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Dog pooping on floor!
Ok, so we have two boxers. One is 4 years old, we've had her since she was a puppy. She is perfectly potty trained, and uses a bell to tell us she has to go.
Our new guy is a rescue, he is about 2 years old. When he came to us (last year) he wasn't really all that potty trained. He quickly got on the same schedule as our other girl, and he'd do his business outside when she did. He learned quick, but still had some accidents. He never peed inside - only pooped. He would never tell us when he has to go, and in the year he's been with us, he has never been able to tell us when it was time to go outside.
Having gotten the potty schedules regulated, he maybe only had an accident once a month inside...and then stopped completely. Recently though (last 3 days) he has pooped inside the house every single day! This is always after he's been outside to poop, sometimes he's pooped three-four times outside throughout the day and we still find a pile hidden inside some time later.
He sneaks off to the farthest room away from us - bedroom, bathroom, basement - etc. As far away as he can get, in a corner. His favorite is the basement, so I blocked access...and then he picked a corner in a spare bedroom. Then a corner in the bathroom. His poop is completely normal, no changes in food, and he was just to the vet a week ago - no issues. He has never done it inside in front of anyone. We can only definitely say it's him (not our girl) because he's much larger, and its easy to tell the difference.
Any thoughts? Should I go back to square one, keeping him in the same room with me all the time, as you would a puppy? How can I get him to tell me he has to go? He goes nearly every time he's outside to do so, and when told to "go potty" he will do it nearly every time. I never catch him going in the house - maybe I just need to keep a better eye on him at all times, I suppose. We crate them when we're not home, so that isn't an issue at all.
Thanks!
Re: Dog pooping on floor!
You pretty much answered your own questions!
Keep him crated when you're not home and tethered to you/blocked into the same room with you when you are there. You'll be able to see any pre-poo signals (sniffing, circling, getting ready to squat) and quickly direct him outside.
I'd also keep working with him on learning to use the bell like your girl does. He might not pick up the concept as quickly, but he will get it eventually if you consistently get him to touch/ring the bell before you open the door.
B/w 1/8: betas 17,345, progesterone 25.6
I agree with going back to potty training 101 as Lucky suggested (crating when you're not home and tethering when you are so you can watch him closely for any potty signs and make sure he can't sneak away to potty - the more often he goes in the house, the harder it can be to re-train). If there are any signs of illness or you think there might be something physically going on, take him to the vet for a full check-up.
Also, clean up any accidents with an enzymatic cleaner such as Nature's Miracle. Otherwise, your pup may smell the prior accident and think it's ok to potty there again.
Lastly, pooping that many times per day seems like a lot (though each dog is different). What are you feeding him and how much?