Author Topic: MAISIE  (Read 2371 times)

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Online AndyB

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MAISIE
« on: October 06, 2020, 05:26:40 AM »
As some of you will remember Maisie is rather a naughty cocker spaniel.  Yesterday I returned from a shopping trip to find a Bowel Screening kit in with other mail.  You ladies of a certain age will know what this is.  Anyway I picked up the mail and put it on the hall table.  Last night I spent an hour or so in the study on the computer and Maisie was in there with me, snoozing.  After a while I became aware she was no longer in the study so went to investigate.  What I found in my hall was the bowel cancer screening kit, totally destroyed.  It had arrived in a small oblong box, now in a million pieces on my hall carpet.  Several pieces of information/instructions, all now shredded and an envelope to return the kit for testing, again shredded.  (Maisie obviously thinks there is no need for me to have this test done  :011: :011:).  I made a fist and wagged it at her, the sign for a very naughty girl (Maise is deaf).  So she promptly turned around looked at me with an I'll show you look on her face and stooped and did a large wee on my hall carpet. Well as you may imagine I was horrified and sent her outside immediately.

I'm very sorry to say this has been an ongoing problem.  She has had quite a lot of accidents in the house since I have had her.  I send her out to the garden very regularly and we'll go for a few days and I think we are making real progress and then suddenly she will just wee in the house.   >:D >:D  My hall carpet is only a couple of years old and was quite expensive so I'm not best pleased.

Does anyone have any advice on toilet training for a nearly 2 year old rescue cocker, who did live in a kennel situation for around 3 months whilst in rescue before I had her.  I have owned 4 cockers before Maisie and all of hem have been scrupulously clean in the house once the initial puppy toilet training was done.  Obviously when your dog gets very elderly you accept the occasional accident but this is not like that.  I have to make sure she is in the same room as me almost all the time as on many occasions I have gone back into the lounge or hall from the kitchen say, to find a wee on the carpet.  She just does not seem to understand the concept of going to the back door and asking to go outside.   HELP

Offline bizzylizzy

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Re: MAISIE
« Reply #1 on: October 06, 2020, 07:19:30 AM »
Oh dear! Maisie‘s misdemeanors do make me smile but I can understand that you must be getting frustrated and it isn‘t really funny.....
My first reaction on reading is to ask if the weeing is her reaction to your disapproval? i.e. fear of punishment (because of something that happened before you had her). Did she really understand WHY you were cross with her? For Maisie, ripping up the post is just fun, she doesn‘t understand why she mustn‘t do it. I‘m no expert but my gut feeling is that the weeing is possibly out of insecurity, she‘s had a pretty traumatic background after all. I would suggest trying to immediately offer her another activity when you catch her destroying anything, maybe a game or a trick that will give you an opportunity to praise and reward rather than scold, if that makes sense? Mental games will also keep her stimulated and less likely to get up to mischief, - I‘ve started collecting empty toilet rolls, stand them upright in a box and drop a couple of treats into a few of them, an old towel folded into pleats with a few treats tucked into the folds and then rolled up and secured with a piece of string also provides a cheap rewarding game. Have a look online, there are lots of ideas for mental stimulation activities without having to spend a fortune on equipment.
I‘ve no idea if it will control the weeing problem but anything that boosts her confidence while keeping her safely occupied will help her, I‘m sure. Best of luck and hugs to you both!

Online Mudmagnets

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Re: MAISIE
« Reply #2 on: October 06, 2020, 09:51:41 AM »
Oh dear! Maisie‘s misdemeanors do make me smile but I can understand that you must be getting frustrated and it isn‘t really funny.....
My first reaction on reading is to ask if the weeing is her reaction to your disapproval? i.e. fear of punishment (because of something that happened before you had her). Did she really understand WHY you were cross with her? For Maisie, ripping up the post is just fun, she doesn‘t understand why she mustn‘t do it. I‘m no expert but my gut feeling is that the weeing is possibly out of insecurity, she‘s had a pretty traumatic background after all. I would suggest trying to immediately offer her another activity when you catch her destroying anything, maybe a game or a trick that will give you an opportunity to praise and reward rather than scold, if that makes sense? Mental games will also keep her stimulated and less likely to get up to mischief, - I‘ve started collecting empty toilet rolls, stand them upright in a box and drop a couple of treats into a few of them, an old towel folded into pleats with a few treats tucked into the folds and then rolled up and secured with a piece of string also provides a cheap rewarding game. Have a look online, there are lots of ideas for mental stimulation activities without having to spend a fortune on equipment.
I‘ve no idea if it will control the weeing problem but anything that boosts her confidence while keeping her safely occupied will help her, I‘m sure. Best of luck and hugs to you both!

