Pooping on the floor

[blayzeingsun]

River has started something a bit odd. In the middle of the night she has started pooping on the floor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The first night I didn't wake up so she pooped in my bedroom but the second and third night she was running around all frantic like and I woke up and let her outside to go to the bathroom. She will not go before bedtime I let her outside to go to the bathroom around 10:00 at night and multiple times before that but she will just sit by the door and wait to come back in. Needless to say this is very very frustrating and I don't understand why this is going on all of a sudden. Any ideas? I don't like leaving her outside to just wander around but she won't go to the bathroom before bed.................... Help!

[dogged]

Feed her earlier or on a more consistant schedule? Is she having loose stool?

As for her not going before bed, try taking her outside and walking her around until she goes. Praise her if/when she goes and then let her right back in the house (reward). I have to do that with Rip every night and every morning or she won't go. Once she figured out going potty was the fastest way to get in the house, all I have to tell her is "go potty" and she does her business.

[Marinepits]

Feed her earlier or on a more consistant schedule? Is she having loose stool?

As for her not going before bed, try taking her outside and walking her around until she goes. Praise her if/when she goes and then let her right back in the house (reward). I have to do that with Rip every night and every morning or she won't go. Once she figured out going potty was the fastest way to get in the house, all I have to tell her is "go potty" and she does her business.

Great advice and the same thing I do with my guys.

[blayzeingsun]

She only gets fed once a day in the morning at around 6:30-7:00...when she was outside all the time she was getting food twice a day but not anymore.

[Zoeysmom]

Then stand outside with her until she does...one time Valentine decided he didn't want to take his bedtime poop, so i sat outside for damn near 2 hours...finally he went after alot of walking around and playing. Also you can crate her at night if wants to act up.


Edit: it's best to feed a dog in the evening, or right in the middle of the day. Zoey gets fed her meal at 6pm every night....with treats in between of course. I wake up at 8am and take her out....she poops. Then after her meal at night, i take her out and she poops. Of course thogh, Zoey is crated at night time, she likes to chew anything she can get her teeth on and if the cat decides to be a jerk and try jump the gate between the livingroom and kitchen she goes nuts barkign and whining and screeching...so sleepytime is in her crate

[SisMorphine]

Do you crate at all? If you do I would bring her out and if she doesn't poop crate her. Go brush your teeth and do whatever and then bring her out again. Hopefully she'll poop and if she doesn't it's too darn bad she'll have to hold it until morning.

But even from in the crate some dogs will still demand to go out (whereas others will say "oh well, I'll have to hold it."). Though I know some people aren't a fan, have you tried matching her before you go to bed? You take a carboard match and stick the cardboard part up their bum so the other part is sticking out. Bring them outside and usually within less than a minute they'll be peeing and pooping. When she poops right before bed praise the hell out of her!


Mike eats once a day but it's at night and then he will poop once a day in the morning. Perhaps a meal switch would be beneficial.

[katiek0417]

Though I know some people aren't a fan, have you tried matching her before you go to bed? You take a carboard match and stick the cardboard part up their bum so the other part is sticking out. Bring them outside and usually within less than a minute they'll be peeing and pooping. When she poops right before bed praise the hell out of her!

I have potty trained all of my personal dogs using the match trick. You can also use the wooden stove matches for it....

It's nice b/c you typically only have to do it a couple of times before they get the point that they're supposed to poop outside when YOU want them to (of course, you praise them up after they do)....

[blayzeingsun]

I will try it! Do you think switching should be all at once as that would entail either making her think she's starving tomorrow morning or should i double feed her today so she's not hungry in the am???

[cypher]

how old is she??

[katiek0417]

I will try it! Do you think switching should be all at once as that would entail either making her think she's starving tomorrow morning or should i double feed her today so she's not hungry in the am???

I have some dogs who only eat in the evening, and 4 that eat both in the morning and in the eve (including my pregnant lab, my 6-month old puppy, the 8-week old puppy, and the Dutchie who will only drink water if there's food mixed with it, and she's had some dehydration issues lately)...For the ones that eat only in the eve, I give them water in the morning...

However, to switch my dogs: I feed them less than their normal amount in the morning, then the rest at night....on the second day, I feed them even less...in about 3 days I've fully switched them to only eating at night...

[blayzeingsun]

four or five they weren't sure when we adopted her a year and a half ago they said she was 3 or 4 so............. I suppose we could just pick an age and go with it and say she's 4.5 years old

[Romanwild]

Dogs and people poop according to when they eat.

Perhaps changing the feeding schedule would do the trick. Feed later in the day or go back to 2 meals. keep track of when he eats and when he poops.

I don't think I could poop on command if I'm not ready.

[blayzeingsun]

Good point....and I'm sad to say we tried the match stick thing and all she did was sit down ....like she didn't even notice... and that was after my husband played ball with her outside for about 25 minutes. anyhow she didn't wake me up last night to go though either so............ we are changing her feeding schedule today.

[katiek0417]

Good point....and I'm sad to say we tried the match stick thing and all she did was sit down ....like she didn't even notice... and that was after my husband played ball with her outside for about 25 minutes. anyhow she didn't wake me up last night to go though either so............ we are changing her feeding schedule today.

sometimes you need 2 or 3 up there...I need to put 3 for my lab

[Jenn]

sometimes you need 2 or 3 up there...I need to put 3 for my lab

Am I the only one that finds this extremely odd??

[Marinepits]

Uh, no.

[blayzeingsun]

Alright...my husband said hey maybe more but i was a bit nervous...what if it ..........well what if it gets stuck? has that ever happened? cuz we left a bit of it hanging out and eventually just pulled it back out cuz i was afraid if it stayed there it would do more damage than good

P.s. Just so you all know i grew up on a farm and I still find this a bit odd to talk about

[Marinepits]

Talk about odd -- I pulled a mini KitKat bar wrapper out of Indy's butt once. Don't know how it got there.

[Jenn]

[blayzeingsun]

Talk about odd -- I pulled a mini KitKat bar wrapper out of Indy's butt once. Don't know how it got there.

That would be a bit shocking