My dog keeps pooping in the house. What causes it and how to stop?

There is no one reason on why dogs will all of a sudden start pooping in the house. I would recommend going back to crate training Cali. I would keep Cali in the crate when you cannot keep 100% watch on her. When she comes out of the crate I would then walk her. If she goes then I would play with her and once you have to turn your back she goes back in the crate. If she does not go to the bathroom when you take her out of the crate I would put her back in for 20 minutes and try again. If you catch Cali going to the bathroom tell her no and take her and put her where you want her to go and praise her for going. If you just see the accident then clean it up and do not say anything to Cali. A crate should be big enough for her to stand up, sit down and turn around. The crate is a very safe option and dogs end up loving their crates, it's their safe house. I would try this route. I would also recommend getting a stool sample performed at your veterinarian's office. This will rule out intestinal parasites. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

There can be many different reasons for dogs to poop inside a house. If they are older they can have arthritis and not fully empty outside so when they come in they can feel the need to go. They can have diarrhea from stress, intestinal parasites, eating something they were not supposed to or even a virus. It can be a behavioral issue that something cahnged they are not fond of and they can start with this. I would recommend bringing her to the veterinarian just so they can make sure it is nothing medical prior to saying it is from moving into the new house. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

The two most common reasons for this problem are either a medical problem or a behavioral problem. I would recommend starting with having your veterinarian check a fecal sample on Chloe. My dog starting having accidents like you describe when she was around a year old, and we found a microscopic intestinal parasite. Once we treated it, her accidents stopped. The other possibility is that Chloe is holding her stool on a walk because she wants the walk to continue. If that is the case, then I would try to find a location with a large number of dog smells to encourage her to go in that location. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I'm sorry to hear about your issues with Phoebe, A break in house training can be frustrating especially with a new baby on the way. Changes in toileting behavior can be related to a medical problem or a behavioral issues. Possible medical issues include colitis (inflammation in the colon), infections, parasites or metabolic issues like inflammatory bowel disease or liver disease. Behavioral issues can stem from changes in routine, stress or fear. If your household routine has changed in preparation for the upcoming addition, it is possible that Phoebe is reacting to this. Other possibilities include stress or anxiety caused by things inside and out. If Phoebe has had a scary episode such as slipping on a floor, falling down stairs or being frightened by a person or noise outside, this could cause anxiety about going outside. My recommendation would be to look for other signs of anxiety such as hiding behavior or fear about going outside in general. If you do not notice these, it may be worth taking a stool sample to your veterinarian to check for parasites and possibly scheduling an appointment to address your concerns.

It's possible she is getting mixed signals from daycare but it's impossible to say for sure. I recommend crating her when you are not directly watching her and at night. This may help to remind her about her housebreaking. You may also want to walk her more often and keep her feeding on a schedule. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi thanks for using PetCoach. Tootsie could certainly be exhibiting some signs of anxiety. Dogs can also develop some cognitive dysfunction as they get older as well. There are some diet some supplements that can possibly help with cognitive dysfunction, as well as medications. It maybe worth a visit to her veterinarian, to discuss options and try to differentiate whether this may be anxiety or cognitive dysfunction. Here’s a bit more information on cognitive dysfunction and some foods or supplements that may help https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/behavior-counseling-senior-pet-cognitive-dysfunction https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/nutrition-for-dogs-with-cognitive-dysfunction-syndrome-cds https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/behavior-counseling-senior-pet-behavior-problems https://indoorpet.osu.edu/dogs/aging_pets/cds

Since it sounds like this is a recent behavior change, the first step would be to have Stain examined by a vet to see if there may be a medical reason that he is pooping in strange places - there are many illnesses that can cause dogs to suddenly begin having house-training accidents, so your vet may recommend doing a fecal exam and possibly some blood work to check for any problems. If everything comes back normal, then this behavior may be a result of stress or anxiety, or some recent change in his routine. In that case, I would recommend going back to basics with house-training for the next few weeks to help get things back on track - take him out frequently, and go for long walks if needed so that he has plenty of opportunity to poop outside. When he does, reward with a treat. In the house, supervise closely to prevent accidents and use a crate if needed to confine him at night or when you aren't able to watch him. Once he has gone a few weeks without any accidents, you can gradually transition back to his normal routine.