A very sensible post if I may say so, lots of good ideas there, hope you find a solution, how about a post cage on the door, or mail box attached to an outside wall to stop her ripping up post.  Also a gate to stop her wandering off out the room when you are busy
Remembering Smudge 23/11/2006 - 3/8/2013, and Branston 30/8/14 - 28/10/22 both now at the Bridge.

Online AndyB

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Re: MAISIE
« Reply #3 on: October 06, 2020, 09:12:44 PM »
I do have a child/dog gate in my kitchen doorway, never needed one before but quickly realised it was a necessity for Maisie, (or for me).  I don't think the weeing last night had anything to do with me ticking her off because she has done it before, in front of my eyes in the kitchen, just stooped down and weed on the tiled floor, a matter of feet from the back door.  I would be really interested to hear the experiences of anyone else who has taken on a rescue spaniel which has perhaps been kept in a kennel situation at a rescue centre. 

I have bought her one of those plastic maize type things that you can put biscuits/kibble in.  She just got frustrated with it after a couple of minutes, picked it up, flung it across the patio and ate the biscuits.  I also bought a snuffle mat which she treated with complete contempt.  No interest whatsoever.  As I have previously said, Maisie is unlike any Cocker I have owned or come into contact with before.

Offline ejp

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Re: MAISIE
« Reply #4 on: October 11, 2020, 07:53:50 PM »
Oh Maisie, you are a little conundrum!  We had an ex-breeder who would just 'go' whenever she needed.  I did make sure she was out frequently and discovered that she adored doggy choc drops, so they were the reward for going outside.  Didn't help that she hated the rain, living in Scotland she had to deal with a lot of that  :lol2: Would it help if you added a bell to her collar, something more than a cat bell, it would let you know if she is on the move without always having to have her in sight.  Had a look on ebay and found these.  https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-HAND-MADE-NICKEL-PLATED-FALCON-BELLS-FALCONRY-LIGHTWEIGHT-OWL-CLEAR-TONE/361715519936?hash=item5437ecd1c0:g:lu0AAOSwNphWW3DL

Offline Jaysmumagain

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Re: MAISIE
« Reply #5 on: October 12, 2020, 11:34:31 AM »
Oh Maisie, you are a little conundrum!  We had an ex-breeder who would just 'go' whenever she needed.  I did make sure she was out frequently and discovered that she adored doggy choc drops, so they were the reward for going outside.  Didn't help that she hated the rain, living in Scotland she had to deal with a lot of that  :lol2: Would it help if you added a bell to her collar, something more than a cat bell, it would let you know if she is on the move without always having to have her in sight.  Had a look on ebay and found these.  https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-HAND-MADE-NICKEL-PLATED-FALCON-BELLS-FALCONRY-LIGHTWEIGHT-OWL-CLEAR-TONE/361715519936?hash=item5437ecd1c0:g:lu0AAOSwNphWW3DL

What a great idea.....I had one on a handbag....peeps would look at me to see where the ringing was coming from :005:
Cocker kisses and cuddles just make my day!


You are always with me darlings Jaypup and my precious Oliver you are so missed

Offline ejp

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Re: MAISIE
« Reply #6 on: October 12, 2020, 06:39:11 PM »
Oh Maisie, you are a little conundrum!  We had an ex-breeder who would just 'go' whenever she needed.  I did make sure she was out frequently and discovered that she adored doggy choc drops, so they were the reward for going outside.  Didn't help that she hated the rain, living in Scotland she had to deal with a lot of that  :lol2: Would it help if you added a bell to her collar, something more than a cat bell, it would let you know if she is on the move without always having to have her in sight.  Had a look on ebay and found these.  https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-HAND-MADE-NICKEL-PLATED-FALCON-BELLS-FALCONRY-LIGHTWEIGHT-OWL-CLEAR-TONE/361715519936?hash=item5437ecd1c0:g:lu0AAOSwNphWW3DL

What a great idea.....I had one on a handbag....peeps would look at me to see where the ringing was coming from :005:

But you never got lost, did you  :lol2:


Offline Pearly

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Re: MAISIE
« Reply #7 on: November 17, 2020, 03:38:44 PM »
Bit late joining this thread - I have some of these bells if you’d like some Andrea?  Have you thought about teaching Maisie to ring a bell when she needs to go out? We’ve done that with three of ours, two regularly ring the bell for the other two that don’t  :lol2:

There’s a good YouTube clip with a chihuahua ringing a reception bell.  Appreciate Maisie won’t hear it but the action, resulting in going out and subsequent reward may be enough to get her into a routine / conditioned?

The other thought I have is that she probably knew you’d be cross with her after her shredding antics and possibly lost control of her bladder - more so if she was coming into season?