Dog Owners: I need help

[La_Serpiente]

My dog, A Maltese, has only done this when he was little pup. He used to poop in the house simply because he didn't know any better.

He stopped doing that after we trained him to poop outside. However, he has returned to his old ways, and is starting to poop in the house again. Anyone care to answer why my dog is starting to poop in the house again?

[radwriter0555]

1. Is it on a carpet?

I know my little stink Wink LOVED peeing/pooping on a particular carpet.

She's a maltese too.

[La_Serpiente]

4. Yes, on the carpet

why would he (my dog) do that? Any reason why?

[radwriter0555]

15. Because it's easier than going outside. Think like a dog.

Poochie smells that he used to go there. So why not go there now instead of walking ALLLLLLLL that way outside?

The secret is that most dogs really aren't THAT housetrained. They're by and large just being polite. Especially these little ones like we have. They KNOW we'd prefer they take it outside, but since they own the house, us and everything in their little world, they're really just going to do as they please.

At least he's making it a habit to keep the tootsie rolls in one location. That's his version of a compromise.

I suggest you try something like a rubber backed area rug over the area that he poops upon, for the periods of time when you think he's gotta let loose. At least you'll minimize the damage.

I don't consider it worthwhile to train Maltese' to actually "DO" much other than be sweet, loving, affectionate and cute.

BTW how big is he, is he fixed and where do you live? I'm looking for a stud for my 4.5 lb little girl, and need one the same size as she is.

[La_Serpiente]

18. LOL

He is in his teenage years. Sorry bout that, he is fixed and I live in Hawaii.

Sorry bout that. I hope you can find an unfixed stud :-)

[radwriter0555]

24. Honey we can ALLLL use an unfixed stud now and then,

can't we?

***sigh***

[pink_poodle]

2. Is he getting old now? Sometimes they get ...............

dementia and will do this when they are old, plus stare off into space just like old humans. Poor baby.

[SlavesandBulldozers]

3. if he's old

he probably can't help it.

if he's still relatively young he either has a medical condition or he somehow got out of his 24-hour rhythm (which all dogs have).

[La_Serpiente]

5. nah, he's a teenager

maybe he does have a medical condition. The doctor gave him an enima just the other week.

[retread]

14. Why did he get an enema?? What was the underlying condition?

*

[La_Serpiente]

19. hmmm....

good question...I didn't ask my mom.

I'll ask her when she gets home.

[La_Serpiente]

31. OK, i found out why he got an enema

the doctor reccommeneded it. The Vet said that Malteses are special in that their anus gets smaller over time. He gave Einstein (my dog) and enema because of that.

[MissMarple]

6. Could he be sick, not be able to wait to go out?

Gag, that can be nasty stuff to clean up. But that is when our old guy would have an accident.

[La_Serpiente]

8. the door is usually open

However, he doesn't take the initiative to go outside sometimes. That is a recent thing.

[ScreamingMeemie]

7. Have you changed your routine at all? Are you gone from the house

longer than you used to be? Jessie does this in retaliation if I leave her alone for too long...She does it in the basement though because she is not brazen enough to do it right there in front of me.

Good luck with your dog. :hi:

[La_Serpiente]

9. LOL

he never does it in front of us.

He is very attatched to my mom. VERY ATTATCHED!!! She doesn't bring him to her workplace, but I am usually at home to keep him company. He stays with me on my bed.

I leave the door open downstairs for him to go out into the yard if he wants to poop.

Usually, if he has to poop or something, he starts barking and/or getting all wild. He doesn't do that anymore.

He's a teenager by the way.

[ajacobson]

10. Backsliding

Adolescent dogs will do this so we just remind them of the rules. I would suggest going back to the housetraining drill just as a refresher (you may be doing some or all of this already):

1) Relatively set feeding times - no free feeding

2) Outside within a reasonable time of feeding - will really depend. Some of my dogs like to go out right away after eating.

3) Positive reinforcement for going outside, lots of praise, food rewards even

4) Downplay the accidents. If it is attention-seeking behavior, making a big deal about it will just reinforce the behavior

5) Make sure as best you can that theres no underlying medical condition

Good luck

[madmax]

12. I agree with all

and reward (a treat) and praise work well. I started a routine with a treat when Max was a puppy. He'll be 3 in February and I continue to treat and praise him to no end. :)

[radwriter0555]

16. As far as feeding, caution with the mini breeds like Maltese, they need

constant feeding throughout the day for their little systems.

We feed the Winkster at least two meals a day. They need food in their tummies to give the acids something to work on.

They also get dehydrated very easily....

[La_Serpiente]

20. Sounds pretty good to me

:thumbsup:

[TexasPatriot]

11. my dog

hated to get his feet wet... so he'd just wander over near the grass and take aim from the patio.

do you have a dog door? if not, try that. i got one of those cool startrek doors that opens and closes when the dog with the magnet in his collar comes near.

