6 yr old new rescue pooping/peeing in the house -HELP ME!

[MichelleMartin]

I just adopted a 6 yr old Dutch shepherd/lab mix male. He’s a dear, sweet dog but I’m worried. I work 3-12 hour shifts a week but get a dog walker to come every one of those 3 days. I’ve had Ben one week and this morning I came home to a huge bathroom mess, which is new for him. I walk him 3 times a day and feed him twice. I can’t crate him for 12 hours a day. I’m already in love with this sweet soul and don’t want to take him back to the shelter. However, I can’t have this happening either, it’s causing me great anxiety and worry. I do what I can to prevent separation anxiety but I’m desperate. My previous dog didn’t have any of these issues.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi there,

Welcome to the forums! First of all, thank you for rescuing a shelter dog and for hiring a dog walker to keep him busy during those days you have long shifts! That's very thoughtful and I am sure Ben appreciates that!

 

I have a few questions for you which can help me provide a more detailed answer.

 

1) When you say he had a 'huge bathroom mess' can you please be more specific? Was it solid, or more on the mushy side? Liquid? Don't worry about giving too much information- this is important information.

2) Are you feeding a different food from the food the shelter was feeding him? What food are you feeding him?

3) When you say the bathroom mess is 'new for him', do you mean that in the whole week you had him he never pooped in the house?

4) Is he showing signs of separation anxiety (e.g pacing when you are about to leave? overly enthusiastic greeting displays when you come back home)? Did the shelter mention the possibility of him having been surrendered due to separation anxiety?

5) On the days you work those longer hours, prior to going to work, are you ensuring he is empty (pees and poops?)

 

Thanks for the additional details!

[JMFS]

Just chiming in to offer encouragement and hope. :) Both Momo and Gertrude Marie are shelter pooches and it did take them a little while to adjust to the new digs. Momo was 4 months so he was still learning control, too. Gertie was 9 months and should have had an idea when she needed to go, but in the shelters they often sit in those kennels for hours and end up toileting in there. That means they come to us with little sense of being housebroken. Even being older, and likely potty trained, Ben is in a new situation and possibly nervous, which can cause performance anxiety, not to mention a completely different schedule than the shelter or his previous home.

 

He'll get there, but there may be a few more accidents. One thing that helped us was crate training, and the other was keeping them limited to certain areas where the mess wasn't as much of an inconvenience. Gertrude only pooped in the house twice, but the peeing was a little tougher to address - she'd roam around and stealth pee on our door mats (at least she was considerate in doing it in an easy-to-clean area!).