# Help! Puppy poops in my spare bedroom!



## graficoartista31 (Feb 16, 2007)

Hey guys...

I am having a real problem and I am not sure how to correct it. So I am turning to you all since you have been a great help with other issues thus far. Hopefully you can help me with this new development...

My dog davinci is going on 8 months old and up until now, we have lived in an apartment where I would have to take davinci and my other dog for walks to go potty. It was a battle at first but eventually taught davinci not only that he needs to pee and poop outside, but where to go and when. He would still have urine accidents inside but he NEVER pooped inside.

We recently moved into a house where I continued my potty training by walking him outside on a leash for the first month to the same spot in the back yard o show him his new spot to potty. He did really well and astonishingly, he didnt have any accidents inside. He actually started to ask to go out and things were going good. He still had accidents but for the most part, he knew outside was where to go.

I have noticed a new development in pottytraining and its not for the better. He started to make our spare bedroom a place to poop. Well, in keeping up with my training, I scolded him and made sure he knew it wasn't ok to go inside. He'd do it again.. same spot. I'd scold him more and it just started to get worse and worse and worse. To the point where I had to shut the door to the room he has chosen so he can't go in there. I didnt realise how important that room was to him until I was showing my house to some guests and when we walked into that room, davinci skattered into it sniffing like crazy and then poped a squat right there as if to say "The bathroom is open!"

I am not sure how this happened but instead of urine mistakes, I am now dealing with the opposite. POOP! Did I scold him to hard when he pooped inside to where he is too scared to poop at all? The room he goes in is the least used room which is why he probably chose it. Why though? What caused him to stop going outside and start going inside?

When I noticed his improvement to pottying outside, I started to hook him up outside so he can spend some time out there.. This is when I noticed the change. Is he too distracted outside? Is the grass height a factor? (he is a 15lb dog and the gras is a tad tall)... Did I scare him too much when he mistaked inside so he now thinks poop all together is bad reguardless of where he goes?

Whatever the reason... How do I fix it? I started to walk him outside again and bring treats with me. The issue is.. he won't poop for me to even give him the chance to get a treat. How do I get him to go out there? HELP!


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## Lightwingcreations (May 7, 2007)

It sounds like you are going to need to go back to crate training or tethering him to you at all times so that he can't be out of sight. You really need to get something like Nature's Miracle or Simple Solution to treat and clean the affected spots where he has soiled on the carpet. If you don't the smell will linger and could very well be triggering him to go to the bathroom in the same area over and over again (follow directions on solutions closely so it works). Do you have a backyard? You may need to spend more time outside to make sure he goes potty and praise like crazy with treats and hooplah. But still, don't give him free reign in the house. Go back to the basics of house-training as if he were much younger and be consistent. I know it can be a pain, but it will pay off so that you can have a dog that you can trust in your home. 
There could be other reasons for this change in behavior: switched food, yours and their routines have changed, health issue, etc. So, you might want a vet visit to check on his health. I'm not saying you don't take care of your pet. Some things get "masked" by dogs in such a way that you have no clue that they are ill. Good Luck


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## BoxMeIn21 (Apr 10, 2007)

Great advice above, but I would like to add a little more. I think you did take a couple steps in the wrong direction when you scolded him. What you should have done instead is scooped him up and took him outside to finish, but never with a harsh word. This is certainly fixable, you just are going to need to praise the hell outta him now when he does go outside and if you should find an accident, clean it up without a word.


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## borzoimom (May 21, 2007)

Going back to the crate training is a good one- let me add an explantion. 
I have had this situation before. The "spare" or infrequently used rooms are not " perceived" always as an extension of the house. It doesnt contain your scent as much etc. Besides the above housebreaking hints, start spending sometime in that room.. We have a seldom used computer in our 3rd spare room... Or uh read in there. ( with the dog with you..but watching the dog..) 
Also- I use wire crates not enclosed ( vari kennel type or hard plastic) to housebreak. The reason is that I have found the dog sees the room as an extension of the crate easier IMO. ( ie do not go potty in the crate- or the open room...)