[ConcernedCanuk]

13. It's probly just plain old fear, - -check your neighbours places - -

.
.

. . . .

Especially upstairs windows !!

.

.

.

.

[arwalden]

17. Upset stomach? Full anal glands?

Are his bowel movements firm and solid or soft and putty-like (or diarrhea?). Did you change his diet? New food? New snacks? Table food?

Has he eaten from the trash can? Has he found and eaten a dead rodent? Has he found any human drug pills that may have been dropped by accident?

How does he normally alert you when he needs to go out? A bark? Or does he just wait for someone to notice that he's waiting by the door? Or is he on a schedule (your schedule) and he normally holds it until you decide for him?

Was anyone home when this happened? Or is he having the urge to go when nobody is around to let him out?

Are there any other animals he associates with? Are there any new pet additions to the family?

I'm afraid I have more QUESTIONS for you to think about and NO ANSWERS. Sorry. --- I hope these help you to zero-in on the cause of the problem though.

Good luck.

-- Allen

[La_Serpiente]

22. no prob...I understand your trying to help

Are his bowel movements firm and solid or soft and putty-like (or diarrhea?). Did you change his diet? New food? New snacks? Table food?

His bowel movements are puttylike. He doesn't stay in one stationary spot and poop. He assumes the posistion (ok, that sounded gross) but he assumes the posistion, starts doing his thing, and stays in it. Then he walks a foot or two, and does it again. His diet is the same. In fact, he used to get more table scraps before. He would only get 1 or 2 small pieces of meat, that is it. No large steak or nothing.

Has he eaten from the trash can? Has he found and eaten a dead rodent? Has he found any human drug pills that may have been dropped by accident?

None of the above.

How does he normally alert you when he needs to go out? A bark? Or does he just wait for someone to notice that he's waiting by the door? Or is he on a schedule (your schedule) and he normally holds it until you decide for him?

Before, he used to bark and go all wild. Now, he doesn't notify us anymore. He does it in the morning when he first wakes up and at night before he goes to bed. However, it varies throughout the day.

Was anyone home when this happened? Or is he having the urge to go when nobody is around to let him out?

People were home when it happened. He doesn't do it in front of anyone, but he does it when we are at home.

Are there any other animals he associates with? Are there any new pet additions to the family?

There are no other new additions to the family and rarely does he associate with other animals.

I think it is more psychological. I don't usually throw a hissyfit when he poops in the house. I don't scream or yell at him or anything, but he can sense my disappointment.

However, my mom overreacts (he is very attatched to her) and tells him he is going to doggy jail. There is no actual jail, but she just says it.

Maybe I should encourage him more outside. I used to encourage him a lot outside when he was a pup, but then again, I wasn't around a lot since I had school.

[radwriter0555]

27. Serp you need to change lil dude's food. He should not be all loose

and gross like that. You need a rather sturdy little tootsie roll poop for a healthy pooch.

I suggest a switch to a mini dog kibble consisting of lamb and rice, or and organic one (not so small kibble, but soft enough) called "Wellness". Try try try try try to stay away from the grocery stores dog foods filled with crap and fillers that aren't good for them.

NOT cheap, but perfect for their tempermental tummies.

[La_Serpiente]

28. wow

ok, will look at alternative foods for him.

Thanks for the tip ;-)

[arwalden]

34. My Parenting Philosophy...

... was to NEVER punish my dog after-the-fact if I discovered she had relived herself inside. After-the-fact messes are simply cleaned up and forgotten about. No scolding. No guilt.

If I SAW her doing it... AT THAT VERY MOMENT, I would shout a loud NO! and I'd pick her up (in mid squirt if necessary) and look her square in the eyes with a loud NO! and then immediately take her outside.

A completed job outside would earn her lavish and abundant praise. To this day (at age 3) our dog gets a tiny treat as a reward for a job-well-done (outside).

Good behavior and good habits need to be reinforced and rewarded right then and there. (You wouldn't say "good dog" and "here's your treat" an hour AFTER she pooped outside... so why would would it work for anyone to scold a dog an hour after she pooped inside. Their minds don't work that way.)

Not that you've done this... it's just a reminder for others who read this and who are inclined to PUNISH animals after the fact.

Anyway... the other poster (Radwriter) is correct... firm and tootsie-roll sized poops are healthy and normal.

After moving to our new home, it took our dog about a week to figure out which door to go to when she wanted to be let outside. And, she had two accidents inside. Both times on the carpet... but both times I was able to pick them up easily with a tissue. No stains... just a quick wipe with a damp soapy sponge got rid of the odor.

We feed our dog occasional people-food. But it's non-fatty and non-spicy. Just enough to equal a treat, and never enough to make a meal off of.

