Anyone know why?
 

I have a whippet as well as my two girls and he is housebroken and even a registered therapy dog, but ocasionally and more so lately he has been pooping in my sons room. I tell my son it is because is room is a mess and the fact that he has food wrappers up there that attract him to his room but still not an excuse. My whippet does have acess to the outside so I just don't get it.

I wonder if it could a domination thing?

Hmmm- I agree; it could be a domination thing. Also, maybe there's an old stain smell in the carpet padding that's attracting him to that spot?

I definately think it could be domination, or claiming your son or your son's territory, or a resentment. I had a Shih tzu when my first son was born. From the day we brought him home from the hospital that little dog kept pooping in my son's room or under the bassinet that I kept in our bedroom. He was definately showing his displeasure that we brought this little guy into the home. It went from bad to worse as he started growling and acting like he wanted to snap at my son. I was constantly on guard and fearful. I finally made the difficult decision to rehome my pup. Luckily I had a co-worker whose wife had fallen in love with him and she was all too happy to adopt him. Broke my heart that I couldn't keep him though. Not saying your situation would go to that extreme, but that is one scenario.

Yours could also be doing it just as a means of reclaiming the room as his territory. A young boy has a strong smell. After raising 3 boys I can tell you they go through a teenage musky smell if they are active, no matter how clean they are. I think that might annoy a male dog trying to stake his claim on the home turf. So by pooping in there, he has re-established his scent in the space.

I doubt it is the food wrappers, although I would not admit that to my son either -- as you want to encourage him to clean up for whatever reason works. :) But I bet if he does clean up the room, getting the teen boy smell out of it, he might be surprised to see the dog no longer uses it for his restroom.

So, this covers resentment pooping, establishing territory pooping, and then there is the establishing dominance over your son himself. The dog may feel your son is a competitor for your attention. By pooping in his room, he is showing who's boss. I don't understand the whole dog psyche but they do tend to use their waste in establishing dominance over other dogs, so I would imagine they have no trouble using the same technique to try to exert their dominance over a human being.

How to get him to stop? -- think about a doggy gate at the hall leading to the bed rooms. Do have your son clean his room thoroughly and use a vinegar/water solution over any area that was previously soiled to try to remove the last vestiges of smell that they can smell when we cannot. Then use a good air freshner and keep the room smelling nice.

Try to give the dog more attention. Have your son also give him more attention to try to get them to bond and alleviate any resentment or perceived competition between them. Make sure you take him outside more than usual so that he stays "emptied" and maybe not needing to go when he is in the house will help.

That is about all I can think of. Good luck!

You say more so recently. By chance has it gotten cold where you live ? If so did it turn cold around the time of these recent events ?

OK, still question here... what is a whippet? Thanks!

Peggy, Monkey & Maddie :daisy:

A whippet is a smaller version of a greyhound. He weighs about 35 lbs. I'll post a picture of him on my profile.