Saving Your House From Incorrigible Little Dogs
If you or someone you know loves a little dog, keep reading. The rest of you should stop now before you get too horrified.
I never had much patience for little male dogs that mark all over the house. Then I found 2 elderly Pomeranians in the same week. A Pomeranian rescue group cued me into the best way to save my house and furniture: disposable baby diapers. Since my guys (now 3 in total) are huge 15 pounders from backyard breeders, I use a size 2 diaper and a business envelope (the kind you get in those credit card applications that are mailed to your house every other day). I use clear packing tape to stick one end of the diaper to the envelope, then 1.75-in. wide masking tape for the other. That way, during the day, I can rip through the masking tape when I let them out and then just use fresh masking tape when they come back in. (Please note: it's a good idea to feel around and tuck them in just in case the key element of the dog's anatomy is not in the diaper.) They reuse the same diapers until they're too soggy (modern diapers are a wonder--they can absorb a lot of liquid!), and each generally uses one diaper per day. The diapers don't hinder them at all, they still lift their legs and don't seem even to notice that they're not hitting their target.
This won't work with all small dog breeds. Pomeranians are very easy-going. A friend of mine has a toy poodle, and when I took one of my boys (diapered) to her house to visit, her poodle quickly de-diapered my Pom. I could just imagine him thinking, "Let me help you with that!"
I haven't figured out a solution for little female dogs, but then my little girls were never so bad. As long as I let them out often enough, we didn't have many problems.
As for leaving these little dogs outside all day (and all night), I would never do so. They can squeeze out of fences and gates very easily, and they're easy prey for coyotes. Plus, it's amazing how many people I've met who've had a small dog stolen out of their yard or car.
Someone did tell me that the dogs were marking because they felt insecure. I tried holding one of them (the only one who came to us unfixed) and telling him while gazing into his eyes, "Oh, Skunk, you're so virile," but it had no effect whatsoever. So I'm not the dog whisperer. And even while I don't like the idea of overwhelming generations to come with non-biodegradable trash, it does save my house, and my dogs stay clean and happy inside. So before you take that cute little dog to the pound, try a diaper.
I never had much patience for little male dogs that mark all over the house. Then I found 2 elderly Pomeranians in the same week. A Pomeranian rescue group cued me into the best way to save my house and furniture: disposable baby diapers. Since my guys (now 3 in total) are huge 15 pounders from backyard breeders, I use a size 2 diaper and a business envelope (the kind you get in those credit card applications that are mailed to your house every other day). I use clear packing tape to stick one end of the diaper to the envelope, then 1.75-in. wide masking tape for the other. That way, during the day, I can rip through the masking tape when I let them out and then just use fresh masking tape when they come back in. (Please note: it's a good idea to feel around and tuck them in just in case the key element of the dog's anatomy is not in the diaper.) They reuse the same diapers until they're too soggy (modern diapers are a wonder--they can absorb a lot of liquid!), and each generally uses one diaper per day. The diapers don't hinder them at all, they still lift their legs and don't seem even to notice that they're not hitting their target.
This won't work with all small dog breeds. Pomeranians are very easy-going. A friend of mine has a toy poodle, and when I took one of my boys (diapered) to her house to visit, her poodle quickly de-diapered my Pom. I could just imagine him thinking, "Let me help you with that!"
I haven't figured out a solution for little female dogs, but then my little girls were never so bad. As long as I let them out often enough, we didn't have many problems.
As for leaving these little dogs outside all day (and all night), I would never do so. They can squeeze out of fences and gates very easily, and they're easy prey for coyotes. Plus, it's amazing how many people I've met who've had a small dog stolen out of their yard or car.
Someone did tell me that the dogs were marking because they felt insecure. I tried holding one of them (the only one who came to us unfixed) and telling him while gazing into his eyes, "Oh, Skunk, you're so virile," but it had no effect whatsoever. So I'm not the dog whisperer. And even while I don't like the idea of overwhelming generations to come with non-biodegradable trash, it does save my house, and my dogs stay clean and happy inside. So before you take that cute little dog to the pound, try a diaper.
posted by Alma Jill Dizon, Riverside Realtor @ 9:18 PM
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