My dog poops in the back of my truck
MicRog105
I have a problem. My otherwise well housetrained puppy (7month old neutered
Rottweiller) poops in the back of my truck (it's got a cap on it) everytime we
go somewhere. It does not matter if he has just gone poop before we leave - by
the time we get to the park, or whatever, he's left a smelly mess when we get
there or by the time we get home even if he had plenty of time to go at the
park. I do not leave him back there for long periods of time. I've tried
putting his blankets back there with him to make it feel more homey but he just
manages to poop around them. Or on them if he can't move them out of the way.
I also tried putting carpet down but he pooped on that, too.
It is probably important to mention that he also refuses to jump in the back.
We have to lift him up to get him back there. I've seen him jump up higher
heights than my truck bed so I know it's not bad hips preventing him from doing
this. We try to make it a positive experience and take him to the dog park or
walks and give him treats when he gets back thereso he connects the truck with
fun things. He did used to show more enthusiasm when we had another dog who
loved going for rides. He would kind of try to jump in then but he was too
small at the time. But she broke her lead one day and did not come back and
we haven't been able to find her. It was quite sad.
I also used to have a Rottweiller who had this same pooping problem. She,
however, loved the back of my truck. This was over a year ago and I've cleaned
the back of my truck thoroughly many times. Could her smell still be there?
Is it a Rottweiller thing to enjoy pooping in the back of trucks? It's really
quite gross and tends to put a damper on our outings. I don't scold him when I
find it because that's not how I housetrained him. Does anybody have any
advice on how to make this stop? I also wouldn't mind advice on how to get him
to get in the back of the truck by himself. He's getting way too big to
continue lifting him up and he's getting bigger. Plus, it's kind of
embarassing to be seen lifting this big baby of a Rottweiller into the back of
my truck:} Thank you for any advice you might have.
Michelle
Dave DeWinter
Try crate training your dog and then put the crate in the back of the
truck. He probably won't poop in his crate.
--
Keep em Spinning,
Dave DeWinter
*******************************************************
Visit my Web Page here http://www.mindspring.com/~rv6dd
Daisy
Hi. I would suspect that your dog is smelling his own poop
smell in your truck, not that of your other dog. Try using an
enzymatic cleaner to remove the odors that only he can smell.
You can get them at most major pet supply stores.
I would also crate him in the truck. Being confined to a
crate will help him want to hold it, because he'll have to lay
right in it if he goes. And of course, being in a crate is
much safer than being loose in a vehicle. You'll want to
figure out some way to keep the crate from flying about in the
event of a car accident. I have so many crates in my van that
they are wedged in pretty tight, but if there were only one
crate back there I'd have to think of some way to lash it
down.
As for him jumping into the truck -- I would talk to your vet
if I were you, but I've been told by vets and books and people
on this group that dogs, *especially large breed dogs*, should
not do ANY jumping until they are close to 2 years of age.
I'm sure it can't be fun to lift him up there yourself, but
you might be saving him from a lifetime of being disabled from
the damage that jumping can do to his joints.
Once he is old enough, I would try getting him to jump in by
himself by tossing in a treat that he can't resist. FWIW, I
have a dog who is a nervous wreck in the car, no matter what.
We've always only gone to fun places. He's never been put in
a car and then got shots at the vet's, because I give him his
shots myself, and the two times he got rabies shots (which I
can't give), we had walked to the vet, not drove. So I don't
know why he's such a nervous wreck. Sometimes he gets so
nervous he poops. He shakes the whole time he's in the car.
He's happier when he can be in a crate in the car; I guess he
feels safer.
Good luck!
Daisy
3 Jerks and a Cash Register
Hello,
Yes, crating your dog in the truck and making sure no poop smell
remains are all good ideas. It sounds like he's pooping out of anxiety
from being in the truck, and probably knows you hate when he does that
so perhaps he thinks you won't put him in the truck if he poops there.
SO, I personally would recommend not chastising him for pooping. Don't
give any attention (good or bad), simply clean it up and move right
along. Have you ever let the dog ride up front people-style? Does he
exhibit the same neurosis riding in the people seats?
>As for him jumping into the truck -- I would talk to your vet
>if I were you, but I've been told by vets and books and people
>on this group that dogs, *especially large breed dogs*, should
>not do ANY jumping until they are close to 2 years of age.
>I'm sure it can't be fun to lift him up there yourself, but
>you might be saving him from a lifetime of being disabled from
>the damage that jumping can do to his joints.
