I'm hoping for some advice. My 11 year old Westie has started peeing in the house. We have a new male puppy who is 7 months old, but my Westie only started to wee since the new pup was 5 months old. Both dogs are male and haven't been castrated. The pup is house trained.
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This is very common in older dogs that have been the only member of a houssehold for so long. The dog feels like he needs to mark his territory to let the new member know he is the boss. You older dog is not yet castrated and it might be a good time to consider this. The dog is no longer breeding so there is no need to not castrate him now. Maybe this will help. Another reason this happens is the new male is getting older and the other dog senses this. The dog smell can change when he become of breeding age.
I recommend getting both dogs castrated. It helps a bit. You might want to try some extra attention for the older dog too.
I hope this problem has resolved. If not, please have the vet test the 11 yr old for a bladder/urinary tract infection or for kidney/bladder stones.
Changes in pee habits can be "marking" from stress but more often than not they are caused by an underlying health issue.
If the pup gets a clean bill of health and the vet determines that it could be a behavioral issue, he/she can make suggestions for you.
Sometimes a quick refresher crate training works, as sometimes dogs revert or regress from training when they are stressed.
Post back with an update. If you are not planning to breed the puppy, I suggest getting him fixed. It is helpful to prevent marking tendencies when he gets older and can help reduce the chances of the developing a number of different cancers.
The older pup may be too old to have this be of any benefit for him (being neutered). The vet can tell you if that would even be a valid option. I am thinking NO, but I am not a vet.
Post back with an update!!
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