HELP!! My Dog Keeps Pooping in the House!

Please take him to the vet, something is not right.
And you know, babies and children are just as much, excuse me, even MORE work, expense and inconvenience than a dog so I REALLY hope you know what you're getting into here.

It absolutely sounds like separation anxiety. My beagle is actually on Prozac due to anxiety. No amount of punishing will help this, so please don't punish him. Talk to his vet- they can recommend some behavior modifications and possibly medications to help.

Edit: If it's diarrhea, definitely take him to the vet.

I'd probably kennel him at night instead of letting him roam the house. Try taking him for long walks (which usually gets them to poop) and do it consistantly setting a new routine. He'll get use to things.

The fact that you say the poop is runny when he has messed in the house indicates he's having tummy issues. Dogs can get an upset system just like people.

Yes, the stress of a schedule change can cause this, but it could also just be coincidental timing.

Whenever my dogs have loose stools, without any other significant symptoms (bloody or pure liquid stool, vomiting, etc) I have a home remedy that 90% of the time clears up the problem!

Pull up all food for 24 hours. Go to the store & get the quart sized plain or vanilla yogurt (Danon, Brown Cow, etc.). My dogs get 1/2 a container, 2-3x (morning, afternoon & evening).

By pulling up all food & eliminating treats, you are giving their digestive system a chance to settle down. Because diarrhea robs the body of natural necessary digestive bacteria, the yogurt helps replenish this (and also fill their belly a bit!).

Some people recommend a bland rice/chicken or rice/boiled hamburger diet, or will add pumpkin to firm up the stool. I use those -after- the 1-day yogurt, if things are looking better.

Unless you have a very sensitive, attached dog, chances are this is a stomach bug, & not separation anxiety, especially since you are not coming home to a mess, it is happening when you are there @ night.

*Disclaimer: I am NOT a vet. I am a breeder with 14 years experience sharing a recommendation based on my experience, & your information above. If your dog has additional symptoms such as vomiting, bloody stool, watery stool, bloating or refusal to eat, lethargy, excessive drinking or urination, then GO TO A VET.

Hope Pooch is feeling better soon! T. :)

K.,

Welcome to mamapedia!!

Sorry - diarrhea in a dog is NOT normal. He needs to be seen by a vet. Pronto.

Yes. A change in schedule could affect him - especially when he's going from having someone with him to being alone for hours. It's possible he's stressed and showing you his displeasure.

If you cannot make time for your dog in the morning to care for him - maybe you shouldn't have a dog. Three days of diarrhea is NOT normal and NOT good. And you are worried about being home for a 3-day weekend? Dude...call your vet.

I would also hire someone to come in and take care of him during the day. Take him for a walk while you are gone.

You MUST make time for your dog. He's just like a kid. He NEEDS attention. Walks. Love. he probably feels HORRIBLE about pooping in the house...and you being upset is NOT helping. He has feelings too. Just because he's a dog doesn't mean he's NOT stressed about changes in routine...

Good luck.

It's not his fault! Just went through this with our dog! Called the vet and he suggested we not feed him for 12-18 hrs and let his stomach calm down. Then start feeding again but 1/2 portions and make sure he's better. If not, go to the vet. Could be nerves as well. Could you call your vet if the above doesn't work??

what everyone else has said!!! Diarrhea is not normal! Take your dog to the vet!

Check with your vet. If it's mostly diarrhea it could be parasites or a medical condition. But it could also be the schedule change or separation anxiety. Dogs are very much creatures of habit and have very accurate internal clocks. In addition to medications recommended by the other poster there are some more natural ways to deal with separation anxiety also. I would recommend kenneling him at night to prevent this, but if it is separation anxiety kenneling would only make it worse. One more thing--instead of just taking him out before bed is there time to walk him after dinner or before bed? Walking usually stimulates them to go.

Ok. I was with you being frustrated until you said he had diarrhea.
I think your doggy is sick. Probably take him to the vet.
I would also stop with the dog food and give him chicken and rice that you cook up. I felt a little silly cooking for my dog, but when his stomache was REALLY giving him issues I made him chicken and it seemed to help him quite a bit. (by recommendation of his vet)
Good luck.
L.

If he is having loose stools it may well be something physical. Now I don't take our dog to the vet for a couple of loose stools if she is not otherwise acting sick, but you can try not feeding her for 24 hours and then slowly starting her food back up (possibly also mix in some canned pumpkin, it's supposed to help).
My dog eats all kinds of stuff in the yard now that it's getting nicer and everything sprouts up. Last year she was digging up bamboo sprouts and chewing them up, getting sick from that...we don't have obviously poisonous plants in the yard, but some milder toxic plants can definitely upset their stomach.
I would also make sure the dog is wormed.
Of course if it is onging issue a trip to the vet is in order...

For immediate relief I would crate her at night. If she is not crate trained it would be a good thing to start with that ASAP, as you will really appreciate a crate trained dog when you have a newborn/toddler around.
This really isn't about locking away the dog, but getting them used to having their own space in which they feel comfortable and yes, that you can sometimes sequester them in when you only have two hands and one pair of eyes to keep on a dozen things at a time.
Most dogs will not soil their crate and well if it does happen, at least the mess is contained.
Good luck!

I would consult my vet because it is not normal for a dog to consistently have loose stools.

