Good dog suddenly pooping on the floor

[Sswor]

What the heck?? My 11 year old male neutered dog that I have had for 11 years, and has been errorless-ly house trained for 10.5 years of that time, has, the last 3 days, pooped on the living room rug.

What the heck?? He has a DOG DOOR.

I’m dumbfounded.

No changes in food, treats, routine, neighbors, nothing. I come home from work and there’s poop on the floor. The poop is normal, firm, healthy. It is weirdly scattered, not in a pile. Pieces randomly laying about in the middle of the rug.

This has never happened before. The first day I was aghast and he cowered as you would expect. The second day I yelled and he ran and hid. The third day (tonight) I yelled and picked him up and put him down next to it and pointed and yelled and used stern voice and he died of shame right there on the rug. I died too because he’s a GOOD DOG. A phenomenal dog actually, never a problem with him and obedient to a fault. The dog door is unblocked, he goes right out after dinner and poops, comes in. I have no idea what this is about. What would you do?

[candysgirl]

He’s old. It’s not unheard of that they lose either their mind or start having incontinence issues.

[scierra]

I’d give him a break and not scream and yell at him for one thing. He’s old, how is his sight or health otherwise? Get his health checked. Has anything else changed around your house?

I went through this a few years ago with a rescued Min Pin. That dog was 14 and blind when I took her in, but she learned the house, yard and dog door after a day or two. Flash forward 2 years, she had been completely reliable with dog door use, but started pooping in the living room. She went out to pee, but every day I came home to poop inside. I never yelled or tried to punish her. Old age and what seemed to be “doggie dementia” had set in. I cleaned up after her and cherished our time together. But then my other dogs were a Rottie and a Bull Mastiff so Lelow’s poops were like little presents. LOL

[pinkpony321]

[QUOTE=candysgirl;7673574]
He’s old. It’s not unheard of that they lose either their mind or start having incontinence issues.[/QUOTE]

This. ask me how I know.
I’d cut him a break and take him out an extra few times. Cherish the time you’ve got, and appreciate the fact that he is still a good dog, despite a few slip ups. Everyone (and every dog) makes mistakes.

[spencerlucy]

Has he had any neurological issues? I ask because my old dog had similar issues whenever he had a seizure and I wasn’t home. Normally he would never have made a mess in the house and if he did he was really freaked out about it. Even if your oldster is messing in the house without a reason, yelling at him much later than a few moments after the fact just makes you look like a scary, unhinged version of his person, he isn’t going to link the poop on the floor to you screaming at him. If he’s been such a great dog for close to 11 years and all it takes is three accidents for you to get that upset with him, I feel sorry for your old fellow.

[Equibrit]

You should know your dog’s poop schedule by now. ie; how long after eating. You can adjust his feeding time so that you will be around to help him out a little at pooping time.

[Sswor]

I’m sorry, totally my fault for neglecting to mention: he’s a JRT mix approx. 25#. He’s very far from old at 11.

[JanM]

I know you were totally shocked by what happened, and that’s why you reacted the way you did. I think deep down you suspect that this is a sign of imminent decline and loss. Is he walking and running normally? Strokes or other neurological issues can cause housebreaking fails. It’s always awful to have it shoved in your face that someday you will lose your beloved dog, and that the decline may be starting, but I think a vet visit is called for.

[JanM]

Age isn’t a matter of chronology, but some other issues can cause housebreaking failure, and it could be he has some issue that may have an answer. I wonder if he had a problem out in the yard while pooping, such as a protective bird trying to get rid of the doggy intruder, or a bug bite or something that made him scared of going outside.

[Sswor]

I do want to thank everyone for the replies because that’s why I posted, so thank you for taking the time to reply, everyone.

Everything is normal with him except this pooping in the living room the last 3 days. Walking, running, bouncing, jumping on and off the couch (gymnast style), barking at the kids running by the front windows, alerting to the UPS truck, it’s all good.

Part of me thinks I ought to confine him to the kitchen (with dog door access) when I leave for work but I think that would upset him terribly as it would cut off access for him to view the world through the front windows, which he loves to do all day while I’m gone. Which makes me a total softy–I know. But I don’t want to condemn him to days of boredom, which will cause other problems.

Maybe I should just wait it out? Maybe he won’t poop in the living room today and that will be that. Maybe he did have a bad experience in the yard during the day but he goes out to potty after breakfast and dinner while I quietly observe from the kitchen window and all is normal it seems.

Thanks again for reading and replying.

[Sswor]

Oh, also to add, if this pattern continues, I will take him in for a vet exam.

[alto]

[QUOTE=Sswor;7673527]
The poop is normal, firm, healthy. It is weirdly scattered, not in a pile. Pieces randomly laying about in the middle of the rug.[/QUOTE]
If it’s not been scattered by him running through it, I’d take this as a sign of him having some difficulty voiding.

