[santana107337]

Hi to all,

I adopted my maltese (Joe) from the humane society about 3 months ago. The only info they gave me was that he was approx. 5 yrs old, picked up as a stray with no tags/chip, wasn’t neutered. He had about 9 teeth pulled while there. In talking with the vet I got the impression that he was mostly likely “dumped” as they had been seeing a lot of it due to bad economy/folks in financial distress etc...

Joe has been a wonderful dog—very playful and loving, and truly a joy. I could use some advice/pointers from more seasoned maltese owners, as I really wasn’t familiar with the breed before adopting Joe.

crate training----Joe has severe separation anxiety----the vet put him on meds, but it really hasn’t seemed to help a month into taking the meds. He seems to hate the crate. He gives out that “distress” barking and bites at the wire door. Any suggestions?

house training----its not consistent---he will go outside and has started to paw at the door, but overnight seems to be a problem and long periods also. Im currently taking him out 4x a day the last time being around 9/10 at night right before bed as well as for walks, but this winter has been brutal so the walks haven’t been consistent. Fortunately we’re just starting to get into decent weather.

longevity-----any tips or advice for having a maturing maltese? From what I’ve read, they tend to be happy and playful into old age and generally live to be 12-15 yrs old.

Thanks in advance for advice.

 

[StevieB]

Hi there! Welcome to SM! Glad you are here and so glad you adopted Joe! It's an awesome name. My dog is also a rescue and named Steve. They'd probably be great friends! I will just tell you, just be patient with him. The separation anxiety is not uncommon, I dealt with it myself. I stopped using the crate b/c he would go to the bathroom in it as soon as I left. I found he did much better if I left him in a confined area. And potty training took a long time, but he's finally got it. I also found out he WILL use a potty pad if he can't hold it. So I'd start by finding a place you can confine him in your home, and if it's a room (like a bathroom, bedroom, not close the door, but use a gate so he can see out. Otherwise invest in a pen. There are threads on what kind and how to set that up.

Search for ideas on dealing with separation anxiety. There are a couple of books, one is called "I'll Be Home Soon" by Patricia McConnell that gives good advice. The key is consistency.

If you're having trouble with marking or peeing in the house, I have no problem with using belly bands in a case like yours where the dog is older and neutered late and you have no idea what his history is. Consistent walks are very helpful, but weather can get in the way for sure. Are you free feeding him or feeding on a schedule?

Lastly, post some pictures! We'd love to see Joe!

 

[Ann Mother]

Welcome to SM. I'd get an Iris pen, and put pee pad on one end and toys & bed on the other. Try the Thunder shirt my daughter used that for her own dog who was on meds too @ one time. But the thing that worked the most over the years was company of another animal. Her dog is fifteen now. She would foster a cat for this rescue group. They supplied food & equipment for the cat


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[Ann Mother]

Oops sent too soon. To add to previous post. She got several cats forever homes. Then the Rescue vet got a maltese & asked her to foster it. Well in a day she decided she had to adopt the maltese.


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[santana107337]

Stevie B., Ann Mother,

Thank you so much for the info. I will have to try out the gate and/or the iris pen. Joe gets so distressed from the crate ( which distresses me) and I cant in good conscience leave him for any extended period in one.

I have not heard of belly bands and will have to check those out along with potty pads.....Out of curiosity if someone could tell me, is there something in/on the pad that attracts the dog to go on it? Is there a particular brand that works best? I assumed that the neutering at an older age was probably a factor in the wet spots----he still had the stitches in when I brought him home.

The separation anxiety is something I’ve not experienced before, and it breaks my heart that the little guy gets so upset. He is still at a place where he doesn’t like to have me out of his sight for very long, and pretty much goes with me in the car wherever I go.

I am feeding him on a schedule of 8 and 5.

Thank you again for the advice. And Im glad I found this forum. The vet has been somewhat helpful, but I figured I would search out advice from folks who have a “been there, done that, have the t-shirt” perspective for this breed of dog.

 

[Ann Mother]

You can get the pee pads @ all pet stores, drug stores, and big box stores. If you get the training pads they state they are specially scented to attract your pet to pad. You can also get holders made to hold pads in place. My daughter would tape them to her hard flooring with masking tape. Once they are trained to pads do not need the scent. Some people use adult incontinent underpads from drugstore which can be cheaper & thicker. I just bought a 100 for $24.00 @ Home Goods. If you live somewhere near a Publix store have read rave reviews about their pee pads on this forum. The thunder shirt and belly bands can get at Pets Mart. If taking in car should buy a booster seat or seat belt the crate. Good Luck


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[StevieB]

I am glad you found the forum too! We are here to help you! I don't know why my guy will use pads, maybe he was trained before I got him and I didn't know it or maybe it's "instinctive". But he will use them. If your dog is freaking about the crate I would stop using it and switch to either a pen or a confined area. Basically he should feel confined but not trapped. He should not be forced into a situation where he has to potty where he sleeps, which if he's lived his life in a cage, he would have, which makes the logic of crating ("dogs won't potty where they sleep") useless. You don't know his background. But the books/advice on separation anxiety is really helpful. Just BE PATIENT. It will happen.

