Lakeland terrier is anxious when he's left home alone.

Question.
We have a nine-month-old Border Lakeland Terrier cross. He has been house-trained for nearly four months, but still has the odd accident. After being left alone for a few hours the first thing we do is let our lakeland terrier out to go to the toilet.

Even though he is encouraged to relieve himself, every now and again he walks back into the home and relieves himself a minute or so later inside the house, it is never in the same room. We find this increasingly frustrating; he has the use of a dog flap, which he uses 99 per cent of the time.

Answer.
At nine months of age the association between toileting and being outside should be firmly established. The first thing to do is see your vet to make sure there is no underlying medical problem. It seems there are two possible factors to consider. Firstly being left alone appears to be a trigger factor and secondly your presence in the garden while you encourage him to relieve himself also appears to be significant.

Your comment about the lakeland terrier flap implies your dog uses this to gain access to the garden at other times and goes outside to eliminate when you are at home or when you are absent.

This suggests the process of house-training has been achieved and I would therefore be interested in gaining more information about your dog's reaction to being left and your reaction to the accidents. Inappropriate elimination can occur in response to anxiety and in the absence of medical problems and incomplete house-training;

I would suggest that anxiety should be considered. Appropriate investigation can only really be achieved through a one-to-one consultation with a qualified behaviour counsellor. See your vet to arrange a local referral.

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