Trouble Housebreaking - Pooping In House At Night

[Guest mitchelldm7]

Hi there!

 

I just adopted my second Greyhound about a week ago. We've been working through house breaking but it became clear early on that the traditional method of crate training wasn't going to work.

 

She gets incredibly anxious and nervous in the crate. She cries - loudly - all night and stresses herself so much that she pees in the crate.

 

I stopped using the crate - and her anxiety totally subsided. She's a happy go lucky dog and she's figured out the idea of peeing outside. She hasn't, however, connected pooing to that same trip. She'll occasionally do it outside, but come inside and do it again.

 

It happens most often at night. I've been getting up at 3-4am to take her out and she poops outside. But between then and when I get up at 7am, she's found the need to do it again in the living room.

 

I'm at a total loss. The crate seems to make the problem worse with her soiling it. I've tried really awesome treats just for going potty outside -- and she gets it - but still does it inside.

 

Any ideas?

 

Cheers,

Derek

 

[Tallgreydogmom]

Try her on some low residue dog food. Less poop

[Roo]

It would be worth a try to take her on a walk at night - and keep her out until she poops! Carry a handful of kibble with you and after she poos, give her the kibbles - she'll start connecting "late night poop" with "yummy food" and it shouldn't take as long for her to poop at night. It's worth a try for a couple weeks

[OwnedBySummer]

Are you allowing her free reign in the house at night?... as she's pooping in the living room, I'm guessing she's roaming? My theory would be that she doesn't know yet that all that space is her home. I would expand her run of the house more gradually, expanding her concept of home/den. Definitely I would start with having her sleep in my bedroom with me.

[PrairieProf]

Leash walk before bed until she poops. Problem solved. Leash-walking in general is your friend -- sounds like you're just letting her out in the yard and expecting her to empty herself. Lots of dogs need to really get moving and also be stimulated by new smells etc. to really do their business.

 

I've had my dog 5.5 years and if she hasn't pooped her full quota during the day we walk late at night (like 10 p.m. -- I got to bed late) until she does, every single night. (Well we walk all the time anyway; I have a small yard but she doesn't poop in it at all.) Not always just what I feel like doing at that hour especially in the dead of winter, but I don't want her to need to go out in the wee hours. And yours hasn't yet learned to signal (or you haven't yet learned to read her subtle signals) that she needs to go out.

 

Also agree she needs to stay where you can hear her if she starts to pace or whatever during the night -- restlessness is the typical signal for needing to go.

Edited February 3, 2014 by PrairieProf

[GeorgeofNE]

Typically if you have a firm schedule, dogs TEND to poop at the same time every day. For example, mine poops on our morning long walk (sometimes twice) and then he poops after dinner.

 

He eats and is walked at the same time every day, so he knows when he's going out, and feeding at the same time every day makes it so his digestion produces a poop at approximately the same time too.

 

I agree with leash walking until she really gets the housebreaking thing!

[Guest mitchelldm7]

Thanks all. We go on 45-minute walks every night but so far she sees them as time to play and explore -- she never actually stops to go to the bathroom. Maybe one a bit later will help. Good idea.

 

And confining her to a smaller room might be helpful too ... I live in a big old house - and it might be too much space for her right away.

 

Cheers,

Derek

[Acadianarose]

Payton has learned that "go potty some more" means go poop, but it took him a little while to get it. He also poops on a schedule so I had to learn that. Definitely walk until she poops.

 

Confining her in the room with you will help.

 

Good luck and congratulations!

[Guest Greysonsmom]

Mine sleep on their own beds in our room. We.ve never had a problem, and in fact, they wake us up with a wet nose or vocally on some occasions with the need to go out. We don't give them treats for the middle of the night wake up calls because...well...they are smart.

I do think that they like to be near us at night though.

 

Good luck!

[Guest mitchelldm7]

This brings us to another fun adventure ... Teaching her to climb the stairs to the bedroom. I had been saving that lesson for after house training!

[Guest Houston1219]

Another greytalk member gave me the greatest suggestion on this same issue. Attach two six foot leashes together, clip one end to the dog and put the other end around your ankle while the good sleeps at the foot of your bed until they learn to wake you up if they Need to go out. Our back yard had no grass, its more of a fenced in patio (we live in a condo) so my guy had a hard time with concrete vs tile and used the kitchen as an extension of the back yard for a while lol