[yemil]

I have had my dog for almost 2 years, and for the first year and a half or so, he had no accidents in the house. Then I moved, and now he's been pooping in my roommates room. He pees outside without a problem, and he is outside in the yard, which doesn't have grass, and walked regularly in the grassy park by the house, but no matter how long he is outside for, he waits until he is back inside to go number 2. I got him fixed, being told he was trying to declare dominance over my roommate in the new house, but we have been here 3 months now and nothing has helped. She is understandably at her wits end, and if i cannot get this fixed, I will have to get rid of him. Please, I would appreciate any advice anyone can give me!

[Dakota Spirit]

Dogs often don't generalize well (unless they've been trained to) - being potty trained in one house doesn't mean the behavior gets transferred to all other houses. You need to essentially start over with him, potty training wise.

Figure out when approximately he needs to go out during the day, and set up a schedule. Go out at these same times every day until it becomes habit.

When outside for bathroom breaks, keep the other activities to a minimum. No playing or running around...no other distractions.

When he goes outside, praise him heavily. Make it a big deal, just like you would for a new puppy. Sometimes it also helps to use a special (and especially desirable) treat that he only gets during this time.

Once you've got it down that he's going reliably during the set bathroom times, you can begin increasing the amount of time between outside trips until you are down to whatever the necessary number is.

Another tip would be to keep him in sight (when inside the house) until you have the training down. If you are monitoring him you can watch for signs that he is about to go and quickly get him outside - thereby reinforcing the behavior and saving you from another accident.

You also need to be cleaning up the soiled spots with an enzyme cleaner (such as Nature's Miracle). If you are not, trace smells can remain in the carpet (that you may not detect) and encourage the dog to remark those area.

Hope some of this helps! I don't see any reason why you should need to get rid of your dog - he just needs a refresher in his training.

[TooneyDogs]

It's not unusual for dogs to have relapses in their training especially with a change in environment. Go back to the basics of no unsupervised freedom in the new place, praise and treat for going in the right potty area and clean-up all accidents with a good enzyme cleaner. The good news is that refresher lessons are only needed a few times for the dog to re-learn the rules.

[Labsnothers]

I go along with the idea he is sending the roommate a message. Neutering was a good idea and might have helped more if done earlier. However, it is no cure all. Dogs still need leadership.

The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts. Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat.

Your roommate also needs to work with the dog, both drilling it in commands and giving it treats.

Keeping the bedroom closed will be a big help too. if you see the dog hanging around it, take him out and walk, walk, walk until he can't hold it any longer. Then lavish praise on him.

[qingcong]

Is pooping supposed to be a display of status? I know for male dogs, lifting the leg up to pee is somewhat of a status thing, but I didn't think pooping had anything to do with dominance.

I think that maybe he's just gotten used to that room being his bathroom. Maybe all you need to do is to clean it up with an enzyme cleaner to discourage him. And yeah, close the door.

[Labsnothers]

Many times I watched our one dog immediately head for the fence when we let him out and run his nose along every inch of it. At selected spots, he would stop and give it a squirt, and then recheck it. Sometimes he would then turn around and bring on the heavy stuff. Dogs pay large amounts of attention to other dogs' stools and butt sniffing.

[Entwine]

Ignore the idea that this is a "dominance" play or some sort of "message" to your roommate. It's a total load of crap.

Follow the advice given on starting over with housetraining and the problem will be solved.

[KarliMom]

Dakota Spirit , TooneyDogs and Entwine gave you some sound advice please take it . I agree with them keep the door closed to your roommates room . Don't let him out of your site when you get back from your park walks if he even looks at the door take him back out .
It also sounds like his pooping schedule is messed up have you changed the time of day he is eating Ive read it takes 16 hours from the time they eat till they poop .

[poodleholic]

Originally Posted by KarliMom

Dakota Spirit , TooneyDogs and Entwine gave you some sound advice please take it . I agree with them keep the door closed to your roommates room . Don't let him out of your site when you get back from your park walks if he even looks at the door take him back out .
It also sounds like his pooping schedule is messed up have you changed the time of day he is eating Ive read it takes 16 hours from the time they eat till they poop .

Ditto.

And Forget about dominance nonsense and being "top dog." You're not a dog, and your dog knows it.

[Labsnothers]

No it isn't a housebreaking thing. You will be cleaning up until the dog gets the leadership it wants.