Having Accidents In The House Caused By Separation Anxiety

[Guest mamajosephine]

Hello all,

my partner and I have had our boy for about 7 months now. He has been nothing but a joy added to our lives! Only remaining problem is that whenever we leave he most often times poops in the same spot in our house. We stopped with the crate a few months back because that escalated his separation anxiety and he started peeing/pooping in there as well. Now he just poops in our living room if we both leave him at night. My partner works from home so this isn't often that he is left all by himself. Any one have any tips on what to do to fix this? We started giving him a treat every time he poops outside and have been trying the positive reinforcement route but are kind of at a loss right now. Used to scold him but thought that just made matters worse and now we just kind of say a stern "no" when we get home and see the poop and that's it. Also, already tried an anxiety vest and that didn't help either.

[Batmom]

It would be best not to "No" him when you get home -- he doesn't know what you're talking about, and even a mild scolding could make him more anxious. I'd just greet him calmly and cheerfully. Would be worth:

 

1. Take a poop sample to the vet to make sure he doesn't have worms.

2. Lots of exercise -- long walk, playing with a toy in your fenced yard, puzzle toy if weather is bad -- before you leave.

3. Redo your alone training for the applicable time of day (leave for 30 seconds, return, 5-6 times in a row; then 1 minute; etc.).

4. Does he have a Kong to work on when you leave? That can help some dogs.

 

Best luck!

[greysmom]

Being alone at night is different than being alone during the day. You need to train him that it's OK for him to be alone whenever you want to leave the house. Please do a search through the Training and Behavior section for more tips and ideas on Separation Anxiety.