Q: Recently I received a 5 1/2 year old male Westie from a breeder. He is a retired stud and we have always taken his older dogs and have enjoyed them up to age 17. We loved them very much. I still have a bitch of 13 years, in good health and now inherited the male who is away from his place of birth for first and last time. We have him only 2 weeks and we realize it is a trauma. He has been excellent when we are home and I take him to office. He no longer sprays in the house or anywhere I am. That is the problem though, he has become very attached to me and my wife says that even when I go out of his eyesight for 2 minutes he begins to hyperventilate. Due to our busy schedule, we have to leave him at home with my female (who pays him no attention) and when we return, my house has his spray everywhere. He is foaming at the mouth and is very upset.

We crate him and he goes in willingly, but an hour later when we return, his mouth is all wet and he is very upset. This is a first time we had this problem with a Westie and we have had 4-5 over the last 20 years. We don't know what to do anymore... do I leave him loose in the house to find a mess when I or my wife gets home? Do I continue to crate him and hope he gets better or do I give him some sort of tranquilizer? How long will this last? He does not move away from me at all and while we love him and I want him to be happy, he needs something...can you suggest something here? Thank you very much.

A: If you were to stop confining him when you're gone and you know he's going to urine-mark, you would be risking a permanent problem--a dog that would never be housetrained. So I don't recommend that. You could try confinement to a small room such as a bathroom, using a baby gate, if it seems the crate is too stressful for him.

Be sure to treat all the spots where he has had accidents with a bacterial enzyme odor eliminator such as Nature's Miracle, so the faint scent won't draw him back to use the spots again. Any spots you find while still wet, try a liberal application of white vinegar. It will neutralize the odor (but only if used before the spot has dried, and only if allowed to soak deeply through carpet and pad), and seems to give the dog a scent message that helps tell him not to use that spot again. No punishment for these infractions--that could make the problem you're having much worse.

Temporarily, you might want to have your veterinarian put him on medication. There are newer products that have been getting good reviews. The goal would be to use this only until the dog gets adjusted.

For times when you are gone and he's with your wife, you may be able to improve his comfort level by having her do some special things with him that you don't do. You've had these dogs for so long, you probably know what Westies like! Examples might be a special treat that only she gives him--and only when you are not home--a special game, a ride in the car, a walk on leash.

When you leave, go unemotionally, with a matter-of-fact approach. When you return--and this is harder!--do the same. No big excited greeting. Just "Oh hi, boy"--as you keep walking on into the house. Don't even stop to pet him right then. This can greatly help to calm him about your being out of the house.

Similarly, do not come home and rebuke him for what he did while you were gone. That contributes to this kind of problem, too. And it doesn't work for training, anyway.

When you leave--whether your wife is there or not--give him something to chew on or a treat that takes a long time to eat, while in his confined area. No big happy talk when you give it, just a solemn presentation at the last minute when you go. If your wife is home, have her give it to the dog just AFTER you go. That makes your leaving a time he can look forward to for other reasons.

If his mouth is all wet when you've been gone just an hour, he's getting upset right off the bat, which is common in dogs with this problem. Giving the special treat can short-circuit that reaction, and leave him calm when he's done eating it, ready for a nap.

Try to be regular in your comings and goings if you can. Let him develop a sense of the routine. In time he will realize you are coming back, and that you won't be gone so terribly long. He can just nap when you're not home. It could take a few months, but it may start getting better much sooner than that.

I hope this helps, and I really do think you will be able to work through this. You have my admiration for your choice of dogs to adopt. The adult dogs are too often overlooked by people adopting dogs. As you've found, they work out great!