Rescue dog weeing and pooing in the house every single night 😢

[RehomingRainbow]

We were told he had been rehomed to the bulldog trust due to him being incredibly stubborn and refusing to be toilet trained

Lots or behaviouralists etc and no change at all they said but were hoping, as were we that it was maybe due to stress as he lived In a busy household and was heavily scolded for accidents

He is walked at 10-11pm and goes to the toilet during this and has dinner at 5 yet still manages to wee and ooi overnight and I don’t know how he’s even got anything left!

Any advice really appreciated as I have another dog but had him from a puppy and he was easily trained 😢

Have you tried crate training?

www.petplan.co.uk/pet-information/dog/advice/dogs-trust/guide-to-crate-training-your-dog/

Sounds very stressful, how long have you had him? I’m assuming he’s been fully vet checked for any health issues? Is he crate trained? Dogs generally do not like to toilet where they sleep so using a crate overnight can be extremely helpful and then in the morning you take them straight outside and lots of praise when they have been, if he’s not crate trained you can’t just put him in a crate as it would be far too stressful, that also needs training.

I would get up in the night and take him outside a few times, it will be tiring but this is what I do with some foster dogs. Give a toilet command like wee wee’s when you are where you want him to go and you can say good wee wees when he’s going then he can associate a word with the action and he gets praise.

As another poster has said I'd try some positive reinforcement with treats when they go outside and give a command. Also I had this problem with my rescue and I brought her dinner time forward to 3pm (she was being fed at 6pm) we then take her out for a walk at 6/7pm so she can for her constitutional and she's been great ever since, like you I was wondering how much waste a dog can produce.

Where does the dog sleep? Could it be a reaction to separation?

Is he a french bulldog? I've heard lots of people say they're incredibly hard to house train, even if you've had them from a puppy 😬

How old?

Sounds like he is stressed. Have you tried sleeping with him or him sleeping with you? If he is medically healthy then that would be the first thing to try.

If he was told off for accidents and treated as stubborn, there's your answer - he now thinks that he mustn't go to the toilet when people are around or he'll be punished. Poor thing.

I think you might have to treat him like a tiny puppy, taking him outside before and after every walk, meal, play, etc, and reward handsomely (with food) every time he does anything - especially when you're watching.

I would also push his dinner time back later - I'm not sure how long it takes for a dog to process food but it's probably the overnight poo source.

Where does he sleep? Dogs usually don't like messing in their beds if they can avoid it.

Bulldogs are incredibly difficult to toilet train at the best of times unfortunately.

What are his sleeping arrangements like? Could he be anxious or upset at being on his own, for example?

How often is he taken out during the day? Does he have accidents then?

Back to basics … Crate if possible - if not invest in good play pen & washable puppy pads

How old is he?
I'd also recommend crate training.
Is he ok through the day including when left alone?
Could be a variety of problems not related to being stubborn.

It won't be fun but I would be getting up every hour or so in the night for the next few days and taking him outside and rewarding him handsomely when he goes. He'll get it eventually.

Sorry for the late reply.

He is a French bulldog as is my other dog who had no problems training but he was a puppy when we got him so different.

He is 3 years old, neutered and had lots of tests via the bulldog trust due to the constant wet poos but nothing found so they marked it as anxiety and recommended only chappie for him to eat as any other food / treats seem to go straight through him 😢

He sleeps in the kitchen with our other dog - they have their own beds but occasionally I’ll find them in the same one so they seem to be fine together and no arguments at all between them the whole time

If I let him out he will go for a poo nearly every single time and I don’t know if this is stress related we he was in a lot of trouble for the toileting in his previous home 😢

He does the same during the day ( I work from home ) as in accidents now and again in any room he’s in at the time however is walked 3 times a day and also goes every time then!

He was crated before the trust said for over a year as they were trying to train him and would often wee and poo even in the crate and was very distressed being in one so that’s why we haven’t considered doing that again

I will do what one poster said and set a few alarms tonight I think to let him out but I almost don’t want to encourage the frequency of him going to the toilet if that makes sense and it seems so excessive.
He is slight for a Frenchie although within the normal weight range 😢

After reading your update and him not having solid poo it sounds like he honestly can’t help it. I have fostered a lot of French bulldogs and stomach and skin issues is very common in them. I’m not a vet or animal medical professional but in my experience I now always put Frenchies on Nutrix food - https://www.nutrixpetfoods.co.uk/adult-dog-food

Specifically the Pork and apple one or the Duck and orange. For me this has worked a treat including on dogs who had hemorrhagic gastroenteritis but of course you may wish to consult your vet first. If you don’t want to change food then you could try pumpkin powder on top of his current one, this helps firm up poop - https://amzn.eu/d/72J3Zll

Your update sounds more like it’s a health issue than a housetraining one tbh.

I didn't want to post before you confirmed the breed...but Frenchies are really well known for bladder control and related issued. It's part of why they are amongst the worst to house-train. It's very often not deliberate on their part but rather incontinence - a byproduct of piss-poor breeding more often than not.

Assuming he is not doing deliberately (cocking his leg etc) and it's lots of little puddles, and you've done all the big tests (spinal injury IVDD etc), then you may well need to accept it's something like USMI.

Edit: Double posted the same sentence!

It’s not so much wee as the poo actually - he doesn’t seem to go for wees more than our other dog.

Hes had every test going and nothing came back so that’s why it was put down to behaviour but maybe a change of food is the next step to see if it helps - I’ve been worried about changing it in case it made it worse

Ignore me then! I only noticed the wee bit 😃

It sounds like he has some serious stomach issues - poor boy.

I would maybe look into getting him some allergy testing.

Take him to the vet.

Then maybe install a doggy door? You can get chips on collars that open them, or work off their mircochip.

Ask the vet for a course of probiotics for him.

Have you tried Scooch? A brand of supplements which help with a variety of issues. Our cavapoo was a constant scratcher.. until we tried this. Completely sorted the issue.

Aww bless him. Could you feed him earlier, 11am ish.

Do people generally feed twice a day?

I always have but perhaps one meal would be better for him
He has already had an abundance of allergy testing by the bulldog trust which all came back inconclusive hence just advising chappie as the plainest food possible

Im taking him to the vet tomorrow just to be checked over again as he is straining to go for a poo every single time he goes outside near enough so I don’t know whether he’s just learnt to keep trying or something is triggering him feeling he needs to go

He’s happy and healthy in every other way!

I would probably try grain free food and probiotic. There's a gel like a probiotic dog gel toothpaste tube looking type you can get. Maybe he's anxious too if he's getting in with the other dog maybe he's anxious without you. My shihtzu sleeps next to me he has a bed on the floor but never used it unless it's hot weather he stays with me I love the snuggles though I know some people don't like dogs on beds. He's bathed and brushed a lot though. Maybe smaller meals spread over 3. I'm thinking about trying happy dog or maybe a raw diet with nurturing by nature it's completely different than dry or dog food all the dogs I know on raw have healthier teeth coat and no allergies. Not sure on the change over though it could be tricky need to read up more. Hope you solve this x