What do you suggest I do about my Mother's dog?

Lauri1. It sounds like you did the right thing. Maybe the dog will feel less stressed now.

My cousin was so obsessed with her cat that it was not healthy for either of them. The cat is now happy and my cousin has no memory of the cat.

Well I finally got rid of the dog . It was given to a friend of my daughters. My mother had gotten so neurotic about putting the dog down or upside it had starting peeing on the bed and in her lap. So I gave her no option. Things have settled down and I'm not constantly mopping up.. She's not happy and misses her dog bit she's asking about it less and less.

Lauri1, your comment brought back some bad memories for me too. I felt that I needed to take my dad in after my mother passed away. They were married 46 years and did their own thing concerning the dog and I lived in another town so I didn't get to make any decisions regarding it. After she passed, he was depressed but it took a year before he accepted my offer of living with me. I decided to "make do" with the dog even though I hadn't had a dog in my house for a long time. When he came to live with me, I realized how he had let the dog do what he wanted to do without correcting him. I wound up with furniture peed on, carpet peed on, and an unbelievable amount of hair floating around from my cat. He didn't have dementia until he got close to 80 but by then most of my furniture was ruined. I shampooed carpets and furniture usually once a month, more often on occasion. He lived 9 years with me and when he passed, I gave the dog to a no-kill shelter and replaced my furniture. Some people wouldn't go thru what I did but I didn't feel like I had the right to tell him to get rid of his beloved pet that he'd had for several years and treated him more like an infant than a dog. He didn't want to neuter him because he didn't think he would be happy that way (?) nor did he want to send him to training but I did want dad to enjoy his remaining years by providing a home for him and his pet. My siblings offered to let him come to their house as long as he didn't bring the pet which he wouldn't do. Sometimes you have to do what you don't want to do when it comes to your parents. Older people love their pets and fear someone will put them to sleep when they can't stop them. Your mother has dementia but does she remember she has the pet? Who cares for the animal? Feeds it? You have a lot of good suggestions from all the people who answered today. My own personal opinion is that dogs need to go outside to do their business and run around the yard or be taken to a park for exercise. If you had a place to put the pet at night like a large cage with a warm blanket to lay on or something thick, they may just enjoy staying in the cage at night. Anytime the dog pees on the carpet, put it outside until it learns what that means. There will come a time when she won't remember about the dog and you can give it away or re-home it.

Contact your local animal shelter, SPCA, or breed-specific rescue (if your mother's dog is a pure-bred) for assistance in placing the dog. Meantime, follow the other suggestions here regarding taking the dog utside, leaving outside for extended periods, pee-pads, etc. Would you let a 2-year old tell you how to treat their dog in your home? Your mother has dementia, and therefore does not possess a sund mind. YOU must be the adult here and act accordingly.

The dog will love your enclosed back yard, or can go to the animal shelter. Take your Mother out there to enjoy the dog. Hire someone to pick up and dispose of the dog -doo. Try to hire a neighborhood child to play with and feed the dog. Keep the dog outside, unless cold weather occurs, then create the dog on the enclosed back porch or kitchen. Treat your Mother's vocal objections about the dog as you would other unreasonable dementia outbursts.

Try pee pads. I've had my mother's little dog, Sue (now 6), for three years and she was never trained properly, i.e. putting pee pads down upside down so pee ran into the carpets, so Sue went on the carpets too. The fact that my mother had dementia and lived in a condo with no backyard didn't help either.

She's fairly reliable these days, especially since my old black lab came from rescue to live with us and they go outside together. I live in the country and have a huge backyard but I still put pee pads down for her at night and when I go out.

I would suggest to you that you consider the cause of the dog's house training issues. The reason is that my cousin had a terrible time with her cat being litter box trained. There were horrible problems that I believe were caused by the stress the cat felt due to my cousin's dementia. My cousin's behavior was obsessive and odd. I could tell the cat was stressed out and suspect that was the cause for the accidents.

If that is not the cause, then I would try to find the dog a new home. Where did the dog come from? Some no kill adoption agencies require that the animal be returned to them if you can't keep them for any reason. That's what I did with my cousin's cat.

If you are the sole care giver for a dementia patient, I would consider if you have the time and energy to properly care for a dog. Some people do, but I think it depends on your priorities and the level of your responsibilities. Do what you feel is right for your family.

Did I say on your other post, that you can close-in the front porch, even temporarily with screens or portable, decorative garden fencing? Mom and your new dog will love it!

I love dogs and they gravitate to me. In the past week, two different dogs got away from their owners. This almost never happens here, but both times the owners were distracted and I just happened to be outside when the dogs came up to me. Then I returned them. My dog died almost a year ago. Talk about 24/7 care. She never peed because we took her out so many times she never had a chance, buf she did go each time. Then, we used diapers but still took her out.
Scientifically, the dog pees out what they take in, so if they drink, take them out now!
Other dogs misbehave or pee submissively when they see you. This mostly happens to little dogs. That is the origin of "you and your little dog too!" (NOT)
My sis had a little miniature dog who peed right in front of me after just taking her out. This happened on the third day of babysitting the dog even though we were getting along before that.
If the dog is small, over 6 years old, pug on diapers. Make friends with the dog, it can tell that you don't like it.
And finally, start ripping up all your carpets and replace with wood, pergo, or even linoleum. Don't have a back porch? Put a dog crate somewhere, take the dog out often, but put it to bed each night.
Are you sorry you asked yet? This must be one of my longest posts yet!
Good luck with your new doggy! It is no longer mom's, because YOU are leader of the pack!

There are two people involved in this relationship - you and your mother. You provide certain things and services, which she accepts. Both of you have to make compromises, you of time, she of insistence that the dog remains inside.

It's not unfair to keep a dog outside if properly sheltered and brought in during inclement weather. It's also not unreasonable to expect the dog not to use the floor as its latrine.

Mother needs to accept that this is your house, and that to enjoy the dog's presence (and it can be a wonderful pet if it had been trained properly), Mother needs to accept that some changes absolutely need to be made: i.e., the dog spends some time either living outside, perhaps going through obedience or potty training, and Mother gets to keep her dog. It's a tradeoff, one she needs to understand and accept.

.If this doggie is peeing and pooping inside, it 1. has never been properly house broken or 2. it is not being let out often enough. Try letting the dog out every hour throughout the day and see if it helps.

What kind of dog is it and what kind of weather do you have. Could the dog have a dog house in the backyard for daytime and a kennel crate in the porch or laundry room at night?

Have you talked to any of the local dog rescues? Maybe they have another family or elder in need of a companion. It's worth a try.

Try getting online and see if there are any dog rescue groups in your area.I'm just throwing out suggestions here. Does your mother have any friends that would step up and take her dog in? Try a website that should be titled "Best Friends" it is an animal rescue in Utah,they take in difficult cases,it's worth a try,good luck.I am a dog person but I totally understand if you are not and that is okay.Dealing with your mom's dementia is enough on your plate.My situation right now is 8 dogs in the house, 6 are mine and I gained 2 more when my mother moved in. She also could no longer clean up after her dogs. However,mine were all housebroken until her dogs got here and they were used to going everywhere, now mine are started to "mark". My paper towel and bleach spray expenses are unreal.