# Pooping all over the house



## CaptainF (Sep 4, 2016)

I adopted my 7 year old Captain Falcon from the local shelter on in July (2 mo ago). He was very house-trained.
I have never seen him pee in the house.

My plan was to walk him morning & evening so he could move bowels.

This worked well in the beginning, but about 10 days ago, he started going during the night. He doesn't wake me up. I sleep upstairs (with him in my room, either in my bed or near my bed). He goes downstairs during the night & I find poop in the back bedroom. I laid down newspaper in the back bedroom, hoping he would use that, which he does about 50% of the time. Otherwise, he goes random places in that same bedroom. 

In the past 2-3 days, it seems he feels free to go anywhere. I have found poop in my living room, & on a pillow in the back bedroom.

I am very saddened by this & don't know what to do. I would like him to go in my backyard & have placed his poops out there, along with newspapers. I have spent a lot of time back there with him & one time he did poop there & I praised him a lot.

At 1st, I thought if I did not feed him after about noon, his evening walk should suffice. Now I just don't know what to do.

I tried putting him in crate last night; it may be too small for him but he predictably did not like it & I let him out. (I was recently diagnosed with sleep apnea & really need my sleep). Hmmm now that I think of it, maybe the mask I have to wear concerns him, though he has not shown signs of it.

Any help or even comforting words will be very much appreciated. :sad7::cussing::help::angry1:


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## Guest (Sep 21, 2016)

Crate is best bet, if he's not used to it he won't like it. Probably going to have to tough it out till he gets used to it unfortunately. I have also heard of people litter training their chi's. I have not does this, but may be an option for you to look at? Good luck!

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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

It sounds like you need to restart from scratch with potty training. Don't let him have access to the rest of the house unsupervised until he's trained again. At night, I would close the bedroom door if you can so he can't go elsewhere to poop. You could also put a pee pad in your bedroom and if you notice him using it at night, praise him. My chis are trained to do their business outside, but we also trained them to use pee pads in the house just for desperate times, like at night, and this has been working well for us.


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## Kismet (Jun 18, 2014)

I agree with Camille, you probably need to make his world much smaller while you retrain him so that he can't slip into another room unnoticed and poop. If he doesn't like the crate you may try an x-pen or may have to train him to like the crate before enclosing him in it at night. You could also shut your bedroom door and set your alarm to take him out in the middle of the night and slowly set it for later and later until he's waiting until the normal time you get up to go. Lots of praise/treats when he gets it right will help too. Good luck and thank you for taking on an older rescue boy, he's lucky to have you.


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## CaptainF (Sep 4, 2016)

I appreciate the feedback. When he first came home, he did have too much space, & I can understand why he chose my back bedroom (I closed it off at first - the only room I closed). That is actually the only door in my home, except the 2 bathrooms. I think he became confused for awhile with all the changes in his life.
Today, I bought enzyme to re-clean all the mistakes, & some pads with attractant, so it says on the label. I looked at the pens at PetSmart, & they are $$$$$. 
He & I are a very good match, & I am gaining patience because I love him so much.


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## zellko (Jul 3, 2013)

I learned the hard way to use a crate. My guy would get out of his soft bed and pee not 3 feet away! Iris pens are under $30 at Walmart online! They are much better and half the cost of the Petsmart pens. While my girls can leave their crates in the night and will find a pad, he still can't be trusted to roam at will at night. Lazy guy! It is frustrating, but you both will get it soon and then it will be worth it.


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## zellko (Jul 3, 2013)

PS- Unless he's a really big chi, it's hard for a crate to be too small. I use the 12 x 18 size for my 5 lb. chi and it's really a bit larger than she needs.


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

Looks like my post got lost. I second the idea of an Iris pen. This dog cannot be given the run of the house. Lock him in your room if you don't want to spend the money on a pen. If you use a crate, have it in your room. It will take time for him to 'like' it. Have it set up where you are most of the time, and toss a treat in many times a day. As soon as he is comfortable toss a chew toy/bully stick in and close the door. Longer and longer until he can go all night. At seven years old, he should be able to go all night. My chi's use the Iris pens, so they can 'go' if they need to.


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## CaptainF (Sep 4, 2016)

This sounds like a great idea & thanks for the specifics about where to buy Iris pens (which i've never even heard of)


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## CaptainF (Sep 4, 2016)

I appreciate your reply. 

There is no door, & no place to put one, in the upstairs bedroom where I sleep (it is an addition)
This started 1st with indigestion (spit-up) in that back bedroom, & it didn't seem like a potty issue, but a digestive issue. So I've been focusing on what & when to feed him. The 1st time I really realized I had a poop training issue, was when he went on the living room floor, pretty recently.
Also, he has never peed in the house & he was only neutered ~4 months ago. I have to somehow show him that I am not cool with him pooping in the house (I haven't scolded him, since I find it well after the fact).
Thanks again; I have just ordered an Iris pen from Walmart, but it won't arrive oil Oct 6. In the meantime I am trying to teach him to love his crate.


