Dog Potty Problem When Left Alone?

Question

I have a 7 year old Samoyed who is house trained and crate trained.  We've had him for 6 years.  In the last few months, whenever we'd leave the house we'd come home to find piles of crap or pools of urine in the house.  We started putting him in the crate when we'd leave, and for a while that seemed to work.  Now we come home to find urine in his crate.
My wife stays at home except for errands, so he isn't left alone for long periods of time.  We also take him outside for a nature call before we go out.  Up until the last few months he wasn't a problem at all.  Now it seems that he does it because he's mad that we left him alone.  Do any of you have a recommendation so we can correct this?

Rachel · Accepted Answer

Your first step with any changes, especially with an adult dog, is a thorough physical at the vet including bloodwork. Thyroid levels should also be checked because low thyroid can cause or contribute to fear. Talk about the problem with your vet, he may be able to refer a behaviorist to help. 

Have there been any changes in your household lately? Moving, or maybe the loss of a family member (including pets)?

If he checks out physically, you may be dealing with separation anxiety. Some dogs become so stressed at being left alone that they lose control of their functions. It's not that they do it because they are mad, but because they are in a state of panic. 

You might check out this little booklet called "I'll Be Home Soon." It's only $8, and all about preventing and treating separation anxiety. 

http://www.dogwise.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=DTB667  

Sometimes the use of an anti-anxiety drug during the initial re-training period is very helpful. Helps the behavior modification techniques be more effective more quicky. Then most dogs can be weaned off the drugs gradually.

dakota · Answer

So you just answered my question on the yahoo answer page but I was looking for a further explanation. So I ended injuring myself in a gym off base purely an accident which re-aggravated an old injury. I have already sought medical treatment and have been put on a profile and had an MRI scheduled. With it purely being an accident and it happening off base how in depth will the investigation be , and will I even know if it's taking place. The spot I was suppose to fill was recovered quickly without incident by personal on standby for the deployment. And I have only heard rumors of the word "investigation" nobody has asked for a statement or notified me of anything. I did fill out a safety mishap form but nothing official outside of that.

Thank you

Wesley · Answer

How big is his crate? A dog's crate should be just be big enough to turn around in. If his crate is not the proper size then buy a new the proper size and should not pee poop in the crate while yall are gone.

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Dog Potty Problem When Left Alone?

3 Answers