So, my dog came house trained. Never had a problem in his previous home. Didn't have a problem at the SPCA (I NEVER had to clean up his kennel while he stayed there - I work there p/t FYI). He didn't even have a problem for the first few weeks we had him.
But then one night he pooped in the room we're trying to rent out. So I cleaned it up and closed the door. I figured it was an accident, and if I just restricted his access to the room, he wouldn't try and do it again. And then a few days/week later, it was in the spare room. So I cleaned it up and restricted access to that room. And then it became the hallway. And once it has been the bedroom, and once the living room, but both of those were while he had tummy problems, so I discounted them.
Now, he poops inside once every few days. I let him out asap when I wake up at 7, he gets a 10-15 minute pre-work walk at 8 (until he poops, usually). I come home at lunch JUST to walk him. I come home again another 4 hours later, and I let him out right away, and then take him for a long walk later. He gets let out right before bed. He isn't wanting for outside time. So...I can't figure out why he poops inside.
And then today, I noticed a funky smell upstairs. The SPCA smell, the smell of animals. So I thought I should vacuum the carpet. And I did. And then I noticed a stain on the wall. He had peed on one of the walls! So I just went up to clean it up, and I noticed ELEVEN more spots, some that looked really old. We have poor lighting in the house, and I've never noticed a smell before. So I just spent an hour on my hands and knees with a jumbo bottle of Nature's Miracle, scrubbing the walls in the hallway with a headlamp on. It's almost only the hallway.
I...don't want to crate him. I can't afford a crate, and he's a big boy, so he'll need a big crate. On warmer days, he just chills in the yard while I'm at work, but on colder days (and in the winter coming...) he's going to need to survive four hours at a time indoors. I don't think that is unreasonable. He rarely goes at night, and if he needs to, he wakes me up. It's just when he's home unsupervised.
Does he think the hallway is an okay place to go? Or is he just misbehaving because I'm not home? If I caught him do it, I would walk him outside and praise him etc etc, but it's never while I'm home.
I was thinking of getting a baby gate to the stairs so he can't go upstairs when I'm not home, and I am going to rent a shampooer to get rid of the scent in case that's the problem, but I really don't know how to solve this or what to do. Cats, you rub their noses in it and get mad. Dogs, though. Complex little creatures. I haven't scolded him, but I think he knows it's bad, because the entire time I was cleaning it up tonight, he hid around the corner and looked at me with his ears down. I didn't even say anything to him. I just cleaned, and then went and said hello to him.
So yeah. You dog people. Help. Because I'm at my wit's end.
But then one night he pooped in the room we're trying to rent out. So I cleaned it up and closed the door. I figured it was an accident, and if I just restricted his access to the room, he wouldn't try and do it again. And then a few days/week later, it was in the spare room. So I cleaned it up and restricted access to that room. And then it became the hallway. And once it has been the bedroom, and once the living room, but both of those were while he had tummy problems, so I discounted them.
Now, he poops inside once every few days. I let him out asap when I wake up at 7, he gets a 10-15 minute pre-work walk at 8 (until he poops, usually). I come home at lunch JUST to walk him. I come home again another 4 hours later, and I let him out right away, and then take him for a long walk later. He gets let out right before bed. He isn't wanting for outside time. So...I can't figure out why he poops inside.
And then today, I noticed a funky smell upstairs. The SPCA smell, the smell of animals. So I thought I should vacuum the carpet. And I did. And then I noticed a stain on the wall. He had peed on one of the walls! So I just went up to clean it up, and I noticed ELEVEN more spots, some that looked really old. We have poor lighting in the house, and I've never noticed a smell before. So I just spent an hour on my hands and knees with a jumbo bottle of Nature's Miracle, scrubbing the walls in the hallway with a headlamp on. It's almost only the hallway.
I...don't want to crate him. I can't afford a crate, and he's a big boy, so he'll need a big crate. On warmer days, he just chills in the yard while I'm at work, but on colder days (and in the winter coming...) he's going to need to survive four hours at a time indoors. I don't think that is unreasonable. He rarely goes at night, and if he needs to, he wakes me up. It's just when he's home unsupervised.
Does he think the hallway is an okay place to go? Or is he just misbehaving because I'm not home? If I caught him do it, I would walk him outside and praise him etc etc, but it's never while I'm home.
I was thinking of getting a baby gate to the stairs so he can't go upstairs when I'm not home, and I am going to rent a shampooer to get rid of the scent in case that's the problem, but I really don't know how to solve this or what to do. Cats, you rub their noses in it and get mad. Dogs, though. Complex little creatures. I haven't scolded him, but I think he knows it's bad, because the entire time I was cleaning it up tonight, he hid around the corner and looked at me with his ears down. I didn't even say anything to him. I just cleaned, and then went and said hello to him.
So yeah. You dog people. Help. Because I'm at my wit's end.
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