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## RedyreRottweilers (Dec 17, 2006)

1) eliminate access to this room. Close the door, or use a baby gate to keep him out

2) If you have not been doing so, start supervising outdoor elimination, and FOOD REWARDING the dog for ALL outdoor elimination. Food rewards should go outside with you, and be given to the dog immediately upon finishing his job.

3) Roll up a good sized newspaper, and put a rubber band on both ends. Keep it handy. The very next time you find a spot your puppy has left on the floor for you, grab that newspaper, and bop YOURSELF firmly over the top of the head several times while you repeat: I NEED TO SUPERVISE MY PUPPY MORE CAREFULLY. Works every time.


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## borzoimom (May 21, 2007)

" 3) Roll up a good sized newspaper, and put a rubber band on both ends. Keep it handy. The very next time you find a spot your puppy has left on the floor for you, grab that newspaper, and bpb YOURSELF firmly over the top of the head several times while you repeat: I NEED TO SUPERVISE MY PUPPY MORE CAREFULLY. Works every time. "..

LOL! I have heard that one before.. lol.


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## threedognite (Feb 10, 2007)

I'm guessing the reason your dog pooped in the bedroom in the first place was that maybe he smelled the scent of another animal in there. No matter how old the scent or how small, a dog can smell it. Once he pooped in the room he continued going back to his scent. Your dog is too young to be given free reign in your house. You need to keep ALL doors closed and your dog should either be tethered to you or kept somewhere where you can watch him.
Yes, you scolded him when you shouldn't have. After the first scolding, your dog feared you and found 'safety' in that room where he continued to poop away from you. Never never scold a dog for peeing or pooping in the house. IF you happen to catch him in the 'act', give a firm "NO" and take him outside. When he finishes outside, praise him lavishly.
Yelling, scolding, hitting, rubbing a dog's face in his urine and feces doesn't accomplish anything positive. Think of it like this: If you were a wolf and the pack leader, would you bark, growl, bite or hit another pack member for pooping on the ground? Certainly not. You would probably sniff it, pee on it and walk away. Of course as a human, you aren't going to do that but your dog sees you as his pack leader and if you are scolding him for anything at all, he sees you as an UNSTABLE pack leader. 
I would suggest that if that room has a carpet in it, tear it out. Buy an odor removing enzyme product and clean the floor thouroughly. Either put down a new carpet or wood flooring or something and CLOSE THE DOOR!!!!! 
I wanted to add that while your dog is still young, he needs to be taught the house rules. Rooms with doors are off limits as well as all furniture. If you don't want him in the kitchen, block it off with a child gate. When your dog is completely housebroken and I mean 100 percent housebroken, when he behaves himself in the house by not destroying anything or running through the house like a tornado, then he can be trusted but not until then. You can teach your dog to go outside like I did with my dogs. I purchased a small cow bell at Petsmart in the training aid aisle and hung it on the door knob of my french doors. I taught my then two month old Goldendoodle to ring the bell by first ringing the bell so she could hear what kind of sound it made. Then with treats in my pouch, I touched her paw on the bell and gave her a treat. Then I rang the bell and opened the door. All the while I was (stupidly) telling her that the "magic" bell opens the door.
I didn't want her to get the idea that she could ring the bell to go out and play so I went outside with her and when she pottied, I praised her and brought her back inside. She knows what "Go potty, hurry up" means. We worked on this for a few days and she got it. She is now over a year old and still rings the bell and only when she has to go potty.
After she learned to ring the bell, I tried and tried to teach my adult German Shepherd to do the same thing. I gave up after awhile because he would just stand there and whine to go out. One day out of the blue, I heard the bell ring and there he stood, wanting to go out! I praised him and opened the door. He only rings the bell on occasion because the doodle gets to it first. 
Anyway, I hope you get this situation under control before your house starts to smell. Good luck.


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