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## CaptainF (Sep 4, 2016)

Oh, & I got pads which I will put close to his main place in the downstairs back bedroom. I am debating whether I should close that door tonight -- vs starting by putting pad over previously soiled areas, then gradually moving them toward the door, ending by closing the door (hey eventually I can move them all the way to the back yard!). 
I appreciate the commiseration & practical help; it is going a long way to help me not get TOO distressed.


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## CaptainF (Sep 4, 2016)

He's 11 + pounds (mutt - I think might be mixed with rat terrier). It is not a big crate, but I have ordered an Iris pen which will be here in early October. Until then, I am working on getting him to like the crate.


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## CaptainF (Sep 4, 2016)

He's in his crate & resting. (fingers crossed)


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

Wonderful. Keep tossing treats or kibble into his crate. Do it when he's not around, so that when he goes in, he finds it! He will learn to love his crate. Never use it as punishment please. Sometimes if he is being really bad, you can toss a treat in and close the door for awhile (until you cool off!). I've done this with puppies that have too much energy for me to deal with. Kong toys stuffed with p.butter or kibble and frozen make good treats for 'time outs'!


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## CaptainF (Sep 4, 2016)

Last night was awful. I put him in his crate right by my bed, and he was good for about an hour or less. Then he started whining & scratching. I ignored him until I smelled the poop smell. Hoping it was just a fart, I got out of bed, turned on the light, & poop in the crate. 
I had to put the crate outside as it was midnight & I could not go out in the dark to wash the crate - but I did wash him. Then I let him sleep on the floor next to me (I'm sure there were better things to do at that point, but I was SLEEPY).
Anyway, this morning - poop all over the house & also some spit up, even in my bedroom. When I noted details, I realize that I overfed him yesterday because I had to go to Kaiser about my sleep apnea. I was gone 3 hrs, so I left him with peanut butter, and when I got home I gave him a hearty dinner involving a number of stewed organic turkey hearts (which I guess was me feeling guilty for leaving him).
Sigh, I have done preliminary cleaning (there is a lot to do, involving rugs, etc) and I went out for my morning coffee, placing him in downstairs bathroom which does have a door. I put a bit of Pepto Bismol, water, comfy sleeping bag & "poop pad", along with open window & I took out the throw rug. 
I went out & bought him 2 beds (one a cave & one small portable one). I am thinking I will no longer let him sit on any of my 3 couches; he will have his own sitting area.

He was so good at first that I gave him as much freedom as seemed to be safe & that I can tolerate. 
I had a nice talk with girl at feed store where I bought the beds, & I got home ~1/2 hr ago, he was fine - I let him out & put him in the back yard. After a few minutes I threw him a treat, & we'll see. (He has gotten out of my fenced yard to go poop 3 doors away from me, but I have put bricks in front of the 3 places where I saw he could get through. Is there a tearing hair out emoji???


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## Guest (Sep 22, 2016)

Patience! I know the tearing hair out feeling. It will all be worth it in the end!! In the mean time, pick up and put away all rugs you can to eliminate extra work later on. Also they are drawn to them as good spots to go. Out male chi is almost 5 months now. We give him very little freedom and still have all rugs up. He does pretty good, but still had accidents. Hang in there it will get better with time and consistency! 

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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

I think that 'stewed organic turkey hearts' is way too rich for a meal. Feeding him a 4-5 star kibble, or a premade raw based meal is ideal for this pup. When you leave a few kibbles or one or two small treats is all this little one needs. Meantime, until the pen comes, I'd leave him in a bathroom. No way would I put up with this. What times are you feeding him? Mine have their main meal in the am, then get bits of stuff with lunch and dinner. When I put them to bed at 9pm, they get 6-10 little treats. I mean little. 2-5 calories each.


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## CaptainF (Sep 4, 2016)

Yes, with hindsight i really did mess up there. He was doing fine with the stew i made him, but for some reason (because I was gone for 3 hrs during the day) & came home with my own dinner, I felt a bit guilty & gave him more food. It was not late, ~4pm, but I included a lot more heart & less rice & veg than usual. Well, I am paying the price.


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## CaptainF (Sep 4, 2016)

Yes, I have fixed up the downstairs bathroom for him tonight. Hopefully with me upstairs I will be able to ignore whatever protest he makes. 
I have been feeding him after morning walk ~8am, then a smaller meal before 2pm. I walk him a 2d time around 5 - 7 pm. During both walks he poops, generally 2 times each walk.

I usually go to bed 8:30-9:30. He is 7 years old (11 lbs), & he has shown he can hold it much longer than that. However, when his tummy is upset like last night (he spit up a couple times as well), it is a different dynamic for him. 
Unfortunately for both of us, I am learning about his digestive system by trial & error.


