It's so frustrating. I need help.

Whisper

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#1
When we got my kittens, we had to sacrifice our doggy door because, well, they could just walk straight through it. So our dogs had to relearn how to hold it for a while. It took a while for Lucy to get the hang of it but she did. Then I went back to school (this was all over break) and Lucy is good for my mom when I'm at school, but when I come home, she poops defiantly, even in front of me sometimes. On the weekends/breaks she's great and has no accidents, but whenever I go somewhere, even just at school for a day, she relieves herself indoors. She's now a year and a month old. I don't know to stop it. I know how to potty train, but now that she's doing it on purpose, she doesn't respond well. I've been trying to spend more time with her and she's fine, but according to her I can't go anywhere. Any ideas on how to stop this?:confused:
 

Rubylove

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#2
I'm sorry for not responding to your question, but I couldn't help noticing some of your quotes, and here's another one for you.

`We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare, and love we can spare. In return they give us their all. It is the best deal man has ever made'. In fact, I'm gonna put that in my sig!

And another favourite,

`With a little training, man can become dog's best friend'.

I will have a think about your post and reply properly later! :D
 

Whisper

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#3
Rubylove said:
I'm sorry for not responding to your question, but I couldn't help noticing some of your quotes, and here's another one for you.

`We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare, and love we can spare. In return they give us their all. It is the best deal man has ever made'. In fact, I'm gonna put that in my sig!

And another favourite,

`With a little training, man can become dog's best friend'.

I will have a think about your post and reply properly later! :D

Those are great ones. :D
Ok, no prob. :)
 

Rubylove

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#4
Ok, so. Its an attention thing then? It sounds like that's what you are thinking and you're probably right.

What you need to do is recondition your dog to be away from you. What do you do when she poops in front of you, or `deliberately' as you say. Do you make a fuss? Do you scold her? Do you pay it (and her) immediate attention and rush around to clean it up?

If so, stop. Right away. The poop should mean nothing to you. If necessary, walk around it, step over it - pay it no mind than you would a speck of dust on the floor. It does not exist. Each time you make a fuss or scold her you are reinforcing her belief that it gets your attention - which it does. Therefore she will keep on doing it.

What you need to do is one of two things.

Either, you see her doing a poop inside, so she instantly goes outside by herself for some time-out. Not for longer than it takes you to clean it up. She will soon learn to associate pooping inside with getting put outside alone. That'll snap her out of it pretty fast.

Or, second option, if you can't catch her in the act, you ignore it and her, and when she finally stops looking for your attention you clean it up and act as if nothing has happened. NEVER let her see you clean it up, NEVER make a fuss, and NEVER acknowledge it.

In addition to this, whenever she poops outside, make a HUGE fuss, treats, playtime, throw her a ball, big cuddles. Dogs are opportunists and at the moment if she is doing it for attention, and she's getting attention, she ain't gonna stop. Don't forget - even a scolding is attention to a dog. Shut her out, ignore - no eye contact, no speaking, not a sound, and she'll quickly stop.

Now, as an aside, are you sure this is just behavioural? I would take her to the vet for a quick check-up, too. Often a change in potty habit is a sign of some kind of physical disturbance.

And lastly, if you think you're not spending enough time with her then spend more. If you think you are spending enough time with her and she's demanding more, then stop. Don't pander to her, or it'll just get worse. She should be away from you for small periods of time when you are home (and your Mum, too) so she gets used to being alone and learns she can't demand your attention all the time.

Good luck!
 

Whisper

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#5
Thank you! That was really helpful!
When she poops in front of me I usually would scold her and put her outside. And she's gotten better at letting me know she has to go potty, so I let her out and praise her a lot, encouraging her to scratch at the door. I'll definitely give your advice a try. It makes perfect sense.
The reason I think it's behavioral is because she only does it when I've been gone at school, friend's house, etc. for more than a few hours. Weekends I spend lots of time with her and Millie and it's accident free. And on school days she goes all day without an accident until I come home and she goes after a while, always in front of me, looking straight at me, then yep, she wins and gets attention.
 

Rubylove

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#6
You're welcome! :D

Give it a try - dogs are REALLY smart so she'll pick it up. You just need to be more persistent than her - and they can be very persistent! Just remember, its vital that if you put her outside for pooping, you are not to make a sound or look at her. It all needs to be done in total silence. They're big on body language so you can ignore her with your body as well as by not making any noise. She'll HATE it, and will stop pretty quick!

Keep us posted!
 

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