[Nancy1999]

Hi, I'm not sure he's testing you in this area, I think they test you with such things as how much barking can I get away with or can I beg for treats, but not so much with things like pooping and peeing. They really want to go in the places they are supposed to go, and if they are not, there is usually a compelling reason. Trying to figure out that reason can be difficult.

Since he was a rescue, you don't know how he was originally trained, and this can make a huge difference on how he's acting now. Some dogs were so traumatized by their original training they're a little nervous every time they have to go. When you say, "I saw him scoot into the living room," do you mean he pooped or peed? If he's returning to the same spot, you need to use an enzyme cleaner on that spot. Most cleaners won't touch the protein that is found in poop or urine, so you need a special enzyme cleaner to get rid of the protein, covering up the smell only works for humans, they can still smell the spot. Is he marking? This is different than peeing, and has nothing to do with him needing to empty his bladder; he needs to "mark" his territory. You can usually tell the difference by the amount, marking is only a tablespoon or even less on a small dog. If he was neutered at a later date, marking may never be eliminated, especially with the presence of other dogs, and many people use bellybands for this.

If he is getting up in the night and pooping in a corner, I would be tempted to put a pee pad there. This little guy has been through a lot, being rehomed is always traumatic, and you have no idea how the previous owners treated him and trained him, so the rules are probably very confusing for him. Joey's breeder told me to just ignore the mistakes, and praise the success; I think this is the best way for eliminating long-term side effects caused by improper training.

Ice on the road can cause the paw licking. What are you feeding? It sounds like he may be having problems with it.