I have a question on behalf of a friend who has moved to the US
from Belgium approximately one year ago. Their dog moved along
with them, she is about 5 years old, has always been house and
crate trained. Even though she has been crate trained, she has
had the run of the house for the past couple of years in
Belgium, and the last 8 months here in the US. Since a week or
two however, she started to poop on the carpet, always in the
same spot and only when her owners are out of the house (even if
only for half an hour or so). To test, we have brought Neo (my
dog) for a visit a few times, and once we knew they got along
great, we left them together for half an hour and went out.
Chanel (my friend's dog) didn't poop.
Is she 'protesting' to being alone, or is there another issue?
Can it be solved without crate training her all over again?
Thanks for your help!
Sylvie
Hi Sylvie!
First, given the age of this dog and that she's suddenly had a
loss of housetraining, I'd suggest a visit the veterinarian
pronto, to rule out any possible physical cause for this.
Although she's only having the problem while she's alone, the
fact that she's been housebroken for 6 years, and is suddenly
regressing, it's best to start with a veterinary examination,
including a fecal check, to rule out any illness.
In the meantime, make sure that the dog is prevented from going
in that spot on the carpet. For whatever reason she's started
defacating there, she is attracted back to the area by the scent
from the previous deposit. Using a good cleaning agent (try
Nature's Miracle) will help get rid of the scent, but a habit
has already started in that spot, so preventing her access to
the area entirely is important.
While this could possibly be separation related, I'm not
convinced - since for nearly a year's time in the new home,
she's been completely fine, and you don't mention any other
behavior from her that would indicate that she's stressed while
alone. Having said that, sudden changes within the home, i.e., a
sudden change in the family's schedule, a family member moving
out of the home, or even into the home, could be causing some
stress on her. Again, I don't really feel that stress is the
culprit, but wanted to give some food for thought anyway.
Although she has not been crated for several years, the crate
may be helpful in getting the problem resolved - but again, I
think it's best to start with the veterinarian, before going to
that step. If she checks out alright, introducing the crate
slowly, including some brief practice departures to help her
re-acclimate to the crate, especially when alone, would be a
good idea.
I hope this is helpful. Please let me know if you have other
questions or need more help!
Take Care,
Lisa Patrona, Dip. CBST, CPDT-KA, ACDBC, AABP-CDT