>
My 2 dogs (boxer, apbt) play and fight and JUMP all over each other in
the backyard. I guess I should weight them down until they're two so
they won't hurt themselves. In fact, I guess being outdoors with all
those cars and potential diseases and aggressive stray dogs and mean
people with guns - i think i'll just crate my dogs in a closet and
leave them there where they'll be safe. I'll be sure to leave the
lights off so their eyes won't hurt.
I'm not trolling, I'm just perplexed by life-halting
over-protectivness.
-Revscooter
Daisy
3 Jerks and a Cash Register wrote:
> daisy wrote:
> >As for him jumping into the truck -- I would talk to your vet
> >if I were you, but I've been told by vets and books and people
> >on this group that dogs, *especially large breed dogs*, should
> >not do ANY jumping until they are close to 2 years of age.
> >I'm sure it can't be fun to lift him up there yourself, but
> >you might be saving him from a lifetime of being disabled from
> >the damage that jumping can do to his joints.
> >
> Paranoid Daisy strikes again. :)
> My 2 dogs (boxer, apbt) play and fight and JUMP all over each other in
> the backyard. I guess I should weight them down until they're two so
> they won't hurt themselves. In fact, I guess being outdoors with all
> those cars and potential diseases and aggressive stray dogs and mean
> people with guns - i think i'll just crate my dogs in a closet and
> leave them there where they'll be safe. I'll be sure to leave the
> lights off so their eyes won't hurt.
>
> I'm not trolling, I'm just perplexed by life-halting
> over-protectivness.
I'm sure your dogs will thank you when they are 5 or 6 or 7
and can no longer walk. It's not "life-halting" to not allow
a young dog to jump out of a truck. Now, your breeds are not
as prone to hip dysplasia and joint problems as some other
large and larger breeds are, so it might not be a concern for
you. Or you might just not have known that jumping done at an
early age can affect a dog's chances of turning up lame in
later years from a host of various conditions. And you might
not understand that the stress placed on a joint is not nearly
as great during play than during a jump from the back of a
truck. Or you might not understand the concept of making
educated choices... When I post I try to say what I have
learned to be factual, and sometimes I add what I personally
do. What I have learned to be factual is that jumps from a
truck at a young age can cause a dog to be lame and
prematurely shorten his enjoyment of his life. What I
personally do is restrict my dogs from jumping until they are
one year old -- and I'm not talking about jumping during play.
I'm talking about jumping into and out of the back of my van,
as well as jumping off of any high things around my house or
places I take them. I've heard some people on this group (and
one vet at my vet's office) say that even play jumping should
be restricted until age two, and others and the other vets I
know say restrict big jumps -- like those from a truck --
until at least 1, possibly 2 years of age. I take more of a
middle ground with my own dogs, but it would be irresponsible
of me to not tell a poster what most people I know consider to
be factual information regarding the future health of their
dogs. Eh?
As for potential diseases, you're not following my posts as
carefully as you try to seem. I've said a few times that the
risk of a poorly socialized puppy outweighs the risk, in my
opinion and according to a few trainers and vets and a couple
people on this group, of disease. Aggressive strays, people
with guns -- can't remember ever posting about that. I
suppose you just stuck those items in your post to try to make
yourself sound more convincing... ???
I'm not trolling; I'm just perplexed by outlandish
exaggeration.
Daisy
Monica Richards
One of the worst things I have ever seen is a dog with a dislocated hip
from jumping out of the back of a truck the wrong way (I think one leg
got stuck on the lip). It was in so much pain yelping in the parking
lot and its owners didn't know what to do. There was a vet close by
that I strongly suggested they visit. But what a bummer to have what
should have been a nice outing turn in to an expensive trip to the vet.
So a little caution is definitely warranted.
Monica
3 Jerks and a Cash Register
>> I'm not trolling, I'm just perplexed by life-halting
>> over-protectivness.
> I've said a few times that the
>risk of a poorly socialized puppy outweighs the risk, in my
>opinion and according to a few trainers and vets and a couple
>people on this group, of disease. Aggressive strays, people
>with guns -- can't remember ever posting about that. I
>suppose you just stuck those items in your post to try to make
>yourself sound more convincing... ???
It's all too bad tone of voice can not be transmitted via usenet
because I was using sarcasm. Perhaps I should have thought further
before posting - we can't all be The King (hehe). I just think
sometimes it is possible, just maybe, to worry TOO much. Sorry If I
offended.
-revscooter