Then, I would confine him to an area that is not carpeted and help him get comfortable.

For instance, we have these golden gates that can make a small pen outside but we use them as barriers in our house... dogs are never on my wood floor, at night we close off the family room which is carpeted, if one of the dogs are sick, we keep him or her in a tiled large bathroom with blankets so if there are accidents, it is easier to clean up.

I would never go to work and leave poop on the floor. That would signal to the dog that it is ok to poop in that spot.

I think it's also fair to note that despite your frustration and his obvious illness is putting you guys behind, he can't help it any more than the baby you are about to have. Pets are work just like kiddos.

If it's diarrhea, there's something wrong. Pooping in the house in general can be a "get back at you for leaving me" action, but it wouldn't change regular poop into diarrhea. He could be stressed, he could have an infection, anything. The vet will want you to bring a fresh stool sample in - they may even have you do that before you bring the dog in so you will have the results before going in (if you even need to). So call in, find out their hours, and save the most recent poop bag to take in.

Call your vet, please. Diarrhea is definitely a sign of something wrong. You don't know if it's stress or something else - or both. Please get Rover to the vet.

Take him to the vet. My guess is something is wrong with him.

I agree with everyone else - if it's diarrhea, he's got a stomach problem.

yup, take him to the vet. something's off. it sounds physical, but it could also be anxiety. like katie D, my son has a beagle who has terrible separation anxiety and has to be on medication or she howls non-stop whenever my son isn't in her sight. she's sweet, but SOOO high-maintenance.
and a big dog with diarrhea? yeah, you need to get this figured out pronto.
crate training is a great idea, but you can't expect the poor fellow to cope with it while he's sick.
how long have you had him?
khairete
S.

Diarrhea? Something is wrong with your dog. Obviously if this is a new thing, there is something going on that he has no control over. Take him to the vet asap.

Call your vet since it's diarrhea.
Also, put out big pads by the door so maybe he will try going there.
When dogs have diarrhea, can't they help/hold their poo, it just comes out so he's not trying to do this.
There must be something in his diet that is causing the diarrhea.
Taking him on walks whenever you can will help. This gets things moving
& your dog can poop on his walk.
Since he doesn't have a way to get out of the house, he has no other
option but to let it come out.
Don't worry, you can get a handle on this just hang in there.

Ditto what everyone else has said about the diarrhea.... take him to the vet. Unless... his poop has ALWAYS been like this? In which case, your vet knows this is going on, right? And what did the vet say about it... b/c if they ignored it... you need a new vet.

I will say that low quality food can cause voluminous, looser stool (but not diarrhea). Because lower quality food is full of fillers, which just pass right through....

Also, if you used to walk him until he did his business at night, but the last few nights you gave up and went to bed before he accomplished his mission, some of that might be the result of stress and him not being able to hold it until morning. However, wouldn't he wake you? Ours would... She would be insistent about needing to go out.

Do you have a command for your dog to poop? If so, use that consistently to help him learn the new routine.

These might help once you confirm with your vet that there isn't something more going on. Because diarrhea is not normal. Our dog (10 years old) has only had diarrhea on a few occasions: 1) changed food (slowly) and the new blend didn't agree with her; 2) was a young puppy and ate her own feces and needed a prescription to correct that situation; and 3) when she had seizures, nearly died, and took massive amounts of medication while inpatient and was being weaned off of them after discharge home.

That's it. Really. Otherwise, an upset tummy results in her throwing up. Not diarrhea.
So get that checked out with the vet ASAP. There's probably something that needs medical treatment going on, and can be resolved quickly with the right care.
Good luck.

A schedule change is hard on a dog.

I would suggest hiring someone to come in at the times he used to poop and take him for a little walk.
Or
Walk him around the block at the time you would like him to poop for you. This usually helps our dog. Sometimes he even poops twice.
Or
Teach him to ring a bell that you have by the door when he needs to go out.

I would not crate him. He may be having a loose stool because he is trying to hold it until you wake up.

Also, make sure when baby comes that the dog's walks and pottie times don't get forgotten.

If it's diarrhea or looser-than-normal stool, he won't be able to control it - he needs to be seen by the vet. Could be intestinal upset, stress, parasites, anything. But you are not going to figure it out or necessarily fix it at home. Make a vet appointment pronto!

Daily diarrhea is not normal for a dog. Call the vet.

Take hi. To vet. He is sick.

Have you decided recently to feed him more than you have been? I started giving my Boxer more food a few weeks back and it made her get loose stools, so I went back to the original amount and she was fine in one day. When that food was almost gone, I switched brands. That made me worry about Iams food and I thought it was supposed to be good. Basically, we surmised that her system could only take the amount given, not more...strange...and a red flag to me...anyway, if that's not it, check ingredients. The food you're using may have changed ingredients or added more corn...there are many dogs who do not tolerate that well!
Our situation was that our dog was having diarrhea for a little less than a week. She sleeps in a kennel at night currently, and she was waking me up to go potty by crying, poor thing...so this was only at night despite when we fed her...I just reduced her portion back to normal amount I had been giving with no problem, then went 50/50 with new food and she was back to normal. Look for signs of dehydration and things like that, to make sure the dog is okay...its not serious really until its quite a few BMs a day...keep an eye on him..theres my two cents, hope it helps!