Pooing and weeing inside for attention

[Ansumpasty]

Our dog is 14 months old and fully house trained. Never any accidents (except will do a teeny submissive or excited wee sometimes). As it’s been Covid most of the time we’ve had her, she isn’t very used to people coming round to the house.
My neighbour is my ‘support bubble’ and dropped presents round on Xmas eve. She was only here 2 mins. Our dog was barking for attention, then squatted down and weed all over the living room floor.
Same neighbour came round yesterday for a minute and the dog started barking again. I made sure she had just been out for a walk and a poo/wee. We tried to ignore, which didn’t work, then a little attention. I then put her in the kitchen with her toy and treat as she wouldn’t stop barking for attention. Checked on her a minute later and she had pood all over the kitchen floor.

This also happened a couple of weeks ago. Was trying to watch a film with the kids and the dog was barking at us for attention. Put her in the kitchen, poo on the floor.

This is only when we are home. She is in the kitchen when we are out and never poos or wees.

Any ideas how to nip it in the bud?

Sorry, but to me it sounds like the dog was barking to go out, you ignored it, and so she had no choice but to toilet on the floor.

Dogs have no concept of toileting for attention. She was barking to tell you she needed to go to the toilet.

@vanillandhoney

Definitely not, she had just come in from her walk and had been for both. She barks every time I talk to someone else, even outside on our walks. She also balks if I hug the kids, etc.

Dogs can definitely poo and wee for attention!

It might be nerves rather than attention. Our girl will wee or poo when anxious and so if your dog isn't used to guests having someone new in their space can be very overwhelming. I'd go for reassurance rather than ignoring.

Dogs can definitely poo and wee for attention!

Sorry I don’t think this is true at all. I’d say she’s weeing and pooing because of excitement or anxiety.

You need help and advice about the barking, and the weeing will probably resolve at the same time.

Dogs don’t go to the toilet for attention.

I agree that it sounds like the dogs was barking to be let out, and you didn’t let it out.

She might have just gone but with excitement or anxiety this may trigger another need to toilet.

My 4 year old dog still does submissive pees so I always get strangers when visiting the house to great him in the garden. Perhaps in the short term you could do the same and then get in a behaviourist to work on her anxiety.

[quote Ansumpasty]@vanillandhoney

Definitely not, she had just come in from her walk and had been for both. She barks every time I talk to someone else, even outside on our walks. She also balks if I hug the kids, etc.

Dogs can definitely poo and wee for attention![/quote]
But she clearly did need to go to the toilet, else she wouldn't have been able to produce anything. My dog often toilets on a walk and needs to go out in the garden soon afterwards - it's normal behaviour.

Dogs don't have the mental capacity to pee and poo for attention - their brains don't work that way. You're attributing human emotions to your dog.

Both incidents occurred when you had a neighbour visit - she could have been excited, or maybe anxious or nervous, all of which can cause a dog to need to toilet. Just like humans get a "funny tummy" or "nervous bladder", dogs do too.

You could pre-empt this by popping her in the garden when the neighbour comes, or letting her out to the toilet when she barks.

Thanks!

It’s frustrating as we usually take her to pubs/hotels, etc, but now I’m too worried that she will wee or poo on the floor inside there.

We have tried the reassurance but she wants my full attention, which is hard with guests! She does get very jealous (will bark and try to jump up if anyone hugs each other, etc) and doesn’t like if the kids sit on my knee. She’s only young, though

She's only young - she'll get there! :)

@vanillandhoney

We can’t let her in the garden as she isn’t used to it (when we got her as a puppy, she had 2 parasites and never poos in one place, she will walk and poo so would spread poo around the garden and stand in it), so does all wees and poos on walks with me. If someone comes, I can’t take her back out, so make sure she’s done a wee and poo right before.

I guess she’s excited or nervous

That makes it sound like I wasn’t picking it up in the garden- I don’t mean that, I mean she literally walks and poos instead of squatting and being still, so it’s in about 10 pieces and then she would tread in it as I was trying to pick it up! She also doesn’t poo on pavements or grass, only roads as that’s the only place where I felt she could safely poo when when she had parasites so she wouldn’t infect pedestrians or other dogs!

My neighbour does have a dog, who ours really loves and goes for walks with, so I guess she could be smelling the dog on them and getting over excited

[quote Ansumpasty]@vanillandhoney

We can’t let her in the garden as she isn’t used to it (when we got her as a puppy, she had 2 parasites and never poos in one place, she will walk and poo so would spread poo around the garden and stand in it), so does all wees and poos on walks with me. If someone comes, I can’t take her back out, so make sure she’s done a wee and poo right before.

I guess she’s excited or nervous[/quote]
I would still pop her out in the garden so if she does go, she does it out there. If she doesn't go, no harm done, but if she does, it's easier for you to clear up.

It is frustrating when they don't poo in one place but it's part of dog ownership sadly. Just pop out as soon as possible and clear it up, and wipe her paws before she comes back inside.

@vanillandhoney well now she doesn’t go in the garden, she loses her mind with excitement every time she manages to sneak out. She gets the zoomies and knocks plant pots over and tries to gobble flowers as she runs! She’s crazy. It ends in me trying to chase her round the garden and her digging under the trampoline, she’s a little monkey. She’s a pebble and flower eater (she will eat everything, including poo, which I’m guessing is from her parasite days). I tried to get her to wee in the garden when I wasn’t well, but I think she sees it as an extension of our house and now won’t go (except for zoomies!)

Oh dear! Maybe if the garden is out of bounds, pop her in the kitchen so any accidents are easier to clean up :)