I have a housetrained 2 year old shih-tzu that keeps pooing inside when I'm at work? Any ideas?

Question

I spend lots of time outside with him - at least 20 minutes each outing a minimum of 4 times a day. He's not having "accidents", he just keeps choosing to poo inside either while I'm away at work or while I'm sleeping. I'm not able to re-train him because I can't catch him in the act. I live in the city so I'm not able to just put him outside for extended periods of time. I've tried limiting his food while I'm at work and rewarding him when he does go outside, but he's not consistent. Any ideas would be helpful...

Answer 1

Feed it extra-large condoms so it shits in little baggies!

Answer 2

A few suggestions; don't just limit his food while you're gone, eliminate it. He won't starve to death in a few hours, and you can feed him as soon as you get home.
Next, try putting him in a small room such as a half bathroom. He is very unlikely to poo in there with so little room. Even if he does, it will be much easier to clean up. Keep doing this until he gets the idea that you're not going to allow him to behave that way.
Or, get a small kennel to keep him in while you're away. He will not poo or pee in there, I am sure.
Don't feel sorry for him, whatever you do. You will lose the battle that way.
Hope everything works out. Remember that you are the Master and he has to obey you.
Much Love!!

Answer 3

My chihuahua does the same thing, I believe she is just too small to be able to hold for a long time. It helps to confine my dog to a smaller space such as a bathroom, since these breeds are so small they really do not need to have the run of the house when they are alone. She has everything she needs; water, food and a soft bed, toys. Then it is a reward to be able and explore the rest of the apartment when I am home. This saves my carpet and finding surprises in corners!!! This is a modification to crate training.

Answer 4

You are the one who has to be consistent here.Leaving him inside while you're at work definitely works against you. You cannot expect him/her to hold it if its 4 hours or greater.
What you need to do first of all is thoroughly clean his "poo" spots. Normal house hold cleaners will not do. Get certified ones from your pet store. Next you have to put yourself on a schedule. Feed it at certain times that will accommodate your schedule. After feeding, time notice the amount of time it takes before it needs to go. Just before that time take her/him outside (always to the same spot) and wait for it to accommodate. Use encouraging words such as "potty" or do or whatever you choose but always the same. When she does, give her lavish praise (good girl/boy) even hugs and/or kisses. Always do the same thing. Remember consistency is the key.
Suffice it to say that your latest feeding schedule should be with enough time for him/her to do its thing before you retire for the night and before you leave for work. You might want to set your clock so you can get up once at night to take her/him out to pee. Never leave food to eat while you are away.
If you are consistent (the key), eventually the little darling will get the message and your devout training will issue its rewards. The key though is your diligence. All dogs have a tendency to want to please their masters...it just takes time.

Do not give up.

Answer 5

I have a friend who has a small dog. And he's had the same problem. When he's gone for long hours at work, he just put's him in the bathroom or one other room and shut's the door so he's not going all over the house. He put's down newspaper for him. And makes sure he has enough food and water and a few of his favorite toys in with him. It's been working out fine for him.

Answer 6

I suspect the dog is angry at you for leaving him alone, like some on here have already said. But I won't recommend you take him to a doggy shrink and get him therapy. You probably need a solution that will help you correct his behavior before the carpets and the floors are totally ruined and the place is permeated with the aroma of doggy-processed Alpo. . . .

I have trained a couple of small dogs by putting them in a small carrier at night and when at work. Unlike humans, dogs don't like to poo poo in their sleeping area. So, maybe start it on a weekend. Take him out as long as you can. Then go home and put him in the carrier. Then go out for a couple of hours. As soon as you get home, take him out of the carrier and then outside.

******* I am talking about a carrier that can be locked. He just needs enough room to lay in there. Don't put in a water bowl or food. Feed him on a schedule once or twice per day, the same times each day-within a half hour. Take the food up after about 1/2 hour. This will get him on a pooping schedule. I think it takes about 14-16 hours for the food to turn into poop, so time the feedings so you can take him out of the carrier around time you get home from work and put him outside to potty. You probably know that yelling at him at 5 PM for something he did at 8 AM (that is 63 hours in doggy hours) won't work because the doggy looks at you like you are nuts. He can't remember what he did and he can't connect it with the punishment.******

Repeat the above every day when going to work and at night when going to sleep. You probably need to put him in a room with a door you can close. His yapping will likely keep you from getting sleep. Most of the time they do not have accidents in their carrier. If they do they will be very uncomfortable very quickly. This reinforces their need to not go indoors, in the den (house).
Try to remember that dogs are denning animals. In the wild, they are like wolves. They live in very small caves. So you are not torturing your baby.

When he is with you, keep him confined to a small area so you can keep an eye on him. He can't sneak off to a corner somewhere out of site and poop.

Have patience with him. He will learn. Don't give up just because he doesn't like it.

Good luck.

Answer 7

You already have some great answers . Dog psychology is weird. A past dog of mine used to chew MY shoes only when I went out and would go poop in the basement. I would ask her what she had done when I came home because of the guilty look on her face and she would actually lead me to the basement to the mess. Your dog is upset with you and with being left alone. Crating helps immensely. Do you have any friends or neighbors who could let her out at a regular time while you are at work? Give her lots of love. She is worth it.

Answer 8

My mom's dog does that whenever she is gone for a long time. Your dog might be kind of nervous, being all by himself. He likes companionship. My neighbors have to leave their dog during the day, so I come over and feed her and walk her. She's doing a lot better. Maybe you could get someone to come over during the day and take her outside a few times? Or you could get a cage, and put some things in the cage to keep her occupied while you are gone? You could also consult a dog trainer.

Answer 9

I had a shih-tzu, and I could never break him from pooing inside. When the back door was opened, he would go out the back door and poo 2 inches from the threshold.

Good luck.

They sure are lovable, though.

Answer 10

I am a firm believer in using a dog crate - especially for something like this type of behavior. Even after our dog was house trained and completely trustworthy we always kept the kennel door open and he preferred to spend most of his time in there when we weren't around. He also preferred sleeping in there even when we were home - it was his own little refuge.

Answer 11

He is punishing you for leaving, sleeping or anything else which distracts you from his "cuteness". He's like a high maintenance needy man is. He can't communicate his feelings effectively, so he does it destructively. Hence, a doggy door is a waste of money, until this behavior is corrected. Then a doggy door is wonderful, so he can use it as he wishes. My Beagle used to eat my albums, smokes, a jewel box from Tibet and anything related directly to me, because I was the one who "deserted" him, by leaving for work. He didn't destroy my husband's items. Eventually, they give up, and outgrow it. Another dog is your best bet. They are pack animals after all.