Rescue dog toileting in bed and house non-stop! Help please

[hazeydays14]

Our dog was rehomed rather than rescued really but his previous owners said he was completely house trained.
He was for us at first, some scent marking (not yet neutered) but generally excellent. Then we started leaving him out of his crate in the day time and this is when he started to get worse. He would pee/poo in the kitchen even when left for 20 minutes, despite being let outside before I left.
He peed against the back door when it is left open for him to go out. He is more frequently peeing when we are in the house instead of asking to go out or even when he has the option.
This weekend he has started pooing in his crate which he stays in overnight. He was barking (never normally does this either) and when I went to see to him he had gone in his bed but it was firm and normal looking so don’t think it was an upset stomach.

I just don’t know what to do with him
We have had him coming up 3 months now. Should I be concerned about him not holding overnight and take him to the vet? He’s only 1 so not age related.

He was in a crate whenever left before coming to us. I would rather not revert to that in case mine and my partners shifts match up and no one can call in to see him.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

[Sillyscrabblegames]

It sounds like he is anxious.
I would stick to using the crate for quite a lot longer. You don't say what breed he is but 1 year old is still very young and he needs to be treated like a puppy as he settles in and grows.
Can't you arrange for someone to pop in and let him out when you are on shifts?
And yes a vet visit is a good idea to rule out any utis etc.

[Crustyjugglers]

It sound as if his toilet training was incomplete - what was the reason given for rehoming? What is your current walking and feeding regime?
Assuming there were no clinical reasons for his behaviour, treatment would involve going back to the start and treating him like a puppy. Don't wait for him to ask (as he hasn't learned to do this). Take him out side every half hour during the day when you are home, take treats, encourage any pre-elimination behaviour (sniffing, circling) and when he does go say "good boy" and immediately treat. Using the crate (as long as he won't be stuck in it for longer than overnight) is fine as he is used to it (always make sure he has water and always make sure he has had ample opportunity to relieve himself before being put in it). Don't punish mistakes in the house and don't be tempted to rely on puppy pads - these teach nothing although will protect your carpet! Clean any mistakes with an enzymatic cleaner (dilute biological washing powder can work) rather than anything containing ammonia as this may encourage him to go over the top of it.
A consistent feeding and walking regime (many dogs don't like to poo in their own garden - my dog would never lower himself to that!) will help and he is more likely to empty his bladder more fully out on a walk with lots of sniffs rather than in his garden. a good quality (which generally means low residue) food will also help keep the quantity of poo down.

[adaline]

Sounds like separation anxiety.

[hazeydays14]

He is a pomsky (Pomeranian/husky)
Reason given for rehoming was a break up and neither could take the dog to their new homes though I do wonder if it was partly because he is quite demanding

He is fed in the morning and when one of us gets home from work. We have him on tails at the moment, he was on Iams puppy food but his poo was awful and it is much better now.

He is walked twice a day once before work and once after normally but due to shifts the times can change. He does prefer to poop on walks, maybe I should be delaying his second walk or taking him out quickly before bed.

He does have an element of separation anxiety I think. We were told that he was used to being left whilst they both at work. He isn’t being left as long now but I am happy to arrange a dog walker on the days where he is being left longer.

Thank you for the advice, I will try and book him a vet appointment today. He hasn’t been seen by one since we got him so a general check up wouldn’t hurt anyway.

[Cyberworrier]

How long is he being left, currently? Poor puppy. Sounds like he needs time and attention and to be toilet trained from scratch.

[adaline]

Oh dear - that's quite a cross you have there!

Huskies, although lovely, suffer badly from separation anxiety and are very demanding dogs. They need hours of exercise each day as well as mental stimulation too. Ideally you want to give them the chance to run but their recall is also notoriously poor.

Put a husky in a Pomeranian body and you're going to end up with a fairly frustrated dog I would imagine - one who wants to run but doesn't have the physical attributes to do so.

I think you need to go right back to basics with toilet training - take him out every half an hour, after play etc. and treat when he gets it right - ignore accidents indoors and clean them up with simple solution so he doesn't get tempted to mark the same spots over and over.

