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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

I am absolutely at my wits end with my dogs shitting in the house.

107 replies

Gozdilla · 22/12/2023 09:49

Have 3 dogs. 2 over 5 and one puppy (9 months) who we did not intend to get but was more dumped on us at 10 weeks. But we love her.

We moved house 6 months ago, pup was still having accidents.

Dogs didn't want to poop outside as it was all flags.
So we took up 3mx3m of flags and put grass down.
They were much happier at going outside.

But every night I'm coming down to shit.

The older dogs are doing it and I'm pretty sure the puppy is EATING it.

As last night a chunk had been taken onto my fucking couch and her breath stunk of shit.

They get fed at 5pm. They go out for shits at night but they're still doing it inside.

My husband is on the verge of losing it.

Every morning the first thing we smell as we come downstairs is shit.

I'm sick to fucking death of it and I don't know what to do

Please help me :(

OP posts:
Original poster
Gozdilla · 22/12/2023 23:00

endoflevelbaddy · 22/12/2023 22:55

We've got a shih tzu mix too and she'll use a cat flap to let herself in and out if addressing the routine & evening walk doesn't help.
She's also a swine for shit eating even at 6, had to get rid of the kitten's litter tray pretty sharpish (hence the cat flap) 🤢

I've been told they're quite lazy dogs for toileting inside. They're also crossed with pugs who don't like the cold and rain either.

I think it's gotten especially bad as its so cold and rainy. They just don't want to be out there.

OP posts:
AmethystSparkles · 22/12/2023 23:01

Mine are walked at 9am (usually do one poo) and 4pm (usually no poos). They’re bichon frises.

WeWishYouAMerryChristmas2023 · 22/12/2023 23:03

WeWishYouAMerryChristmas2023 · 22/12/2023 22:39

It’s not difficult though is it? Two walks a day isn’t a lot to ask if you CHOOSE to own a dog. If you have a dog then you care for them. Yes it may be raining, snowing, blowing a gale etc but get your boots on and a coat on and off you go, that’s what you sign up for with dog ownership. You can even buy head torches if you need one. Why do people get dogs then whine about not being able to cater for their needs? If you can’t be arsed to walk a dog then don’t have one, our last walk is at 10pm.

Yes some dogs don’t want to go out in some weather but they get used to routine, you make it fun not a chore.

Edited
Show quote history

@Gozdilla you clearly missed this post as well as many others offering advice.

Original poster
Gozdilla · 22/12/2023 23:03

I don't really have the room for 3 crates. They just sleep on the couch with dog blankets. I don't really have anywhere to put 3 crates at the moment as my 2nd reception room is occupied as a bedroom.

So I only have the small living room and kitchen.

I'm trying to think of how I could crate them but I just don't have the room downstairs.

I have more room upstairs but they're not allowed up here.

OP posts:
Original poster
Gozdilla · 22/12/2023 23:04

WeWishYouAMerryChristmas2023 · 22/12/2023 23:03

@Gozdilla you clearly missed this post as well as many others offering advice.

Show quote history

What are you on about? I said they get walked every day. They get walked multiple times 🤔

OP posts:
Abidingailurophile · 22/12/2023 23:05

ItWillWash · 22/12/2023 11:46

@FuckinghellthatsUnbelievable unless you catch the dog in the act any telling-off is at best, a waste of breath, at worst actually teaching them to hide where they do their business.

Dogs live in the moment. By the time you find a half-eaten shit, they've forgotten all about it. They cannot correlate the telling off with what they were doing hours or even minutes earlier. They can associate an accident on the floor with being told off, but not that they caused the accident, isywim?

So, they will shit out of sight because they learned that shit in the middle of the floor is bad but they did not learn that toileting in the house is bad.

A half-eaten shit Grin

I am so keen for a dog but this phrase might have just cooled it a little.

Justtobeclear · 22/12/2023 23:06

We have a rescue that is like this. The only thing that works is a crate. She loves her space and NEVER goes in there. If I leave her out (even to do a quick bit of shopping) she will poop and wee on the kitchen floor. I hated the crate idea but actually she happily goes in there and sleeps soundly all night. We tried everything else recommended and this was the only thing that worked.

GreatGateauxsby · 22/12/2023 23:08

We front weight our dogs food. She literally gets a biscuit before bed.

shes gets a good breakfast and a morning walk. Something at lunch, whatever scraps she can scrounge at dinner, then bedtime biscuit

Original poster
Gozdilla · 22/12/2023 23:10

Justtobeclear · 22/12/2023 23:06

We have a rescue that is like this. The only thing that works is a crate. She loves her space and NEVER goes in there. If I leave her out (even to do a quick bit of shopping) she will poop and wee on the kitchen floor. I hated the crate idea but actually she happily goes in there and sleeps soundly all night. We tried everything else recommended and this was the only thing that worked.

The pup never pooped in her crate either so I think I'm going to definitely put her in the crate. That also elimantes her getting the the others poops.

I'm going to look into crates for the other 2 also.

OP posts:
HappiestSleeping · 22/12/2023 23:26

Abidingailurophile · 22/12/2023 23:05

A half-eaten shit Grin

I am so keen for a dog but this phrase might have just cooled it a little.

Show quote history

My one looks like shit wouldn't melt in his mouth. But it does, especially rabbit shit, deer shit, horse shit, and his particular favourite, cat shit.

He's very sweet otherwise, as long as he doesn't breathe on me.

