Pooping in the house only when I leave

[katy052480]

Hi

I have a 6 month old black lab mix - not my first lab puppy - and I have a serious problem with him deficating in the house when I leave. He poops on the livingroom carpet between my sofa and love seat. I am gone for only 20 minutes he will poop on the floor. I have people coming and letting him and his brother (who is diabetic) out every 4 or 5 hours when I am at work but it doesn't seem to matter. I have tried crating him when he was a puppy, but he starts howling when I leave and that starts my Malamute mix howling too and it sounds like the hunt is coming through the neighborhood - my neighbors can hear it three houses away and have asked me to make it stop - so I had stopped crating him. He is house trained when I am there with him. If I have run out of ideas. My vet and trainer have no suggestions but to start potty training him all over again, but I don't think that would work because he is good when I am here. Help!!

[Writing4Fun]

He needs to earn his freedom all over again.

First of all, make sure you clean the spot with a really good cleaner. Something you can get at Petsmart or Petco specifically for house training to remove any trace of the odour so he isn't drawn back to the spot.

Then you need to find a way to keep him away from that spot when you're not home. Can you confine him to the kitchen or the bathroom? Use baby gates, don't shut the door or he may freak out. Leave him in there with his food/water dishes and a few chew toys. Distract him with some extra special treats that he only gets when you're going out. A lot of people use Kongs, stuff them with peanut butter or cheese or yogurt and kibble or treats, then freeze them overnight. This makes it really hard to get the yummy stuff out, so he's occupied for quite some time while you're gone.

Start by leaving him alone for 5 minutes at a time. Even if all you do is go around the block with your car and come back. Work your way up to 10 minutes, then 15, then 20, etc... Once he's doing well in his little confined space, you can start letting him have more freedom, like only the kitchen and living room. If he ever does something you don't like, take a step or two back.

Remember, he's still really young. This is perfectly normal for a pup his age.