The separation anxiety is hard - mine hates being left though he can manage an hour or two at a push, but only after a good long walk (at least an hour if not more). He doesn't toilet inside but he does howl and bark (howling is another husky thing) so I don't want to leave him and piss off my neighbours!

Good luck - I'm sure it will get easier once he's settled and you've both gotten used to each other.

[hazeydays14]

Usually 4/5 hours in the day but sometimes our shifts line up and it’s more like 7. I have been having my sister call in on these occasions when she can but she has her own dogs to look after. I’m happy to get a dog walker since it’s obviously affecting him despite old owners apparently leaving him for much longer.

He is really intelligent. We took him to a taster class and I think I will sign him up to the weekly class (work permitting) which will hopefully help us bond and reduce boredom/anxiety.

[hazeydays14]

Yes quite a strange cross I agree! (Obligatory picture)
He is a medium size dog and can go for hours, especially when playing with my sisters two.

I’ll go back to basics with the toilet training. Luckily I’m home with him all day today and my shifts for the week have me home fairly early in the day so plenty of time for long walks.

[Wolfiefan]

7 hours a day and you wonder why he’s messing in the house????
4 hours max is recommended for a settles dog that has completely cracked house training. Poor thing.

[itsasausage]

if you've had him from 9 months and his owners prior to that were leaving him over 7 hours a day then hes probably got awful separation anxiety. I'd suggest almost starting from scratch and getting him used to being left for longer periods of time, but never more than 4 hours in total a day. doggy daycare / sitter if needed.

[Cyberworrier]

Long walks are great, OP, but I agree with Itsasausage. You need to build up the amount of time you’re leaving him, from really short periods like ten mins. Could he have a few weeks at daycare or at your sister’s so he is not being left so long when obviously not ok with it? i don’t know if you can trust the former owners account. Even if he was toilet trained before, he has been through a lot changing homes when he is so young, so it’s understandable that he’s stressed being left alone. I would also treat him like a younger puppy with toilet training, frequently taking him out and praising/rewarding when he goes outside, and using a cue work like toilet so you can train him to go on command.

[hazeydays14]

Yes luckily this doesn’t happen very often, my shifts change all the time so it’s only if it happens to fall at the same time as my partners shift and my sister has been very helpful on these occasions.
He messes in the house when I’m in the house even if the back door is open to go out, not just if he’s been left while we’re at work.

We had him a week before he turned 1. He is still young and maybe he’s pushing the boundaries now he realises he’s stuck with us for good! I also think neutering him might help so that’s on the cards in the next few months.

[hazeydays14]

I can look into some kind of day care for him. My sister is really good but 3 dogs is a handful for anyone so will look into daycare or a sitter of some kind.

Maybe I’m naive, I’ve always had dogs from puppies previously so I need to think more about what a big change for him this has been. I knew rehoming a dog wouldn’t be a walk in the park but I do wonder if we were misled slightly.

[Cyberworrier]

As Wolfie says, the four hours is too much,not just the seven hours.

[Floralnomad]

It sounds like he’s never been properly housetrained and if he is being left for hours at a time it’s going to be very difficult to do that now , is it possible for you to arrange a 2/3 week period where he always has someone at home so that you can properly crack it ?

[fivedogstofeed]

It sounds like stress tbh. Just because the previous owners left him all the time doesn't mean he was ok with it. If they left him all day from the time he was a pup then they have almost certainly set him up to have a huge problem with being on his own. Sadly this is a very typical reason for rehoming s dog of this age. :(
If he's happy with other dogs ( again, this is not a given as he's probably had quite an isolated beginning) then daycare could be a good option.

[adaline]

Seven hours is far too long for such a young dog - you really need to arrange daycare or a walker on those days, or at least get someone to pop in and let him out.

It sounds like he's not been housetrained properly and now you're leaving he's very anxious and eliminating more in the house.

You need to go back to basics - door shut to outside so you have to let him out, otherwise he won't differentiate between inside and outside.