[doxiemommy]

A couple things, he doesn't pee in front of you because he's upset with you. HOWEVER, dogs can pee out of anxiety or stress, meaning, if they are stressed or anxious they don't have the same ability to control their bladder. Also, at 10 months old, you shouldn't need to take him out every half hour. Aside from that, is he fed on a schedule? If he's fed on a schedule, poop times should be pretty consistent. And, when you take him out, thinking he should poop, it might help get the bowels moving if you play with him, getting him to run around a bit first.

I don't mean to sound harsh, but, if he is able to "sneak off and poop" as soon as you get back inside, you aren't watching him closely enough. Do you take him out on a leash? If you don't, I'd suggest taking him out to do is business on a leash, because then, if he DOESN'T poop, you can keep him on the leash inside, right with you, thereby taking away the freedom for him to sneak off. Then, try again.

Lots of times alternating 5 minutes outside to try pottying, then 5 minutes inside to wait (if he didn't potty when you had him out) will help. You just go back and forth every 5 minutes, til he's done it. Also, if he does poop inside, pick it up and take it outside where you'd like him to go, so that he can smell his poop outside. That might give him the idea it's ok.

And, have you used an enzymatic cleaner on the spot he uses inside? Regular cleaners leave enough enzymes for a dog to tell the stain's there, even if we think it's clean. And, it attracts him to the same spot. For the time being, you might try to limit his access to that "same spot", even if you have to place something over it so he can't get to it.

Good luck!

 

[doxiemommy]

I know! We used to free feed our dogs, too, when I was a kid. BUT, we had outside dogs, well, mostly outside, so they just pottied whenever they wanted.

What are you feeding him? The manufacturer has a feeding recommendation, usually on the bag, or you can look on their website. You can usually feed a bit less than they recommend, as the manufacturers want to sell more food, and usually make a recommendation on the high side.

We feed twice a day, so we just divide the daily recommendation in half. We never had an issue with our dogs, they scarf their food down quickly, but I think I've seen it recommended to leave it down 10-15 minutes, and then pick it up.
Depending on the dog, it can take anywhere from 15-45 minutes after eating before they need to poop. You can keep a "poop" journal for a week or so, that should give you the answer as to how long your pup will need.

Keep up the good work! I know it's frustrating!