completely trained dog having "accidents" or acting out? what to do?

[sosurreal09]

we rescued our dog around 2 years ago and he was house trained in 2 weeks flat. he goes out as frequently as he asks and he has plenty of yard ect

the past 3 days straight hes peeing/pooping in the middle of the night in the same spot right where the baby's toys are stored. hes never done this before and its aggrevating!

i let him out at 11:20pm and went to bed. we woke at 6:45 and there was pee and poop surrounding the baby's stuff....

he has literally held it for 12 hours before (we werent home fam emergency) and hes always been a very good dog. he has some emotional issues but has come along way.
we got him before the baby came but shes nearly a year now...

what the heck am i suppose to do?

hes a boston terrier mix btw

[nd_deadhead]

Is he crate trained? I would crate him at night - just to break the habit.

Our dog has done a similar thing, and it seems to be more about him being mad at us than not being able to hold it. As a result, we confine him with baby gates when we're not home, at least for a few days after it happens.

[stardogs]

Whenever there's a big behavior change, I always suggest a vet check to rule out a health condition before assuming that it's behavioral. If it was just odd urination I'd highly suspect a UTI, but the poop does complicate things. Still, behavioral solutions won't help if the issue is health-based.

Once you have a clean bill of health, restriction from the area for a period of time (several weeks) and a thorough cleaning with a pet specific cleanser to remove all scent markers, even those humans can't detect, would be my first choice. For cleansers I prefer Simple Solution or Petastic. For restriction a baby gate might be the easiest option, though you could also crate as nd_deadhead mentioned.

Were there any changes in routines or interactions recently? Since the baby is a year, has she recently been moving more? Are you spending less time with your dog due to a change in schedule?

[sosurreal09]

since the baby was born shes been very high needs and he has gotten a LOT less attantion but after the baby is in bed i go out of my way to let him know how loved he is and he will usually lay with me a few hours and i will pat him and tell him he's a good boy ect

its not diarrhea or anything just regular poop and he doesnt always pee as well it was just poop yesterday...

he was born in a puppy mill then adopted then abused by those owners where he was rescued and in foster care for 6 months. then we found him and rescued him. i have never used a crate b/c im afraid it would trigger his past. he was severely abused and has a lot of scars to prove it. hes still terrified of a LOT of things but he has made a HUGE change since we first got him.
he means so much to our family and we love him unconditionally. DD loves him too.

i could go to the vet but thats also an expense i can not afford right now when i dont *feel* there is an issue going on with his health. i think he would make that known he will usually wine at me when something is up.

about 2 months ago we kicked him out of the family bed b/c he was afraid of the thunder and i woke up to the baby crying and the dog lying on her face....so i set up a bed for him under his table (he has a little area for himself) and he seemed to be ok with it...did not rebel
idk if that's the issue at hand?

[Catubodua]

all of those changes happened months ago. i'd second the vet visit - best to rule out any physical problems before you do any punishing for things he can't control.

[stardogs]

More questons for you.

Where is the toy chest/elimination spot in comparison to where he normally sleeps? In comparison to the bed he used to sleep on? In comparison to where the baby sleeps?

Does your dog have a comfy bed/nook/hidey hole to use for sleeping now that he's not allowed on the bed? How did you teach him not to get on the bed?

Have you tried anything to solve the current problem yet? If so, what?

[sosurreal09]

its about 8ft from where he currently sleeps which is in a fluffy dog bed under the end table (he has a thing for tables)
baby sleeps with us in our room about 75ft from his bed

we just kicked him out the rrom and put up a baby gate

all i have done is put his face up to the elimination and said no and tugged his scruff then put him outside.

[josie143]

Originally Posted by Catubodua

all of those changes happened months ago. i'd second the vet visit - best to rule out any physical problems before you do any punishing for things he can't control.

[stardogs]

I'm wondering if your dog is just confused - he may have had to potty for some odd reason and couldn't figure out how to let you know, had an accident, and decided that that spot was good - if you haven't cleaned with an enzymatic pet cleaner he can likely still smell the scent markers.

So clean well, perhaps use a tether to keep him in his area for a few nights (maybe a week to be safe) to keep him from accessing the "spot", and gradually add more and more freedom (longer tether? maybe?).

Rubbing his nose in the mess or anything similar will do nothing after the fact - dogs really seem to need consequences within a second of the problem behavior, so any longer of a delay and they won't connect the two.

[sosurreal09]

well after i "pnished him" that morning i spent some extra time with him that day and woke up to no potty!! woohoo so i gave him a pat and put a baggin bit in his bowl after he went out. today no potty either!
so maybe it was just an attention thing? i thought i was keeping up with it pretty well but i guess he was missing us.

[sosurreal09]

OK he's back at it...vet gave him a clean bill of health and EVERYDAY this week sometimes twice a day he's been peeing and or pooping ON my baby's toys/toy area...

this is getting SERIOUS. he pooped on her book while i was in the other room and i walked in to her crying ON HER FIRST BIRTHDAY with dog poo in her mouth that she had picked up and started eating!!

what the heck do i do now?!?

[stardogs]

There has to be a trigger that we're not "seeing" - what's different between the time he was ok for and now?

[Ola_]

Another vote for a vet visit. Specifically I would do a stool sample for worms and a urine sample for a UTI. If you have a relationship with a vet already they will often let you bring the samples in and leave them at the front desk without an appointment - it's cheaper to pay for the tests if you don't have the appointment charge.

What are you cleaning the spots and affected toys with? I'd be using copious amounts of Nature's Miracle or similar (which you probably are already but I thought I'd mention it just in case). Once it's all clean and dry I'd feed him some of his regular food or treats on that spot (right off the floor, not in a bowl) to help him see it as a part of his "den" and not a potty place. I wouldn't do any punishments either as in that case he's not really getting the message and it makes him more likely to sneak away and do it (since he thinks you seeing the poop is what's getting him in trouble).

You said he was afraid of thunder - is this related to storms or anything like that? Fortunately my dogs don't care about thunder but friends who have dogs that do have told me that their dog gives them signals before they even know about the storm that it's coming.

Any new food, treats, perhaps stuff that the baby is dropping from the high chair? Extra fibre could be making him need to go much more frequently. Good luck with finding the pattern!