[Bobbi]

Here is the situation:

I adopted my dog 1 year ago from a Breeder who did not want her anymore due to uterus problems. She is fixed, now 6 years old, and honestly a wonderful dog. She is a Pomeranian, sweet natured (with people and animals), a bit of an alpha female (she humps other dogs), very sensitive to punishment or loud noises, not yappy, and just prefers to be next to you/on your lap.

She is 'potty trained'. She will use potty pads if I put them down, use a doggy door when I had one, or simply go outside to do her business if I leave the door open for her. But here are my problems:

Problem 1- If there are no pads, no dog door (my house cannot have one now), and the door is closed...she will not tell you she has to potty. She will walk over towards the door, stand there for a second, and then go pee/poop on the floor somewhere. If I don't catch her right when she goes to the door, she just goes and pees wherever.

Problem 2- If I do leave out potty pads, have a doggy door, or leave it open for her. She's perfectly potty trained when we are home. When we leave, even for 5 minutes, she will pee/poop in the house. I have to now lock her on the patio with potty pads when I'm at work or running errands, which can be for a while sometimes and I feel bad for locking her up for so long.

**I have tried crate training- She just pees/poops and lays in it.
**I have tried positive reinforcement EVERYTIME I see her go potty where she is supposed to.
**I do not have the money to hire a dog sitter (they are so expensive).
**I do not want to get her a companion animal as I am afraid they will both start peeing.

I do not want to lock up my dog every single time I leave the house. I believe she does not like being alone, and maybe her anxiety causes this bad behavior. I do not know exactly how to go about treating this behavior, without giving her less freedom (which is not the type of life I think a dog should have)

Can I get her to be content being alone? Should I keep her confined every time I leave?-I don't see how that would curb her behavior, because this isn't a potty issue, it’s a behavioral issue. Or should I make the hard decision to give her a happier life with someone who can spend adequate time with her?

Please help.

 

[icemaiden]

If you don't want her to practice undesirable behaviour (peeing an pooping in wrong places) you must not give her the opportunity. So whilst you're figuring out how to best train her, confine her.

How often do you take her for walks? How long are the walks? A good walk will stimulate a dog to pee and poo, also tire them physically and mentally, so they're likely to rest once they get back home. Does she have doggy friends she can have a good run with?

What sort of training do you do with her? Training also tires the dog and gives him/her confidence.

How do you feed your dog? Does she just get it in her bowl or do you use food dispensing toys? Again, working for food is tiring and also fun.

So incorporating physical exercise, mental stimulation and food dispensing toys into your daily routine should give you a tired, happy dog, less likely to suffer from anxieties.

Hard work, but will pay dividends.

 

[icemaiden]

Maybe something like this could be useful?

PooTrap - clean up dog poop after your dog. The best substitute of pooper scooper. All kinds of paper, biodegradable or plastic bags can be used as dog poop bags.The best way cleaning up dog poop by no hand. PooTrap is the best pet product and pet su

 

[Gnostic Dog]

Have you considered separation anxiety as the reason for the behavior when she is left alone?

 

[Lucillle]

I do not want to lock up my dog every single time I leave the house.

I crate my dogs individually every single time I leave the house. It takes one minute, and it keeps them from getting ideas about my stuff or the cat, and keeps them safe from situations they may not be able to understand.
I'm not saying that's for everyone, but I am saying that it works well for me and my dogs.

 

[LuvMyFluff]

Confining her on the patio isn't bad at all if you have her bed, fresh water, a chewy, and a potty pad available for her! Many dogs are in a crate for more than 6 hrs a day, so I think a 'Patio' must be more roomy! Besides, most dogs sleep while we are gone! If you want to be reassured that she is not acting anxiously try setting up a video monitor and tape her .............



P.S. Tiny dogs have tiny bladders and sometimes spayed females have what is called spay incontinence and it is hard for them to 'hold it'