This has never happened before. The first day I was aghast and he cowered as you would expect. The second day I yelled and he ran and hid. The third day (tonight) I yelled and picked him up and put him down next to it and pointed and yelled and used stern voice and he died of shame right there on the rug. I died too because he’s a GOOD DOG. A phenomenal dog actually, never a problem with him and obedient to a fault. The dog door is unblocked, he goes right out after dinner and poops, comes in. I have no idea what this is about. What would you do?

Please don’t yell (I know it’s difficult) but dogs don’t actually make the connection between the pooh on the rug that was left hours ago & what you are upset about - they DO understand that you are upset & will offer appeasing behaviours … yell at dog upon your arrival at home a few consecutive days & some dogs will greet owner at the door with same appeasing behaviour, person walks in & finds a mess & assumes that dog “knows” it’s “done wrong” …
Do reinforce your dog’s good potty habits (go out with him & reward/REWARD for outside bathroom habits), just quietly clean up the mistakes, consider adjusting his diet if poohs are quite firm (they really should be on the “soft” side).
At 11, I’d start with annual “senior” dog exams, if it’s been awhile since he’s had a thorough vet check, I’d book him in

[Sswor]

I will not yell anymore, I feel terrible, and if he poops on the floor again, yelling very obviously doesn’t help. I will just quietly clean it up. I don’t want to yell at him–I adore the ground he walks on. He is my best of best of friend.

I praised him for pooping on dog walk the last few nights since this has occurred. He thought that was very odd and didn’t seem to make any sort of connection between pooping on the grass and being told he was the best puppy in the world. But I did it anyway.

I take him for annual vet visit–last one was in November 2013. He has a heart murmur we have been monitoring since he was 8 or so. No change in that, ecocardiogram and chest xray in November along with blood test and full physical. But again, if this pattern continues, I will make an appointment for him.

Thanks again–everyone.

[jetsmom]

Get a vet ck. Older dogs often get arthritis that can make them strain a little trying to get up, so poop falls out. Or they can start having seizures and poop then. Or they can have heart problems that make them pass out when excited (cat went by/knock at door?), and they can poop then. Or they lose control of their sphincter muscles due to old age.
11 yrs IS considered to be a senior dog.

As mentioned, yelling at any dog for an accident (especially after the fact) does nothing but make a dog fearful. It’s especially bad, if the dog has been housebroken and couldn’t help it.

[Sswor]

[QUOTE=jetsmom;7673848]
Get a vet ck. Older dogs often get arthritis that can make them strain a little trying to get up, so poop falls out. Or they can start having seizures and poop then. Or they can have heart problems that make them pass out when excited (cat went by/knock at door?), and they can poop then. Or they lose control of their sphincter muscles due to old age.
11 yrs IS considered to be a senior dog.[/QUOTE]

This made me think. The poop pieces are in the middle of the living room but near the window he looks out of sometimes. Also near the couch he naps on. Perhaps he is barking out the window and getting excited and the pooping is occurring then. Good call-thanks.

The seizure mention scares me.

I’m done yelling. I feel awful. I already felt awful but now I feel worse. You are all right.

[GraceLikeRain]

What about trying a few days of pumpkin or fiber? Maybe he is a bit constipated so he goes out to try and defecate, nothing happens, so he comes back inside and then essentially waits until there isn’t much choice but to go.

[twotrudoc]

Don’t beat yourself up! When Buck first got here he went and whizzed on the fridge (he had just got a bath, and also was not house broke at all), I yelled NO!NO!NO!NO! and ran at him from the living room-and he pooped his pants in fright right there next to the pee puddle he made :uhoh: He is a panic pooper.

Go to the vet, you’ll get some answers I bet.

[scierra]

I do understand the yelling, it’s just a normal reaction. Don’t dwell on it, forgive yourself, he will. A vet visit wouldn’t hurt. I hope you can get this figured out.

With the dog I mentioned above I just learned to live with it (not that I was happy about it). For the last few months I had her. At least she was a happy, loved little girl. I just kept poop bags next to the door so when I came in I could clean up oh, and thank God it was the Min Pin having the accidents and not the Mastiff. LOL

[MyGiantPony]

Pip is 13 and has been house broken all that time, but recently he’s been having some problems. He’ll be walking along, and the poop just falls out. He’s completely unaware. Just old dog syndrome.

[JanM]

Even though the poop is normal, maybe there is something with his food or something making it more difficult to void, and he’s caught short in the house. Is it just regular poop? Or is there grass or some other plant in it? More fiber may mean less control. There isn’t some wandering animal trespassing in the back yard is there? That would probably be during the day, and might scare him in some way (wandering, big cats, terrorist squirrels, or mockingbirds attacking because their babies are in the yard are possible), and make him afraid to go out. Is he peeing right outside the doggy door? My dog did that when we first moved to Alabama in the height of summer, complete with nighttime frog vocalizations (millions of them), and all types of insect and other noises too-it actually bothered me, and the dog was totally freaked out, after dark he only went out the doggy door a foot or so, went very fast, and ran back inside.