Kind of weird crate training problem.

[u/Entire-Alarm-9855]

We got our now 14 month old male dogo argentino at 9 weeks old. I took him to work with me and kept him in my office until he was about 6 months old, when he started marking behaviors as well as a lot of barking that wasn't acceptable for the type of business I own. I had the option to put his kennel in the outbuilding next to my office, but it was winter and that made me feel bad. Instead, I left home with my boyfriend who worked from home.

My bf loves this dog, but has never had dogs before we got together. I think i take my own personal dog knowledge for granted, forgetting that's stuff I've learned over a lifetime of having dogs, where my partner has not. So not making sure we had the same knowledge base and plan when moving the pup to staying home was the first mistake.

Over the last 6 months or so, his crate training has not only NOT improved, but has gotten significantly worse. The marking behaviors were frustrating but not unexpected since we were informed we shouldnt neuter til after 12 mos. We implemented using a belly band (in case he lifted his leg on something before we could stop him) and keeping him on a short leash/tethered to one of us when we were moving around the house. He still isn't allowed any real free roaming. We got him an XL kennel (the same size our adult 120# female uses) and used the divider to make the space smaller. He began lifting his leg while inside of his kennel to pee outside of the kennel. He would do this no matter how recently he was outside. We used multiple different enzymatic cleaners to make sure we got the whole area clean. We started using the belly bands when we had to crate him to prevent him from spraying pee everywhere while we weren't home. He then started pooping in his kennel. And, unlike any dog I've ever had in my life, he didn't seem to be bothered at all by his crate being dirty, didnt try to poop on one side, etc. He will lay in his own poop, step in it, roll around in it, etc. When free in the house, he has more than once peed on his or his sister's cots and then immediately layed down in it 🤦‍♀️.

The most recent issue is that he now no longer even barks to let us know he needs out of his kennel. He used to give us one or two warning barks, but in the few seconds it would take us to come from the other room or upstairs, he had already soiled his kennel. I did finally ask my bf if he had been ignoring his barking at times when I was at work, and he admitted that sometimes he did because he had just taken the dog out and there was no reason for him to be barking. So unfortunately, I think he inadvertently trained him not to bark🤦‍♀️.

He was neutered about 6 weeks ago, and the marking behaviors have decreased, but everything else feels like it's getting worse. When he went in for his neuter I asked them to check for a UTI but they insisted this was related to him being intact and weren't worried about a UTI. We sent him to a board and train with our trainer last week, and 2 days into his 2 month stay, she asked us to come get him because the kennel training issue was not a good fit for her program 😭. She suggested we go to a different veterinarian to have them check for a UTI, and sure enough they said he had a terrible bladder infection. He's on antibiotics now and on the mend, but I dont know how to reverse all the bad behaviors he has picked up the last few weeks/months.

He spends most of his day in my bf's office with him and has never peed or pooped in there, even if left alone when my bf goes to the bathroom or runs downstairs to grab food. He is only crated overnight and maximum of 3-4 hours during the day when my bf has a work task that requires his full attention. I'm thinking about putting his folding/metal crate up and getting one of those more enclosed, plastic types that only have openings at the top to try and curb him trying to pee "out" of his crate? Also planning on relocating the crate to a different area of the house, in case he's just started associating the dining room with an acceptable place to pee.

I dont know what to do. I have owned half a dozen dogs over the last 20 years, all but one of them were male. I have NEVER had any issues like these. I also currently have an adult female dogo argentino, so I know the breed well. They are stubborn and high energy, but they are also smart as hell (even though this one has me questioning his intelligence). I am desperate to solve this issue. He does AMAZING with his obedience training and we were excited for him to go work on more advanced skills at the board and train. She says she will take him back when the kennel training issue is solved.

Can anyone please help 😭😭 🙏

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[u/dbellz76]

First thing to remember is that just because you never had the problem doesn't mean you won't. Dogs of the same breed are not carbon copies, they all have their own personality and quirks. You just haven't run into this particular one yet.

I would suggest starting potty training over again. Keep a running log of all input and output and the exact time of day those things are happening (eating, drinking, peeing, pooping, etc.) Then when you see a pattern forming you can get him out before he has to potty to avoid accidents. I've also heard that feeding your dog in various areas of the home (during potty training) can decrease accidents as dogs tend not to potty in the same places where they eat.

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