Please help!

[kiana2004]

HI all,

I'm new to the board and have a 8.5 month old husky/malamute cross female who is not fixed but that isn't my issue. So what my issue is that the dog has been going poop in the house. This just started about 2 weeks ago...she'll be outside for a while etc not doing anything but comes inside to go poop? Just to give you a little back ground there have been some changes to her routine and one of her owners has moved out of the residence but still sees her every couple of days and walks her etc....at first I thought it may be seperation anxiety or something like that but she still sees the person who moved out so i'm not so sure. She isn't spayed yet but that's happening in 2 weeks...Any advice or help you could give would be wonderful..i'm almost at my wits end!!!!

[Terrie]

First off... once your baby has eaten, wait twenty minutes and put her outside and stipulate " GO POTTY" and "HURRY UP" .. some dogs as people have their own little attitudes. Try to take her out as much as possible saying those phrases....
Also do you crate her ??
My baby sometimes has accidents in the house too, but as a routine, if he doesn't do his job, he knows he will be crated when I go to work.. He doesn't like that ( most dogs won't mess in their crates ) so he makes sure that he messes outside.

Most of all : When she does go.... PRAISE, PRAISE, PRAISE , make a big deal out of it...
Good luck, Don't give up... it'll be worth it in the end.... Get it? in the end..

[kiana2004]

Hi Terrier,

Yes she is crated. The last incidence where this happened she just came from being outside and did it right in plain sight while I was watching...I said "Kiana "NO" in a firm voice and put her outside again and said this is where you go potty...she has been crated since the begining as I work all day and she likes to get into trouble if she's bored so I knew it was better for her and the cats to crate her and she's only once messed her crate and that was months ago and she couldn't really help it she was sick...thanks for your reply...

[Lucky Rescue]

This is a young, extremely high energy dog who is crated all day and then put outside to go.

How much hard exercise is she getting? Don't forget, this is a dog who can pull a sled all day long in harsh conditions and that is an indication of how much exercise she needs. A walk once a day or going out in the yard by herself is just not nearly enough.

Do not PUT her out to go - TAKE her out on a leash and praise when she does go.

Is she in heat? That could be another contributor to the problem.

[kiana2004]

Hi Lucky Rescue!

Sorry I didn't explain myself.....I don't get home from work after her being kenneled all day and just put her outside..(when i do this she normally goes as she's been in there all day).This happened after a normal day of walks etc...She normally gets a solid hour walk daily then we play fetch in the house as there is no where i can take her around were i live to play fetch outside as she likes to run away..as huskies are known to do...I'm looking into getting her into sledding but she is too young yet...I was thinking about her starting heat because she hasn't yet but nothing has happened yet./.

[Lucky Rescue]

she's been in there all day

An hour walk after this, even with the fetch in the house, is not nearly enough for this dog. Even my 4 yr old couch potato dog starts acting up a bit if she doesn't get her usual exercise.

I really hope you can get her into sledding. I know she is too young for serious stuff, but with winter coming maybe you can get a little sled and just have her pull it on your walks. You could even get her a backpack and just start off with maybe a few water bottles in it and build up the weight as she gets older. This would make an hour walk feel like 2 hrs.

The sledding would be wonderful and you would both be so happy having her do what she was born to do!

[lilith_rizel]

When I was about 10 years old, we had a lab mix, named Rachel, and she loved pulling sleds. My parents bought a normal harness, and attached a regular children's sled to it. That dog could pull me and my 3 little sisters. We always went sleddding down small hill, and the snow was always too soft to sled down without being pushed or pulled, so my parents had the bright idea to train Rachel for the job. It was amazing, and within an hour or so, she was completely exhausted, and couldn't pull anymore.
Maybe her messing in the house is her way of saying that she needs more excersise. And don't worry, my husband and I have a 9 month old yellow lab, and he still messes in the house at times. Try bringing your dog out on a leash during potty time. And watch what she does. Tell her "go potty" and "go poop". It will take her time to figure out what the phrases mean, but it will eventually work, and she'll understand what you want. Cano knows when I say "go poop now!" that he better hurry up and poop, otherwise he will have to be put in his crate for a half an hour, and he doesn't like that. I also praise Cano WHILE he is doing his business. I tell him that he is such a good boy and give him a scratch behind his ear.
I hope that you and your puppy work this issue out, I am sure you two will.

[kiana2004]

You could even get her a backpack and just start off with maybe a few water bottles in it and build up the weight as she gets older. This would make an hour walk feel like 2 hrs!

Wow this sounds like a great idea! I will have to get her one..do you know of any good websites where I can buy her one...There aren't any specialty pet stores around me?

Tasha

[hounds003]

Hi Tasha
Do you know about no leash parks for dogs? Some are completely fenced in and as long as she's dog friendly it's a great way for her to have "free" runs only after she's spayed though.

There's also scootering with your dog. I don't know where you live but there are some groups of people who get together and do it. I quickly found this link so you could see what I mean. It looks like the owners and the dogs have a blast!

http://www.dogscooter.com/

Good luck with her accidents. Dogs need time to adjust to change just like people do.