# One year old dog won't stop peeing/pooing in the house



## korraley (Jun 14, 2011)

My one year old German Shepherd won't stop peeing/pooing in the house! This problem is nothing new. He does both every night no matter how many times we take him out, and also goes every time we leave the house. I can take him out right before we leave, leave and forget something and run back upstairs, and he will have already gone to the bathroom. We restrict his water, but it doesn't seem to help. We were crating him for a few months, but I awoke to such a mess every morning - pee and poo all over him, the cage, the walls, the floor ... it took two hours to clean everything and give him a bath. It was such a hassle that we stored the crate. Its much easier to just clean a pile of pee and poo off of the floor. He also sometimes has accidents when it seems he shouldn't. Today he had an accident less than three hours since I took him out, with no water in between. Usually his potty spot is in the living room, but occasionally (and what happened this time) is while he was standing in a different room, then he starts walking while peeing, which is always fun to clean up  

Right now he is on a strict schedule of going out every three hours. We have gone back to basics hoping that helps. He's been trained to ask for the door, which he does only sometimes. We're working on it hoping more training will help. If anyone has any suggestions on how to help him, I would greatly appreciate it! 

Other info that might help: 
I have read that it could possibly be anxiety from an unsure place in the home, but he is so well behaved, it surely seems like he could not have dominance confusion. He sits and waits for his food and water, and you can put a treat on his nose and he won't get it until you tell him its okay!
We have two young children and two cats.
He injured his leg, and the vet said that he didn't want him walking on it too much or running, so his exercise is restricted.

Thanks so much!


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## Irishman (May 13, 2011)

This could be the result of a medical issue, or it could be behavioral. Is your crate too large, or not large enough? There are generally guidelines on types of dogs for crate sizes. This is important. Also, you might try moving the crate into your bedroom. If this is being caused by anxiety, being in your presence might help. At the very least, he might make some noise indicating his need to go, and you could let him out. If he's having accidents all over the house, get a comfortable harness and a leash, and keep him right with you at all times for a few weeks (when he's not crated or outside). When he shows signs of getting ready to let it flow, take him outside.

I don't know how you're reacting to this, but if you're getting upset with him or punishing him, *please stop immediately*. If not, then good for you. The reasons for this are many, and are listed in detail on other potty-training posts, but to make it very short - the chance that he'll even understand what you're punishing him for is very slight. Give treats for pottying outside. Unless this is the result of some medical condition, I would say that it's the result of anxiety. See if you can figure out things that might be causing your dog to stress out, and keep a watch on his body language for stress markers (just Google dog calming signals or body language).


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