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## CaptainF (Sep 4, 2016)

I awoke at 5:30 this morning due to sleeping well with my C-PAP, and the Captain downstairs in the bathroom with door closed.
I got dressed (it's still dark here) with an ear out - nothing. With some trepidation (will I find a dead dog? how much poop will there be??) I opened "his" bathroom door and there was a happy clean little guy in a clean room. Nothing on the pee pad, or in his crate, or in the room.

I immediately took him in the back yard, and he headed back there, rustled some leaves, but it was too dark for me to see if he pooped.
We went for a short walk during which he had a small poop. 
I am trying to digest this latest development & plan a strategy going forward. At this point, I am going to feed him much less & possibly more often. Right now he's lying next to me on my bed & "sleeping", while I "surf & post".
I forgot to say that he did definitely resist being inside the closed room last night (I left his crate in there with its door open, & a bone inside). He put his head down while I talked to him, explaining it would be OK & that I loved him. God only knows how much of that he understood, but he seemed to accept things more.
It looked like he played with his crate pad during the night because it was out of the crate & on the floor of the bathroom this morning. 
I am trying to be trustful, kind & patient. It does work better than getting worked up.


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## Guest (Sep 23, 2016)

Try not to make a big deal out of leaving him, that can make them anxious. When you come home from being away don't go right to them, give it a min or two instead of going straight to him and making a fuss, should help with crate training.

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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

This is good news. I'd leave a few more toys in the bathroom, so he can really play IF he wants to. Just remember love does NOT equal food!! If he is 7 years old, he really only needs one main meal (am) and maybe some snacks and a bedtime treat. I do one main meal am, and then at lunch they get a tiny bit of my sandwich. Two of mine love milk, so they get less than an ounce of that sometime during the day. Then at night, if appropriate they get to lick our dishes off. At bedtime they get about 5-7 low calorie treats to prevent 'empty stomach syndrome'.


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## CaptainF (Sep 4, 2016)

Update: Captain Falcon is sleeping in the closed downstairs bathroom at night. He has gradually come to accept it (tho he'd rather be on my bed, most likely). Now he goes in & doesn't complain, to my delighted amazement.
There has been no poop in the room & I take him out for a walk 1st thing - Except this morning, which I sort of expected:
We went to a BBQ yesterday & I believe he got some injudicious food, somehow - though i watched him closely. When we got home, I noticed on evening walk that he pooped 3-4x, 1st one large & loose, then diminishing, until hardly anything (uh-oh, something didn't agree with him).
So this morning, I did find a lot of poop on the newspapers on top of the new pee pad. He seems to avoid the pee pad, but I think I'll use them as floor protector, since they're moisture-resistant, unlike newspapers.
He did miss a little bit, but I could see it was because he already had a large poop in the right place.
I love him so much & am so proud of him. I can see how important a schedule is, it makes total sense when I think about it. So far, the food I make for him seems to agree with him more than anything else I've found. 
Thanks for all the support!!


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

Your pup probably has a 'sensitive' tummy. Maybe you could fix a note to a harness and say "Please don't feed me-I have a bad tummy" on it!! Then people would hopefully not feed him. This of course wouldn't keep him from eating food that was 'dropped'. Good luck. Wonderful news about the sleeping arrangement. I can't sleep well with a dog in my bed either. Schedules are wonderful. My dogs 'tell' time with their schedules. We have a 'snack' about 5:30pm. All 4 dogs get 4 tiny liver bits. Boy you better believe that if I forget, they remind me! I sit in my recliner. One dog to my right, one dog in the chair beside me, one dog on the floor to my left, and the puppy near her pen. I call out who the treat is for, and for the most part they obey. If they eat someone else's treat, they miss the next round! Fun!


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## CaptainF (Sep 4, 2016)

Here's our solution: He is sleeping in crate, in downstairs bathroom with door closed. The door to the crate is open & there are poop pads laid out in the corner of the bathroom. 
He is just fine with it now, and it didn't take long. He has used the pads 2-3 x, but mostly the room is still clean in the morning 

I did spend time making the crate appealing: plushy soft & warm with treats sprouting out of the floor lol.
He hangs out with me on my bed till I'm ready to sleep. I take him downstairs, put him in the bathroom & close the door. He accepts it & goes right in his crate now.
Whew - I was worried for awhile...


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

Great news! Owner gets his dog to sleep alone, and owner sleeps just fine!


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## CaptainF (Sep 4, 2016)

Update: He never liked it, never went in on his own, & gradually his resistance grew until he started growling, then snapping. Plan B is now in progress.


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## CaptainF (Sep 4, 2016)

Progress! We have found a program that works. With time he's gained trust & we communicate more effectively.

Every night, I close off the 2 carpeted downstairs rooms & we sleep together upstairs. 

If he has to go during the night, he either:
1. Goes to the downstairs bathroom where I leave a pee pad... OR
2. Wakes me up & goes downstairs & I let him out in the back yard.

What a good boy :love6:


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## Tink (Oct 14, 2009)

So glad you found a solution that works for the both of you.. Yay!!!


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