Toilet Trained Dog - Lots Of Accidents All Of A Sudden?

[Jen21]

My 6 month old Maltese Poodle x has been toilet trained since about 3 months, and during his toilet training, never ever did a poo inside (only little wee incidents). He's a gorgeous boy, and has never been any trouble.

However, yesterday he had 3 accidents and did poo in my bedroom, lounge room, and on a towel left near the door to dry his feet, as well as also doing a wee inside.

He seems to have had an upset stomach (as his poo isn't totally solid, and is a little runny) and he has also been moping around looking depressed.

He has also needed to be taken outside multiple times during the night to poo (he has been sleeping through the night for months).

He hasn't had a change in diet, and the only things I can put it down to are either that he's having a reaction to me being quite sick and/or not being able to walk him, or is avoiding going outside because our weather has been so terrible (constant rain for days)!!

It's just the 2 of us and since Friday I have had gastro and a nasty cold, so have been coughing, sneezing, & blowing my nose a lot, and since I have been so unwell he didn't get walked for a couple of days. He gets professionally walked this afternoon, and hopefully by tomorrow I'll be well enough to do a short walk, as he's used to going every day.

I'm at my wits end, as the last thing I need when I'm so unwell is to be on hands and knees cleaning up poo from my carpet, as I had to do multiple times yesterday, and although he's usually inside with me all the time when I'm home, I'm hesitant to bring him inside today in case it all starts again.

Does anyone have any experience with dogs either responding badly to going outside in bad weather, or losing their toilet training when their owner is sick, or when they haven't been walked for a day or 2? I would really appreciate some advice, as I don't know whether this is something I should be taking him to the vet for, or just to leave it a few days until I'm more well and things are back to normal in our home, to see if things return to normal.

[Jen21]

Must be a difficult issue I guess.....21 views and no responses

I have Toby in at the moment, and feel like I'm back on Puppy Patrol again - watching his every move.......

Edited April 28, 2009 by Jen21

[WoofnHoof]

I had a lot of trouble with toilet training with my fellow he had upset tummy a lot when younger and I think that when they are unwell when they have to go they have to go right then and there. My fellow turned out to have an internal defect which required surgery to correct so I would advise going to the vet if you are worried about him at all.

Edited to add that as soon as my boy's health problem was fixed he never went inside again, I think he knew I wanted him to go outside the whole time but didn't always make it.

Edited April 28, 2009 by tkay

[Teebs]

Ahh, you need to meet Kaos. My annoying Staffy

I am very proud to say my Bull Terrier has never gone to the loo inside, even as a puppy (well, he went once when he was sick, but he was VERY sick and i dont count that)

My dear girl on the other hand? I could slap her at times!!

I got her at 4 months, started crate training and toilet training, she would sleep through the night, did this for months, bark to go out if needed, during the day i would watch her and move her outside if she looked like she was going to go

i then gave her run of the house, all fine, wake me up if she had to go....

Then, months later, out of no where, she started to poo inside.

Each time she did it, i went back to toilet training, and making her sleep in a crate, she could go months without anything, then go inside one night out of no where.

She last did it about 12 months ago (she is 4 now)

Now i have talked about it, i bet she poos inside tonight

All i did was go back to crating at night... so i cant give much advice!!

[Erny]

Could be a tummy bug. When you have to go you have to go. Give him lots of chances to go outside. Clean up in his absence. And go back a step or two in toilet training (to undo any undesirable learnt behaviour that might have arisen out of his inability to hold on). Keep your eye on him - he might be feeling as unwell as you are. There seems to be a bit of tummy bug going around. With dogs and with people.

Hope you are both feeling better soon.

Edited April 28, 2009 by Erny

[persephone]

Hi- can you get him to a vet?

fed him smaller meals.. actually starve him a day.. this will give his system a chance to settle... then just maybe give him small amounts of boiled rice with some cooked chicken in it. if this helps- GRADUALLY return to normal food...

he could easily have picked up a 'bug;

Chicken soup for you both!!

[MRJ]

It sounds as though he is just unwell himself to me......BUT I'll tell you about my pug just to horrify you....

She has been quite difficult to toilet train to say the least.....for some reason when we moved house she just got it....BUT

If it is raining: she will not go outside to do her business (will do it by the sleep out door as the extra 10 steps or so to get outside are beyond her when it is wet)

If she hasn't had a walk/much attention/is just a wanting attention etc: she will pee on our stuff. Her favourite things are clothes my husband has left lying around, however this has on several occasions extended to our BED much to our disgust, and she goes in there completely on the sneak. We keep our bedroom door closed due to this. She has other minor 'issues' though relating to dominance so I think that is where it comes from and if she is exercised it all disappears and she's back to her lovely self.

Several times as a young dog at about 8 months old when I would get up and start getting ready for work she would look me dead in the eye and pee on the carpet, despite me going outside with her for at least 20 minutes of a morning. AND the pee would be enormous. 2 things I learnt from this: 1. you always always always have to be more stubborn than them, and wait outside for 40 minutes if required, especially if they haven't gone all night you know they MUST need to go. The other thing was to never clean it up in their presence. I used to get all upset: put her where she was supposed to wee, then run and get a towel, carpet spray etc etc and clean the whole lot up - and she would still be watching me. When I ignored her when she did it, distracted her with something else while I cleaned it up and I got REALLY stubborn it finally worked.

Our other lovely pug is an absolute dream when it comes to toiletting: she goes outside all the time, and we got her at 5 months not toilet trained. Our methods must have worked with her learning style! Of course it seems easier with the second one!

Good luck....I hope you both feel well again soon

[Jen21]

Thanks for all the advice - I did think that Toby might be sick too, so after I get home from the Doctor tomorrow, I might see if I can get him into the vet.

Hope I didn't make him sick or vice versa

I think he knew I wanted him to go outside the whole time but didn't always make it.

Yep Toby is like that - he really only wants to please me, he is a total sweetie.

Earlier tonight he was all of a sudden pawing at the back door in a great frenzy, and when I got him outside, he had a little explosion out the back, so he does try to do the right thing when he can.

[Jaxx'sBuddy]

when i was ill a while ago i wasn't up to taking the dog for a walk or anything else really. what i did was leave the back door open enough so she could go in and out as she pleased.

maybe you could do that and see if the pup is still poing ang peeing inside. if she is you might need to go back to basics again with the toilet training. sometimes for unknown reasons some dogs go backwards for a while.

it does sound as though she may have an upset tummy and by the time she realises she needs to go it just happens

[Jen21]

Just wanted to say thanks to the people that offered me advice - I took Toby to the Vet tonight, and he does have a tummy upset, and a sore bottom from all the runny poo too.

Since he has also been off his food for the last few days, he got an anti-nausea shot, and some antibiotics, and they gave me some really bland food to try to feed him over the next few days. They also tested him for Parvo and he doesn't have that - phew!

He ate quite a bit of the bland food when we got home, so I'm really glad I took him to the vet - hopefully we're both on the road to recovery now, and will have a few quiet days at home resting up.

Edited April 29, 2009 by Jen21