 

[jane and addison]

Welcome. My two were both rescues but both were outside potty trained. The crate/ cage may remind him of his prior life. A thunder shirt and a pen may work for him. Good luck and enjoy.

 

[mdbflorida]

Welcome, I see the gang gave you great advice. You might also try the washable pee pads. Boo wouldn't use the throw away kind because his favorite past time is shredding paper LOL. Needless to say we don't keep anything that remotely looks like paper in his reach.

 

[BeautifulMaltese]

:welcome1:

I use a crate which is extended to a pen so Riley's got some room for potty pads, toys. It works out pretty good but he still has some issue (he's only 14 wks) with being left. It gets better :thumbsup:

I started first with very short periods and then lots of love and play when I returned. Now we are up to 5 hours and he does pretty good! I also got a Dropcam so I could check in as I think I had just as much separation anxiety as Riley !

Patience and consistency....it does get better eventually! :chili:

 

[santana107337]

Jane &Addison, mdbflorida, beautiful maltese, et al,

I just wanted to stop in and say thank you for all of the great tips/advice. I’ve got quite a few things to try out with Joe. My main concern has been dealing with/overcoming the separation anxiety so that he can be ok while Im away or at work during the day. Im hoping with time the anxiety will diminish.

Stevie B----I wasn’t sure how to get a picture cut to size and inserted for posting, I’ll have to work on getting it in the albums or photos section.

Again, thanks for the tips and advice.

 

[CorkieYorkie]

I just wanted to say thank you for rescuing little Joe! :wub: Do you have any pictures?? We love pictures here!! :w00t:

I adopted a young little boy a couple years ago as well, and since he was also neutered late (former stud doggie), he has been a marker ever since. We tried pee pads but he just wasn't consistent with them, so we take him outdoors to potty and he has been doing pretty well...

We just make sure to take him out every 2-3 hours ON THE DOT and ever since moving to our house he has been scratching the door which helps! But he definitely marks outside... he'll pee and then pee again ... and sometimes again!!

 

[santana107337]

CorkieYorkie,

I’ve wondered if Joe wasn’t also a caged stud dog that was dumped when he had outlived his usefulness.....I will be trying the pee pads—its on the shopping list. I take joe out at least 4x a day. He doesn’t drink that much water that I can tell, so Im not sure where its all coming from. But he is getting more consistent with scratching at the door. And I think he kind of chose me at the shelter......it certainly was the “right” match. I will be working on those photos.

 

[bailey02]

Maybe you should consider investing in buying the Thunder Shirt. It's suppose to help with anxiety. My rescue dog also has anxiety issues but his is more when it rains. I always try to keep a shirt on him and that seems to help him for some reason.

 

[sherry]

Welcome to SM! You've gotten great advise. Looking forward to updates!

 

[jay-happy]

Hi there! Welcome to SM! Glad you are here and so glad you adopted Joe! It's an awesome name. My dog is also a rescue and named Steve. They'd probably be great friends! I will just tell you, just be patient with him. The separation anxiety is not uncommon, I dealt with it myself. I stopped using the crate b/c he would go to the bathroom in it as soon as I left. I found he did much better if I left him in a confined area. And potty training took a long time, but he's finally got it. I also found out he WILL use a potty pad if he can't hold it. So I'd start by finding a place you can confine him in your home, and if it's a room (like a bathroom, bedroom, not close the door, but use a gate so he can see out. Otherwise invest in a pen. There are threads on what kind and how to set that up.

Search for ideas on dealing with separation anxiety. There are a couple of books, one is called "I'll Be Home Soon" by Patricia McConnell that gives good advice. The key is consistency.

If you're having trouble with marking or peeing in the house, I have no problem with using belly bands in a case like yours where the dog is older and neutered late and you have no idea what his history is. Consistent walks are very helpful, but weather can get in the way for sure. Are you free feeding him or feeding on a schedule?

Lastly, post some pictures! We'd love to see Joe!

Hi I have a Maltese and planning to adopt one but not sure from where to adopt, my existing one Happy is from breeder. Any info pls?

 

[wkomorow]

Hi I have a Maltese and planning to adopt one but not sure from where to adopt, my existing one Happy is from breeder. Any info pls?

American Maltese Association Rescue, Northcentral Maltese Rescue, Southern Comfort Maltese Rescues are a great place to start. Local areas also sometimes have small do rescues. Research them, most are really good, but some are less reputable.

 

[jay-happy]

Thank you