I am absolutely at my wits end with my dogs shitting in the house.
widebrimmedhatstand · 23/12/2023 00:08

Adding another vote to the 'Patterdales are terriorists' group. My terrier is completely house trained, but isn't allowed upstairs. If we ever leave the door to the stairs open he runs upstairs and poos in our bedroom. He spends hours of every day outside with me while I tend the animals on the farm, so I'm not buying the 'not properly house trained' bollocks or the not enough exercise. He's just wee arsehole, and if I didn't love him with every fibre of my being, I'd have wrung his neck by now!

Copperoliverbear · 23/12/2023 00:38

They need a long walk in the evening about 45 minutes after their dinner so they can digest their food and give them a chance to go to the toilet a few times, walking help them go to the toilet.
They need an hour in the evening and and hour in the morning, could be an hour and a half depending on their size.
If you can't do this, you should re home them.
They're going to the toilet inside because they have no routine and not long enough walks.

WomanFromTheNorth · 23/12/2023 01:47

How many walks a day are they getting?

NancyBlackettwasthebest · 23/12/2023 08:12

Slightly different suggestion but are you using an enzyme based cleaner to completely get rid of the smell? Mine was a terror for going back in the same place until we started using the cleaner

margotrose · 23/12/2023 08:22

I think it's gotten especially bad as it's so cold and rainy. They just don't want to be out there.

So you need to go out with them, on leads if necessary, so they can't mess about or pretend or get distracted.

That may mean taking them out individually at first and standing there until they toilet.

My beagle is six and will still tit about at bedtime and pretend to pee if it's raining!

Hummmmaybe · 23/12/2023 08:27

We had one who always went overnight and we fed him at 5, took him out etc etc. Our vet friend said to try and feed him much later instead as some dogs need to go 12 hours after feeding. We pushed dinner back to 20.30 and no problems since! Maybe worth a try if you know which one is doing it…

bozzabollix · 23/12/2023 09:01

At the risk of giving @Theredfoxfliesatmidnight an aneurysm through horror (that’d be a shame, one less joyless dog hater in the world), maybe have them in your bedroom over night shut in. It becomes their sleeping quarters and it’ll be unlikely they poo, and if they really need to you’ll be available to let them out.

Teentaxidriver · 23/12/2023 09:44

Loving the “one less joyless dog hater in the world” comment

ItWillWash · 23/12/2023 10:05

My beagle is six and will still tit about at bedtime and pretend to pee if it's raining!

My Beagle cross doesn't seem to notice rain. He also loves snow and fireworks. It's very annoying for me when other people's dogs are insisting on shorter walks while mine wants to go out for longer because OMG! The ground is white and the sky is exploding!

DD's oldest chi would probably implode if we made her go outside in the rain. I still maintain that chihuahuas are not dogs. They are some kind of strange alien cat Xmas Grin

OP, I would start by looking at your routine and diet. The higher quality food you can afford the smaller and firmer the waste will be. They'll also want to go less often. My beagle cross is raw-fed but that is only because I am yet to find a kibble that doesn't give him the shits. The only wet foods that agree with him are the super expensive ones. My previous dogs were fed Millie's Wolfheart Country Side mix.

Can their last meal be fed earlier? Their last walk/trip to the garden be later? If you do use the garden supervise them and do not let them back inside until they have toiletted. Give massive praise when they go.

If that doesn't work go back to basics. How did you train them not to go overnight when they were puppies? If possible do that again if not research different approaches (crate overnight/get up during the night to let them out/have them in your room so you can supervise...)

When I train DD's Chis ready for our holiday I plan to have them on my bed overnight. They cannot get down on their own as it is too high and they won't mess where they sleep.

margotrose · 23/12/2023 10:31

@ItWillWash he absolutely loves the snow but hates being cold 🙄 he spends most of his life buried under a blanket or under our duvet snoring his head off 🙈

The coat is mainly for keeping him warm if we're doing a slow sniffy walk or if we're on a full day out that will involve a fair bit of standing or sitting around:

Pigsinpainauchocolat · 23/12/2023 10:38

Theredfoxfliesatmidnight · 22/12/2023 11:01

This is why dogs are fucking disgusting, and why people dislike them / don't want them in cafes etc. Take the anthropomorphism out of it and they're fucking repulsive animals.

This is in active before the fur baby crowd arrive.

Hide the doghouse topic then, if you hate dogs so much, you weirdo.

isopogon · 23/12/2023 10:57

Auē sounds really hard!

My last dog (chihuahua) was perfectly toilet trained apart from a short time when we moved house - stressful for dog, stressful for you! Seemed like our dog didn’t feel it was his house so ok to toilet there, and his people were around so safe. Garden also not his, didn’t feel safe there at all unless we were with him. (NZ, sliders open almost all the time all year)
He learned pretty quickly that this house was his home so not for toilet and we learned that he needed us to go out in the garden with him frequently for a few weeks till he felt safe alone there.
Rescue dog, never really felt comfortable going on walks!

wordout · 23/12/2023 11:33

We did at 10.00pm long walk every night

Stokin · 23/12/2023 19:04

No need to feed the adult dogs in the evening unless there's a medical reason. Feed them in the morning. Puppy shouldn't be on anymore than two meals a day at 9 months and one meal if small breed.

RowanMayfair · 24/12/2023 08:58

If you're just putting them in the garden after dinner and expecting them to poo that's clearly not enough. Mine doesn't like pooing in the garden and will hold on until he has a walk. You need to walk them after dinner and let them have a poo, their digestive system clearly requires an evening poo but they aren't getting a chance to do it.
You can also reduce the need for evening poo as others have said by feeding earlier and feeding more in the morning and less in the afternoon.