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| Guilt? I don't need your stinkin' guilt. |
Almost immediately after Grace carefully shampoos and cleans the rugs, Gizmo leaves a large spot of urine in our room. It could be a small lake and this was after our back door was open and he was free to go outside whenever he wanted. Why?
My theory is that, after being away from the California house for five months, it is new to him and, especially after a rug cleaning that removed all the previous odors, he needs to re-mark his territory.
Grace’s theory is that he is simply a bad dog who should show more maturity for his two years on this planet.
Whomever is right, what should be done? I resist Graces suggested reaction, which is keeping him in a cage unless he is being walked – sort of a doggy Guantanamo and cruel. However, I feel a bit guilty because I/we have not been walking him enough – yes, he gets a long walk early in the morning of about two or three miles. But noontime is merely being freed to go into the back yard. Then, in the evening, he gets a shortish walk of more than a mile. But he is still a puppy and he probably needs a good walk at mid-day to drain him.
And if that doesn’t work, we can always go back to corporeal punishment, including rubbing his nose in the spot, shouting “Bad Dog,” and a spanking, which I heartily do not approve of.
