Would this concern you?

Laurelin

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#1
Hopefully I can make this clear enough....

I'm sure some of you oldies remember Summer's SA problems I had prior to getting Mia. Since getting Mia the SA has been all but nonexistent. I leave them alone together in a pen and all goes well. Summer doesn't go into panic attacks or bark or get sick all over herself. I know it's not ideal but it works very very nicely for us.

Now, I've started taking Mia on tuesdays to nosework and leaving Summer in the pen by herself. I give her food and so far it's gone relatively well. She barks a bit at first but I've gone back inside less than 5 minutes later and she's quiet. It's only 2 hours, once a week.

I keep a potty pad in the playpen just for in case they really need to go while I'm at work. Also, not ideal, but Mia has needed it a few times when she's been sick or something. She was potty pad trained by her breeder so I thought it was a decent idea to just give her the option even though I can usually come in at lunch and let her out. It's been used maybe a half a dozen times in over a year now.

Today I came home from nosework and Summer had pooped. On the potty pad. My first thought was 'huh, that's weird. I can't believe she knew to go there.' Next thought was if she'd pooped because she panicked. She poops and it's involuntary after baths and she's scared. I call it 'anxiety pooping'. But then I wonder why it would have been on the potty pad. But she doesn't know you're supposed to use the potty pad, she was never trained on it. Plus I'd let her outside right before leaving and it was only two hours. And summer never goes in the house unless it's anxiety related (bath or SA).

Anyways am I reading too much into it for signs of the SA rearing its ugly head? I checked on her last week and she had settled in just a couple minutes after I'd left.

Ya, that's probably way too long a post about my dog pooping. sorry.
 

CharlieDog

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#2
Potty pads are supposed to have a "scent" to them to encourage dogs to go I think. Maybe she just had to poop? lol
 

DenoLo

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#3
I put a potty pad down for Lola for emergencies too, same thing as you just to give them the option. I never trained her for it or even showed her where it was but the very few times she's had to go, she's always used it.
 

Laurelin

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#4
I had no idea that potty pads had anything on them to encourage them to go there. That makes a lot of sense.

So I've just assumed that the few times it's been used it's been used by Mia. I guess it really could have been either of them.
 

Julee

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#6
I wouldn't be concerned unless it starts happening more regularly. Could be that nature just called. :)
 

Laurelin

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#7
You need a 3rd dog.

Problem solved :D

:rofl1:
That's the exact same reasoning I gave my stepmom as to why they need another horse. They don't like leaving Renegade alone when they take Pecos. Add another and problem solved.

Seems fair enough to me.
 

Beanie

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#8
I would assume for now that she just had to poop, and the scent of the potty pad stimulated her to go there rather than elsewhere in the pen. Unless it starts to happen more frequently, I wouldn't be worried yet.

They definitely have some kind of scent that is supposed to actually even MAKE them go. They even sell it by the bottle. We bought some with Auggie because he was such a hard potty-trainer so we could spray the grass outside to try and make him go. I don't know what it is but in hindsight it's pretty gross LOL.
 

Shai

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#9
I wouldn't worry about one poop. And just be glad it was on the potty pad lol
 

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