Quote:
Originally Posted by PismoBeachLover  Hi, thanks for the reply...
He is on a feeding schedule, he's been on the same schedule as my other 4 yr old yorkie female. they have a small portion at breakfast, then a small portion lunch and a small portion at dinner. He gets plenty of exercise as well, he's adapted well to the schedule of the house. we go for walks during the day at the beach or the neighborhood and after dinner, we walk them again. we play during the day and I take them with me when I run errands or go shopping in the car. He has plenty of attention. he's part of my daily routine.
he is in a cage for 7/8 hrs at night. just like my other yorkie. that's about the amount of time we're sleeping. he's never had a problem before.
He did however recently mate with my female. we considered the option of breeding and she was in heat, so they attached last week. since then, this has happened...could it be due to the breeding? but it started before he even was bred...
he is a house dog, he's been outside the last two days because I'm out of patience and resources...not thinking the outside is much of a punishment at all either...it's more a reward than anything else.
To top it off, we gave him a bath after his episode again today, washed his crate, set him back in there after he ate as a "punishment" only to find more poop 20 mins later...what's the deal???
any other ideas on what I'm doing wrong here??? |
Are the poops solid and firm? How often is he pooping per day? A vet check may be in order, especially because this is a recent development. Stool sample should be checked annually.
The behavior may also be linked to his reaction to your girl coming into season, into heat. Intact males tend to get a little crazy when a female goes into heat.
Sounds like he is getting plenty of exercise, attention, and that he has a routine, scheduled feedings...dinner not too late in the evening.
I agree with Bitsy that punishment is generally counterproductive. The dog simply won't link in his mind that you are putting him in the crate or outside because he is pooping in the wrong place at the wrong time. Focus on positive reinforcement. When he does poop in the correct place, praise him profusely.
You may also want to try waking up earlier and taking him out to poop. Once again, this may be linked to your girl going into season. His system may have sped up and he may not be able to go 7-8 hours without pooping. My little guy poops late in the evening and sometimes needs to go again as early as 5:30 am. He knows how to wake me up.