Dog started pooping in the house! Please help I’m going nuts!

[novel1]

My dogs and I moved into a new house at the end of March, I’ve had my younger dog for roughly 4 years and he is very well potty trained and we haven’t had an incident in a long time. Suddenly, about 3 weeks after we moved he started pooping in the house whenever I’m not home for 2 hours or more. We’ve ruled out any medical issues and he ONLY does this at the new house, never when visiting my dad’s house. At this point I’m at my wits end because I always feel horrible leaving him in the crate for hours. He is crate trained but very clearly doesn’t enjoy going in it when he has to. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[lennyb]

@novel1 It’s going to be fine, just approach it as if you’re housebreaking a puppy. Keep him in the crate when he can’t be supervised. Treat and praise HEAVILY every time he poops outside. Be consistent. Your main priority is to prevent anymore indoor accidents - he’ll survive being crated when you’re away for a few months.

Each time he is allowed to have an accident indoors that behaviour gets stronger so you absolutely need to prevent it and don’t even risk it happening again. I’m sure with proper management and rewarding for pooping outside he’ll get over it quick.

 

[johnwarwick]

@novel1 I agree with the other comment - approach this as if you're potty training from scratch. It's going to take some time for your dog to learn that the new house is his home. Ideally, crating while you're away is best. Otherwise, baby gates are going to be your best friend. Start off with one room and expand his access as he proves he can be trustworthy.

We brought a 7 month old puppy home and it took her over 2 months to understand that the ENTIRE house was off limits for bathroom breaks, but we got through and so will you. Good luck!

 

[thefreeze]

@novel1 It sounds like he's stress pooping. Has anything changed in your home or lifestyle recently? Have any routines changed? It may help to put on some calming music for him when you leave the house, or you could put on a radio so he can hear human voices and hopefully feel less alone.

You could also redo the crate training; my dog's crate is setup like it's her bedroom. It's off-limits to everyone and everything except for her, and I only go in there to change out her water or wash her bed/blanket/toys. It's her place to chill and decompress.