# Dog hiding to pee/poop



## pookers (Oct 12, 2010)

Our 3 year old pembroke corgi has been pooping/peeing at random in our hallway, where we can't see. He never alerts us if he has to go outside, so he just gets taken out at regular intervals and is often crated. Today it had only been 6 hours since he last had been taken outside. Last night he pooped right behind the couch and it had been less 3 hours since he had been outside. 

He needs extremely long walks in order to poop, so that usually only happens every other walk. We have tried quite a lot of methods (treats, praise, prong collar, dominant dog collar) to get him to walk politely on the leash, but he still does not behave well outside. He barks and growls at strangers (and me if I correct him) and strains at the lead. 

He typically goes every 9 hours, but is crated at the 6 hour mark. Sometimes he stays out without peeing/pooping for 8. We have a 9 month old baby and live in an apartment, so there are limits to how closely we can watch him. We are on the second floor, so rushing outside won't work. 

He's always had this issue, but it seems to be getting worse. I feel like it's a revenge, anger type behavior, as it is usually preceded by him being ignored or punished. At this point, I'm at the end of my rope, and as our baby gets older, he's going to get less attention. I also don't want her getting into it, and she crawls on that floor, which I find disgusting. 

I can only imagine keeping him crated even more than he already is, or getting rid of him. He was stillborn and I wonder if he is just beyond our limits to train, despite our best efforts. Any advice?


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## Cracker (May 25, 2009)

pookers said:


> > Our 3 year old pembroke corgi has been pooping/peeing at random in our hallway, where we can't see. He never alerts us if he has to go outside, so he just gets taken out at regular intervals and is often crated. Today it had only been 6 hours since he last had been taken outside. Last night he pooped right behind the couch and it had been less 3 hours since he had been outside.
> 
> 
> Has he ever been fully housetrained? Do you punish him for his accidents? What's his feeding schedule like? What sort of exercise and what type of food does he get?
> ...


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## pookers (Oct 12, 2010)

He goes on and off again with the accidents, sometimes months between incidents. We think he's stopped and then suddenly it starts up again with almost daily frequency. Crating seems to be the only way to control it.



> He typically goes every 9 hours, but is crated at the 6 hour mark. Sometimes he stays out without peeing/pooping for 8. We have a 9 month old baby and live in an apartment, so there are limits to how closely we can watch him. We are on the second floor, so rushing outside won't work.
> Crated outside? sorry this part is unclear for me.


Sorry, I meant that I can leave him to his own devices in the house for quite a long time, but we try to get him in the crate after 6 hours in order to try and contain the behavior. 

As far as punishment goes, I probably should have said reprimanded. He has a habit of doing little naughty things like trying to jump up on the dining room table or eat clothes that are left lying around. No hitting, but I will admit to yelling sometimes when I have lost my temper, especially if he has damaged something expensive. If he does go on the floor, we often don't find it until later so I don't think the punishment has a purpose, but we usually show it to him and say "bad dog". He's fed on a timer, twice daily. He eats Orijen. Exercise unfortunately is contained to running laps in the apartment, chasing the poor cat and his walks 2x daily.

I don't think he's afraid to pee/poop in front of us, he does that quite often (even inside) as well. He has started going right in front of us, while making eye contact. He even peed in the bed I was sleeping in one day, which is what makes me feel like it's revenge even if that's not going on. 

He never has been fully housebroken because he never gives us any sign that he needs to go, and these random accidents have never cleared up for more than a few months at a time. We just take him out periodically and he will usually go. He's eager and enthusiastic to go outside, but he won't stop straining at the lead, enough so that I was afraid to walk him while pregnant and have to keep the baby in a carrier while I am walking him. He doesn't pay attention to commands while we are outside even though he does understand commands like "heel". I can control him moderately only after using a very hard correction.

When he was a puppy he was pretty spoiled, and the center of attention. Cuddled, slept in our bed, we even bought him little sweaters to wear in the snow. Called him our "son". As we've gotten older and had a baby, he gets less of it. For me, personally, his continued accidents in the house and the expense I have put out replacing damaged things(especially the incident where he peed on the bed I was sleeping in) have decreased my enthusiasm for spending time bonding with him. It's been a gradual decrease in attention but I believe this may be what is causing the behavior. 

At this point, hiring a professional is beyond our means, with the new baby and what we have already spent with him ruining the carpets in two separate apartments and vet bills getting some kind of food poisoning earlier this year. That is why I wonder if he would be better off with someone who can devote more hours and finances into helping him become a good dog. My husband still really loves the dog and wants to make it work, but it has to be something we can do without a trainer.


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## Cracker (May 25, 2009)

Okay.
First, no showing the accident and saying bad. Does absolutely no good. Crating as much as is necessary is fine. 
If your hubby wants to make it work he needs to be able to put the time into working with the dog. If this is possible there are lots of good resources I can point you towards. 

It's very likely stress related behaviours. Changes in routine, especially since he was given so much attention as a youngster can be very hard on a dog. Doesn't mean you can do much about that and it's not wrong as your priorities have changed, but it HAS affected him and it's important to understand that and the fact that HE doesn't understand it. 

One, he needs more exercise. He is a young adult of a herding/working breed. They are not meant to be couch potatoes. The good thing is that this does not have to mean hours of running with the dog. You can work some clicker training/mind work exercises into the day and a tired brain reduces anxiety AND helps the dog feel he's been working. Tiring him out brainwise first can make the walks somewhat easier. If he's understimulated this can be why he doesn't listen to commands and pulls on the leash so much when he's outside. He wants and needs to RUN. Can he do a dog park visit once a day or a several times a week? 

If your husband can or is willing to put some more time in, smart time, this may be able to be overcome. 

Let me know if you think this is feasible and I'll give you some links and ideas for things to start on.


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## pookers (Oct 12, 2010)

The lack of exercise makes sense and my husband is definitely willing to put time into this. What other suggestions do you have for him?
As for me, if he was human I'd take him to therapy and try and work out our issues but he can't talk. Any ideas on how to rekindle my former relationship with this dog? Or maybe if the behaviors improve so will our bond. Its kind of hard not to take it personally when someone pees in your bed while you are sleeping in it.


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

Oh my! Well, my first suggestion would be that if he isn't 100% housetrained he shouldn't be sleeping on the bed!  
I agree that he has been affected by the huge lifestyle change that having children creates! Congratulations on your baby, by the way!  And, of course, your priorities are going to change! That's completely natural and right! But, I think that explains a lot of it!
So, are there times when your child is asleep and you can spend some time with your "son"? Some quality training time with treats, or some games in the apartment? We play hide and seek with our pups; we put them in a sit/stay and go hide. We tell them "come" and they have to find us!  We also play hide the treat.
As far as the walking, that's something I would work on, because that can be really good bonding time, once you get the issues out of the way. There are lots of stickies on walking on this forum! Very good info! And, if the walking issues get better you could spend some quality walking time with him!

When he has accidents in the house, do you clean them with an enzymatic cleaner? Regular household carpet cleaners, even if they say they work on pet stains, don't do the job! Dogs have better noses than we do; we may think the stain and odor is gone, but dogs can still smell them. So, an enzymatic cleaner, or a mixture of white vinegar and water is great!

I agree with not scolding, or even showing your dog his mess and saying bad. Doesn't do anything. Is it possible for you to set a timer to make sure he gets out on regular intervals?


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