I recently became the full-time caregiver of my family dog, Frankie- he now lives with me & my boyfriend in a ground floor apartment. Unfortunately, I found out that my parents weren’t looking after him too well and Frankie has gotten very used to pooping inside his crate and/or in his bed when left home alone and overnight. What makes it even harder is that he was attacked and now his right front leg is broken and is in a cast. It’s been almost 4 weeks and he pees on leash okay-ish? It takes awhile and sometimes multiple attempts but he will eventually do it, but he WILL NOT poop. He’s pooped outside ONCE in almost a month and has had countless accidents within his rest area.
He’s taken outside multiple times a day- 2 or 3 times (until he goes) in the morning when he wakes up/before I leave for work & and the same goes for in the evening/before bed. He eats between breakfast between 9-10am and dinner anywhere between 5-8 depending on my work schedule. Even with having this routine, he doesn’t show signs that he needs to use the bathroom.
While we’re not home and for bedtime we have him set up in a sort of playpen area because it was difficult for him to move/lay comfortably in his crate with his cast and cone at first. No matter where we put him he is extremely restless once awake, ends up stepping in his mess, and whines for hours before he gets comfortable again. I would love to get Frankie back in his crate since that is what he’s been used to all his life, but for the past year that is where my parents would allow him to poop…
While I do have the advantage of creating my own work schedule, I can’t be home 24/7 and unfortunately can’t afford a walker/sitter.
I would really appreciate any tips! I want to make Frank as comfortable as possible while he’s healing and stop this unhealthy (stinky) habit.
Edit: Frankie house trained easily as a puppy and is definitely an “outside boy”. My family had a fenced in yard which allowed him to sniff and roam for a good spot and knows the command “go potty”. He has always had problems using the bathroom on a leash, even when taking him on walks he would wait until back at the house to go potty in the backyard. Now that he’s at my apartment and in this cast it’s like we’re starting his training from scratch.
He’s taken outside multiple times a day- 2 or 3 times (until he goes) in the morning when he wakes up/before I leave for work & and the same goes for in the evening/before bed. He eats between breakfast between 9-10am and dinner anywhere between 5-8 depending on my work schedule. Even with having this routine, he doesn’t show signs that he needs to use the bathroom.
While we’re not home and for bedtime we have him set up in a sort of playpen area because it was difficult for him to move/lay comfortably in his crate with his cast and cone at first. No matter where we put him he is extremely restless once awake, ends up stepping in his mess, and whines for hours before he gets comfortable again. I would love to get Frankie back in his crate since that is what he’s been used to all his life, but for the past year that is where my parents would allow him to poop…
While I do have the advantage of creating my own work schedule, I can’t be home 24/7 and unfortunately can’t afford a walker/sitter.
I would really appreciate any tips! I want to make Frank as comfortable as possible while he’s healing and stop this unhealthy (stinky) habit.
Edit: Frankie house trained easily as a puppy and is definitely an “outside boy”. My family had a fenced in yard which allowed him to sniff and roam for a good spot and knows the command “go potty”. He has always had problems using the bathroom on a leash, even when taking him on walks he would wait until back at the house to go potty in the backyard. Now that he’s at my apartment and in this cast it’s like we’re starting his training from scratch.