[bluegill]

I adopted a 3 y/o red heeler (looks purebred) last week from a shelter a couple hundred miles away. He was neutered before he was taken to the shelter (they don't know when exactly). He is pretty submissive, walks great loose leash, listens to the commands after 3-4 times (sit, shake, up, lay down). He is very cuddly and has the velcro personality known for that breed, but he seems like a low energy dog. He was raised indoors in an apartment setting around cats with a sibling and then surrendered when his family moved to a farm setting.

The big problem I am having right now is with urine marking. I am not completely certain whether it is an accident or marking, but I think it is marking because it seems to happen around my girlfriend's dog. Her dog is a heeler/border collie and/or something else, and he is 6 years old. A little bit bigger than my dog (68 lbs vs 54 lbs). When we did a meet and greet at the park, they bonded well but my dog peed on her little bag when she set it on the ground. There have been 2 other times he peed on her bookbag and her suitcase. Once was at my place, the other was at her place. It seems to happen at night when I/we are asleep. There have been 2 times when I was by myself with the dog and found wet spots on my carpet, but I wasn't sure whether he had peed (didn't smell anything).

When the dogs are together they seem to get along fine. They lick each other (my dog initiates a lot of it though) on the face, eyes, ears, and penis. Two times they nipped at each other in an aggressive manner and we disciplined immediately. Sometimes they are playful with each other. Unfortunately they just don't seem to like the same activities. My dog likes to play catch with a ball and her dog likes tug-o-war. Still trying to find ways to get them to bond more.

I also wonder if maybe it is exercise related, because both the times he peed on her bookbag/suitcase I didn't get a chance to walk him because of tornado warning and because we were applying for renting a house all afternoon.

Any insight or advice on the situation is appreciated! I have to run and get some pet cleaner today and maybe a black light to spot other marking grounds.

 

[supaflyskye]

If it happens at night, I would recommend crating him at night. That's really the best option. If you do not have a crate often you can find used ones for a bargain on Craigslist.
I understand there were extenuating circumstances that led you not being able to walk the dog, but you really need to make sure he gets out. If he is urinating in the house regularly try to take him out every 2 hours for the first while and praise him liberally when he does his business outside. If you catch him going inside tell him "NO" firmly and take him immediately outside, again praising if/when he does his business, do not rub his face in it or anything when he goes inside, just a firm "NO."
Make sure you get those urine spots COMPLETELY out, or he may continue to urinate in the same place. Use vinegar and baking soda, as well as pet cleaner if you wish.
As an aside, do you have any photos of your new boy? I'd love to see him. He sounds like a nice dog. What's his name?
Best of luck w/ him!
ETA: As far as the bonding, just give it time, they'll get there. They may never be incredibly close, but I'm sure the two dogs can have a good healthy relationship w/ some time. They just have to figure out the pecking order and everything. =)

 

[SusanLynn]

Congrats on your new dog! I hope you'll post some photos when you have a chance:

I'm first posting an article which I think is a helpful one for anyone who brings home a rescue dog:

Three Ways to Confuse a New Dog

One of the first points it makes is that it's often necessary to start over with housetraining. With that in mind, I'd recommend that you follow the tips in this thread:

http://www.dogforum.com/housetraining/house-training-how-tos-2135/

I agree that putting your dog in a crate at night would help as well as supervising him carefully during the day. Don't wait for him to let you know when he needs to go. Instead, try putting him on a schedule and make sure that he gets a lot of praise and rewards for peeing outside. I'd also suggest getting a hold of Nature's Miracle from your local pet store to clean up any mistakes.

Again, congrats on your new dog. I think he's going to be wonderful companion.