help !

[Alishan86]

Ok, this is a new situation for me!... my dog is about 14 months old. He has NEVER pee'd or poop indoors/or even the garage !!..

Yesterday we went for a short 1/4 mile walk and he pee'd, then I put him into the garage... some 30 minutes later he poops !!!...

I was shocked since he can normally hold his poops for a while !...

Granted, he was barking once I put him in the garage, but he normally would when he wants to come indoors... So I kinda brushed it off thinking it was my fault for not letting him go directly into the backyard.

So two hour ago... I got home from work and walked a mile with him... he pee'd and didn't poop... i figured since pooping this morning in my garage he wouldn't have to go again... I leave him in the garage for 30 minutes and he poops again!.. three feet away from the last one !!... I didn't tell my wife about the second poop cause she'd have me get rid of 'Bud'! !!...

What is going on? I'm really hoping this isn't going to turn into habit!... also, should I constantly start to put him into a cage whenever I'm away or something?... (i'm pretty frantic if you can't tell)

I went to lay in bed now and while he was downstairs (when we go to sleep he's on a short 6 feet leash) he started barking... I ran downstairs freakin out that he was going to poop or pee again... took him outside and he didn't do anything... so I just put him in his cage to sleep for the first time...

ahh... help?

[DanielleOttoMom]

Maybe he doesn't like being in the garage all alone. GSD like to be with their families. Velcro dogs are what they are know for.... Have you changed his food recently? Also I suggest that you crate him instead of leaving him in the garage. The garage could be very unsafe for your boy. He could get into any thing.

[mysweetkaos]

I also wondered if there is a reason he is in the garage? Our male shepherd has always refused to *poo* on walks, he is much too dignified So he has always (until old age) held it until we got home and then gone into the yard and went immediately. Maybe that is what's going on? Also as far as never going in the house....is he always on a 6ft leash? Just asking because if so there is no way to tell if he is fully potty trained with out much freedom to test that out.

[VegasResident]

Okay, I have to ask same thing...why do you keep putting him in the garage when you are home????

If you cannot trust him alone in the house when away, yes, a crate is a good idea. When you are away. If oyu are home and cannot watch him then yes you can crate, but again why is he in the garage when you are home?

Mine is 17 months old and is not left run of the house alone. He either goes with us or to daycare, or to a family house.

But when we are home he is with us constantly whether playing, in the kitchen or watching a movie with us.

I do not like garages for dogs.

And a leash alone at night on another floor? I would be afraid of a problem (choking) and suggest using the crate and not a leash unattended.

Mine was in a crate at night till about 7 months old and now sleeps on a bed on the floor.

GSDs are pack dogs. they do not like being alone. They like being with the family. If your wife would make you get rid of him for pooping in the garage, does she even want a dog?

I guess it boils down to why do you have him, dogs are for companionship, GSDs like being with others and I think your dog is telling you something.

[msvette2u]

He hates the garage, bless his heart

[BlackPuppy]

He's trying to tell you something.

[selzer]

That's all baloney. The dog is NOT pooping in the garage because he wants to be in the house.

Too many dogs are punished because people put human reasons behind their behaviors, expecting their doing something out of spite. That just isn't so.

Ok, end of rant.

Now, why is the dog not pooping outside on the walk, well that is a good thing, really. You won't have to carry a full baggy of poo to a garbage receptacle. Why not let him out in the yard, after you come home from your walk, and wait until he poos before you put him inside?

Also are you cleaning it up with a good enzyme cleaner? If the dog smells poo, and their noses are much better than ours, they may poo there.

It sounds like a whole lot of pooping going on. Did the dog eat something odd that is causing him to have some type of added poo issue. Is the poo loose? Could the dog be ill? They hide illness as a natural survival instinct, if he has infected anal glands or an upset stomach or something, he may not be able to contain it.

Have you recently read your dog the riot act for pooping in the wrong place? The dog COULD be afraid to poop in your presence and is waiting for you to go in to poop. It is hard to say.

Normally what we do if a dog forgets house training is we back up. Get on a good schedule (eating and pottying and sleeping) and supervise the dog every minute when they are not crated, take them out regularly, and treat and praise for going in the right place.

ETA: This is a question about a problem someone is having, it should not be used as an excuse to beat someone over the head for not treating the dog the way you all do every minute of the day.

[mysweetkaos]

I hope I didn't come across as suggesting the dog was going in the garage because he wanted inside. I asked why he was in the garage after walks, based on personal experience that my dog wouldn't *poo on walks so he always needs some yard time after a walk to take care of his business. Sorry if I came across wrong.......

[Lilie]

My male is over 2 years old and is a shy pooper. When he was a puppy he couldn't hold it and would go while on a leash. As he got older, he didn't want to poop while on a leash. I agree with Selzer, after your walk, let him in the back yard so he can have some privacy. See if that helps.

[msvette2u]

The dog may not like the garage and is stressed because he has to be in it. That, combined with not witnessing him poop outside, could cause him to "go" in the garage.
Stress is a very possible reason for dogs to go poop where they would not go normally.