Purley

I think its Tyson. I am pretty sure its him, but of course with three dogs I can't be completely positive.

Its happened three nights now. On Thursday, there was pee and poop in the room my husband watches TV in. Friday night, there was poop by the back door in the morning. So last night I put Lucy in her crate as usual. Sam was on the bed and its too high for him to get off. There was poop in my husband's TV room. It was big poops and that would mean it was Tyson, although Lucy's are pretty big too. It wasn't Sam.

I asked a friend if she thought Tyson has realized that the black dog is not going away - and he is ticked off. He doesn't like Lucy much. He tolerates her. My friend said "yes" and Tyson has to go in a crate at night - no privileges for a while. Tyson hasn't been in a crate since he was a puppy and I wonder if punishing him is going to make things worse.

She said to give Tyson some special time. We are just going to agility and Tyson is the only one who goes to agility. There was some other poop in the other room just now, and outside both Tyson and Lucy pooped, but Lucy only went a little bit. I have been leaving her out of the crate because she cries during the daytime if I leave her in the crate. I guess I have to toughen myself and not feel sorry for her.

Someone peed on the stair carpet while I was out this morning. I guess I will shut Lucy in her crate while we go to agility and when I got out at all. At least that way I will narrow the possible culprits. I doubt its Sam. He never makes a mess in the house unless he has diarrhea.

Anybody got any tips for handling this problem with three dogs when you are not absolutely sure who the culprit is?

faerie

crating isn't a punishment.

poof and eva stay in there when we're gone so i know that they are safe.
oh and also, no poo in the house, no counter surfing or getting in trash thus no mad mommy when i return.

my cairns aren't crated, but then again lily is all potty trained and max is not perfect, but he's small and can't make too big a mess and isn't a trash getting into dog.

if you aren't 100% on top of watching them, then they don't need to be having free time until they are all potty trained like your pupper who you trust.

jmo.

edited to add:
my dogs are not crated much. i work from home so they are out a lot (when it's warm the door stays wide open and they come and go as they please. i am strongly considering a dog door for cooler weather.)

it's really nice for the dogs to know that thye have their own space and it's safe for them. also, it's better for us that they are safe and secure and not going to get us frustrated and resentful

whitepoodles

Purley:

LOL Tyson is definitely telling you he does not want the poo to continue living in your house, his nose is now out of joint.
He also may feel you are fussing over the new dog and he is upset.

I tell clients who have a dog and buy a new puppy from me to put their first dog FIRST and pay less attention to the new puppy or give the puppy attention away from the older housedogs.. It works.

Eventually your Tyson will realize that the puppy will NOT go away and he will have to start behaving.

A dog that is upset with his master I had found out will always poop this means he will get a reaction which to a dog is better than no reaction at all.

Are you fussing and spending way too much time with the new pup and not enough with your other dogs, this may be the reason, so try to lavish attention on Tyson which may correct his behavior.

I have a friend who miniature goes on top of her bed and pees and poos on the spread when his owner leaves him alone at home. I told her to cage him if the behavior does not stop. She did and he learnt that if he continues to poo and pee on her bed he will be caged and segregated from the rest of the dogs and it worked. Cage your boy and reprimand him if and when you find him doing it..

If you cant catch him in his action, dont even bother scolding him , but only when you catch him.. If you cant be around him all the time, safest way is to cage him.. Trust me he is not peeing and pooping because he wants to go out he has an upper paw on you and he uses whatever means to show you he is displeased.. Also he may also be marking his territorry given there is a new pup in the house.

Cage him or put an ex pen around a certain area and keep him gated in order to curb his action.

fjm

Check for any physical problem first. Then ensure the dogs are crated, or confined to one area, when you are not there, so that you can get an idea of which is/are doing it. If there is any smell left they may all decide this is now the place to use, with a bit of territorial marking thrown in. If it is happening at night, has there been any change to their feeding or going out routines? Is Tyson happy to poop outside with Lucy around, or is he so busy watching her so that he forgets? I wouldn't worry too much about the whys and wherefores, or if he is trying to get back at you - just manage the situation. May turn out not to be him, after all!

Purley

He will poop outside. The reason why I am pretty sure its him is because the poops are big. And I don't regard crating as punishment, but I think a dog that hasn't been shut in a crate for five years will think he is being punished.

If I actually caught him in the act, then I would crate him right away. But somehow I don't think he will connect pooping in the TV room on Saturday night with being shut in a crate on Sunday night!!!

I am thinking that I will move the little dog barrier, which is free standing, across the bedroom door, and then Tyson will have to sleep on the dog bed with Sam and Lucy will be in her crate. I don't think Tyson will poop when he is in the same room as me.

Before we had Lucy, the dogs chose where they slept. Sometimes they would both sleep on the armchair in the other bedroom. Sometimes they would both sleep on the floor down beside my bed, sometimes Sam would sleep beside the bed and Tyson would sleep on the sofa downstairs. So its not that I have all of a sudden banished Tyson. I am going to try shutting him in the room with me at night and see how that goes before I try putting him in a crate.