for us at this point. He is due for his yearly checkup with the vet next month and I am tempted to ask about medications, but I was hoping there might be a better solution than filling my sweet boy with happy pills.
Any help would be appreciated.
I knew doxies were hard to house break, but it wasn't as bad as I thought. He just followed Beau around and followed his lead so to speak. When he was little we had a few chewing incidents and some carpet digging, but nothing we weren't expecting. Overall, it was actually one of the easiest puppy experiences I have had.
Beau passed away unexpectedly in August of 2011. We all grieved severely over the loss and Baxter became a bit lost. When we'd go out for walks, he wouldn't do anything. He'd just wander around aimlessly and then promptly go to the bathroom inside when we came in. I talked to our vet and she suggested we go back to Housebreaking 101. We went out every 2 hours, we went out after he woke up, we went out after he played, we went out after he ate. Same old story, he just wandered around sniffing, no matter how long we were out for and after we'd come in, he'd find a corner to do his business on. Our vet had no more insight for us, "just keep at it."
Now, more than a year later, Baxter still won't go to the bathroom outside. He's also developed severe separation anxiety. I can't even go to the restroom without him whining and barking outside the door. He's also back to digging holes in the carpet rampantly. He just isn't the same dog and its breaking my heart. I know doxies are pack dogs and he'd probably be a lot happier with another dog, but that isn't an option for us at this point. He is due for his yearly checkup with the vet next month and I am tempted to ask about medications, but I was hoping there might be a better solution than filling my sweet boy with happy pills.
Any help would be appreciated.
We looked into fostering, but since our yard isn't fenced we can't foster. Our neighborhood is full of dogs, but most people just keep them in their own backyards and we don't have a community park area. I know our local PetSmart doesn't do "playtimes" because we looked into that already. The PetCo is a bit further out, but I will check with them.