Her main food is Eukanuba dry adult maintenance formula (small bite). It's boring to us... but she eats it when she's hungry. The self-feeder bowl keeps itself full all the time. (She never over-eats though. This is usually only a problem with dogs who must compete with other dogs in the houseold... they will over eat to prevent others from having access to "their" food. Also, dogs who have been rescued and who have a history of frequently having NO FOOD and who didn't know how long it would be before their next meal will continue to overeat as though they are still in the "wild".)

You may need to isolate him or restrict his free-range access to the house until this is under control. Dig out those old puppy-gates that you retired long ago (if you still have them) or get some chairs and cardboard pieces to keep him in the kitchen or other non-carpeted areas of the house. Try to prevent him from establishing a "favorite" (smelly) spot for reliving himself.

Kenneling him at night will help to prevent accidents throughout the house... just make certain that he's let out first thing in the morning.

If your dog is not a "grazing" self-feeding type... you can try to feed on a strict schedule. Follow the feeding with an immediate trip outside or short walk. Dogs can become regular like humans if you stick to a schedule and avoid excessive treats and snacks (and tableside begging).

If you decide to switch from canned to dry food, you may want to do it gradually... blending a bit of dry into the canned mixture... increasing the dry and decreasing the wet each time you feed.

He may reject the change at first... (as my dog did) but a dog will NOT starve himself if there is a good dry food available. They will get used to it and will eat it gladly after awhile. -- Also, when changing from one brand of dry food to a different brand of dry food, you should make a gradual (blended) change-over as well. I've read that this helps ease them into the new ingredients, new flavor, and helps to avoid upset stomach.

I'm guessing that you already know a LOT of what I've said... but someone else might benefit from the review.

Yes... it's gross to talk about, but it's worse to live with. Please try to discourage others from being angry with him... he's not doing it to purposely defy or disobey you... or to get "revenge".

Anyone who has ever had diarrhea (or mild diarrhea) knows how unexpected and SUDDEN and powerful the urge to go can be. "Hurry, hurry, hurry, out of my way.... I need to go NOW!" --- I'll bet your little guy feels the same way.

Best of luck to you.

-- Allen

P.S. $50 for a quick visit to the vet might be better spent instead of $60 to rent a carpet cleaner. Just a thought.

[geniph]

21. There could be any number of reasons

Is it particularly cold outside? Maybe he doesn't feel like going out in the cold. Maybe another dog barked at him when he was in the yard and scared him. Maybe some furniture got moved and he's feeling pissy about it.

The first thing to do is to have the vet check him to make sure he's not got any medical problems that would cause incontinence. Second thing is to make sure he's got access to someplace outside that isn't too cold and wet, frequently enough so that he doesn't have to hold it.

Some people with very little dogs train them to use the puppy housebreaking pads in one particular part of the house, so the little guys don't have to go outside in the cold. Most dogs are pretty good about sticking to that spot.

[La_Serpiente]

23. LOL - thanks for your concern about the cold

but I live in Hawaii. :crazy:

Nah, he is not intimidated by other dogs. He would go up against a large dog, even though I know he would get his ass kicked.

I've got to ask my mom why he got the enema from the vet. This was a few weeks ago by the way.

He always poops on soft things. We have tile flooring, and he always does it on the rugs.

[radwriter0555]

29. I bet he doesn't eat his meals on a hard floor either. I bet he takes a

mouthful of kibble and moves it to a rug area and eats is, and runs back and forth for the duration of his meal. Or at least lays it on the floor next to his dish....

[GoddessOfGuinness]

25. Is he scratching more than usual?

Maybe outdoor pests like fleas, mosquitos, or biting flies are bothering him, making him want to stay inside. A friend of mine had an older dog who developed an allery to grass whichmade her unwilling to venture outdoors.

Good luck!

[izzie]

26. My Maltese to a Tee.

I blamed it on my sister not training it right but I have to have him sleep in a animal box at night. Some times it goes out and comes back in and makes a mess. I got this dog when my sister died so I do put up with a lot with it. I never had a dog that messed in the house before and my sisters dogs have always been bad on that point, so I think it is how she treated it.

[RebelOne]

30. Maybe it is just too darn cold outside.

[radfringe]

32. our dog has been 'holding' it

usually in evening she asks to go out every 20 minutes or so

she still does, but when you open the door she backs away - the only thing we can figure out is that it is just too damn cold and she will 'hold' it until it really becomes urgent

we've had to put her on the leash and dragged her out to do her business

normally during the winter months, she will go out by herself, do her business and come right back - in the warmer weather she'll go 'wandering' so we have to have her on a leash

we lost our other dog just before christmas - but her 'M-O' during the winter was to use the floor instead of going outside - too cold and snow too deep. We've had to shovel out a 'clear' spot in the snow, carry her outside and hope that she used it

[roguevalley]

33. Has your time with them changed? Little dogs do that to get even some

times. Dachshunds do. Get nature's miracle at petsmart.
It has enzymes that get the smell gone. Then take him
out every hour for a day or two. Could be that he can't
go when you want him to. They have their own schedules.
:)