# follow up to last week's post - how can my dog not be ready for this?



## Puppy0226 (Jun 7, 2012)

Our 18 month old shihtzu is uncrated all day and we've no issues or accidents. As last Friday we decided to uncrate her at night. This is because she wakes up in the middle of the night and makes scratching noises shuffling noises etc in her crate and our apt is 760 square feet so we hear everything. Her crate is very large so she isn't like uncomfortable or tight. Since Friday she has been fine. She waits for us to wake up because she seems to wake up earlier than us. She is gated into the living room at night as she is all day when we are not here so that has not changed except now like the day she has freedom at night too. This morning there was poop/very runny wet poop on the floor when we got up. I am just shocked. Shocked because when we tried uncrating her at night 1 year ago, there was an accident. 1 year ago we related it to her eating too much bullystick so because we weren't sure we went back to crating her until last weekend we decided to try again. She normally poops 1-2 times only. Yesterday she last pooped at 1pm and not last night and I stayed out a while with her but that isnt out of the norm for her. I can just assume she wasn't feeling well but it does seem like a coincidence that she is uncrated and has an accident. Again she is uncrated allll day and we have yet to see an accident. I don't know how she can not be ready for being uncrated at night when she is uncrated all day. What do you guys think? I really don't want to go back to crating her but I just don't understand. I guess she wasn't really well but it is too much of a coincidence. She also never alerts us if she needs to go out so that was another reason we were nervous if we tried uncrating her at night.


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## cookieface (Jul 6, 2011)

"[V]ery runny wet poop" sounds like a health issue, not a house training issue.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

I agree that it sounds like a health issue. 

My pup has been out of his crate at night for over 6 months, but when he was sick he pooped on the floor twice. He actually did wake us up to take him out, but only after he had already pooped once. Sometimes they just can't help it if they're not feeling well.


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

This may be a bit off the wall ... but is she afraid of the dark? Is it dark where she is gated off at night? Maybe she was not feeling well and also a bit anxious sleeping in the dark by herself? Just a thought.

I have a dog who is afraid of the dark and won't go all the way out in the yard at night to go potty. Living in the woods ... it is pitch black out there. He will stay near the house light to go.


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

I agree, it could be health, or, as Abbylynn said, an anxiety issue. Some dogs find their crates very comforting, like their own "space" or "den", and being out of the crate, at night, when it's dark and quiet, may be upsetting.


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## Puppy0226 (Jun 7, 2012)

thanks guys - I guess I won't know until she feels better and we try again. I should have mentioned her set-up. Her crate is in the living room and didn't move. By uncrating I meant we just leave the crate door open and she has her little bed a few steps away which we think she likes better. SHe doesn't hate her crate but unlike other dogs she doesn't love it and wants to hang out in there all the time. She doesn't mind it and is fine and has no issues when we crate her but definitely prefers to hang out in her little bed instead so the dark thing she should be used too. You guys think because the living room is more of an open space than her dark crate that the dark could be an issue? I hadn't thought about that. We started uncrating on Friday so up until today she was fine.


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

Also ... maybe she is anxious because she wants to be near/with you at night instead of by herself in the living room?


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## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

Perhaps she was anxious and had diarrhea because of that? dogs will void their bowels when extremely stressed out, perhaps that's what she is doing? some dogs just like their crates, I have an older adult rescue that is like that, he likes his crate and also got really stressed out when I tried to have him stay out of it.

so maybe she just likes her crate. some dogs do.


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## Puppy0226 (Jun 7, 2012)

yeah it makes me really sad if that is why she got sick...giving her more freedom  . The same thing happened almost 1 year ago when we tried on night 1 which is why I didn't think it was a health thing this time around. I guess when you think you know your dog you really don't. We've never known her to have issues being alone and she never needs us to be right near her. She just cares that we are home with her. I guess if I thought she really loved her crate then I'd expect to see her there in the mornings and she isn't. She is either hanging out in the living room or in her bed.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Puppy0226 said:


> yeah it makes me really sad if that is why she got sick...giving her more freedom  . The same thing happened almost 1 year ago when we tried on night 1 which is why I didn't think it was a health thing this time around. I guess when you think you know your dog you really don't. We've never known her to have issues being alone and she never needs us to be right near her. She just cares that we are home with her. I guess if I thought she really loved her crate then I'd expect to see her there in the mornings and she isn't. She is either hanging out in the living room or in her bed.


Honestly, I think it's really unlikely that she was so upset by having the crate door open that it caused her to poop on the floor. Possible, but from what you've described, highly improbable, IMO. I think it's much more likely that she wasn't feeling well and it was a coincidence.


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## JuliaRose (Nov 14, 2013)

Sometimes that chronic soft stool is a result of a bacteria buildup they get in their gut. Ours had it at one point and was put on antibiotics and pepto from the vet and it cleared up straight away. I'd definitely get her checked so you can rule out whether it's actually a behavior issue, or a medical one... especially because of her age.


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## Puppy0226 (Jun 7, 2012)

She has been feeling well since yesterday afternoon and back to her old self. Her poop hasn't returned but per her patterns in the past I know that takes her a few days. She got chicken rice yesterday and this morning she got chicken/rice and her food mixed in.


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## Puppy0226 (Jun 7, 2012)

I wish she would just talk and tell me . I just hate to try this test out again to confirm ya know. If it was stress, I don't want to put her through it again.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Puppy0226 said:


> I wish she would just talk and tell me . I just hate to try this test out again to confirm ya know. If it was stress, I don't want to put her through it again.


Like I said, the chance that it was because of stress is really really low. She was in her normal environment and the only difference was an open crate door. That would only phase a dog who is already quite anxious about everything, not a normal dog.


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## Puppy0226 (Jun 7, 2012)

my husband just told me she got runny poop today with the dog walker so this now can't be stress right? I think maybe she has something going on and I should take her to the vet. I feel a bit relieved in an odd way.


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## LittleFr0g (Jun 11, 2007)

Puppy0226 said:


> my husband just told me she got runny poop today with the dog walker so this now can't be stress right? I think maybe she has something going on and I should take her to the vet. I feel a bit relieved in an odd way.


That would be my guess. Kuma is very reliable indoors, but a month or so ago, he had a bad case of the runs, and during that time, he just could not make it through the night or day without going in the house, poor guy. I had to put potty pads out for him during that time, and when the runs cleared up, so did his accidents. It's just like with us humans when we are sick, we have to go to the bathroom much more frequently, and so do they.

Mixing a tablespoon of canned pumpkin (pure pumpkin, no sugar added) into her food can go a long way to help firm up her poop. A bland diet of boiled ground beef and rice also really helps to settle an upset stomach.


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