Has all my good work gone to waste?

[assumpta]

Hi, I left our dog for what should have been 2 and a half hours this afternoon, but due to severe traffic it ended up being a lot longer than anticipated, closer to 4. Arrived back in to a kitchen of wee and poo and a VERY anxious dog. Have I broken his trust of me coming back, or as he ended up missing his quick afternoon trot could this have been the reason for inside poo? He has never done this before. He is a rescue that we have had for a few months and has been left before for reasonable amounts of time and has been absolutely fine? Do I treat it as a blip, or should I be anxious when I leave him to do my one hour shop, or do I leave him for short periods of time, starting from scratch?

It's hard to say if it's put you back for a bit, or if it was just too long for him to hold it given that he's used to going out to toilet at that time. If you've had to do any toilet training with him then it was probably just too long. Even if it has set you back, I don't think you'll be back at the beginning - a few shorter sessions and then you should be back where you were. Hope it goes well.

Thanks. I will try the shorter sessions again, starting today, by literally just closing the door and coming back in and building it up from there. I just hope I haven't ruined it. He also barks a lot in the morning when dh goes to work, often very early, but settles after I say a gentle 'quiet', but does not settle once he has heard the front door close, even when he is really quiet, dh, by using the key to shut the door instead of pulling it shut, this means that I am up as early as dh is, often 5.30!

If it's the first time you've left him for that long he was probably wondering where you were and thinking you'd never come back! Dogs can be sticklers for routine. Try not to worry about it, and you can level up the time you leave him for. One of our dogs used to leave us presents if we weren't back in time to feed them. Just make sure you use appropriate cleaner for the mess so the smell doesn't stay! He's still quite new to you, and still settling in. Keep up the good work!

Thank you. Yes, everything cleaned up and rinsed with vinegar. I have gone back to crating him bit by bit, both when I am there and when I am not. Just starting with short bursts and will lengthen day by day.