Hi, we've just acquired (6 days ago) a lovely (?2 year old) rescue rotty/lab cross. We don't know anything about his background as he was a stray. He seems great in every respect other than at night. We leave the room to go upstairs to bed and Chester can settle (though a couple of nights hasn't) but then wakes up and starts to scratch the door. 4 out of 5 nights he's pooed and last night we had a really disturbed night where my husband ended up sleeping downstairs following 2 poos and a pee (dog not husband!). Chester settled once my husband was in the room with him and slept for the rest of the night. Point to note: he's is a prolific poo-er! About 6 times a day. We feed him only on dry food, although he seems a greedy dog. We have Ted, a 2 year old border collie, playful but quite submissive, and they get on well. Ted seems to sleep through it all. We suspect it's a separation thing but the problem seems to be escalating and we could do with some advice from anyone who has been through the same thing or knows what we can do. Thanks

Welcome to the forum

Firstly, what are you feeding him? If it's a low-quality food with lots of grain and little meat then he will be pooing for africa as grain just goes straight through a dog. This would also explain why he seems to always be hungry.

With regards to toileting during the night I think I would try what you do with a new puppy - setting the alarm for a few times during the night and taking the dog out to toilet, but making sure you don't talk to the dog or play or anything, just letting him out and putting him straight back to bed. After a few nights of this you can make the time between alarms longer and longer until he is holding the whole night.

With regards to scratching at the door, the golden rule is to ignore him - never go down to him when he is scratching or he will learn scratching at the door = someone comes to see me.

Hope this is helpful. Remember 6 days isn't a lot of time and it sounds like he's otherwise doing really well

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Welcome to the site,

You mention he is a greedy dog, how much are you feeding him per day?

About 2-3% of his body weight per day spread over two meals. If on dry food an allowance should be made that adds some water to those biscuits, so if the dog weighs 40Kg -> 2% is 800grams, which might be 500grams of dry biscuits mixed with 300grams of meat juice cooking water.

More food in = more poo out.

You might adjust his feeding times so that the main meal is in the morning and a light supper. You can work out how long a dog takes from eating a meal to passing it by including some mashed up raw egg shell in his food. It's a source of calcium and will show in his stool.

If he is used to pooing where he is, as you say the history is unknown, you can only work to ensure the lower intestine is emptied at night - walking encourages the urge to pass stool. Keep a diary for a few days so you can calculate the feed to poo transit time.

With pee - remove access to water after a certain time in he evening.

In our house feeding happens after walking.

If you want to allocate a place for him to use as a toilet - the best thing to do is mark that place with the smallest micro-dot dab of another dog's poo. He will smell that and wish to obliterate that smell with that of his own scent from the anal glans.

There are other feeding paths you might consider - but one big change at a time, and getting familiar with your house and his new pack is the priority.

Distilled vinegar (clear stuff) from an Asian wholesale supplier in gallon bottles will remove the smell from carpets too.


HTH

I think this is brilliant advice, remember, you have no idea what's happened to your boy before he came to you, someone could have set this behaviour by being lazy and not allowing him outside enough to toilet, or even by being abusive if he did toilet at the wrong moment, meaning he now hides what he's doing. So go right back to basics, take it one step at a time, set your alarm to get him out to toilet and nice gentle fuss when he gets it right, ignore it when he gets it wrong. Clean up with a shop bought solution especially for it, failing that, use biological washing powder in hot/warm water - the enzymes destroy the smell, where as bleach based products leave a smell that encourages them to toilet *there*.

I definitely second the advice about the food, if it's full of fillers that he can't digest, then most of it will come out of the other end. I have two adult Labs that are raw fed, and the amount of waste they produce between them is less than half that of my brother's dog (staffy), fed on a reasonable kibble. The cheaper kibbles have even more fillers so don't give good nutrition meaning your dog will need more to sustain himself, and you'll be spending a fortune in poo bags for the other end. If you post what he's on, I'm sure peole will tell you whether it's any good, and if not why, and we'll also be able to help give recommendations for better quality foods that would fit your budget.

Firstly, congratulations on taking on a stray.
Secondly welcome to the forum.

As a dog fosterer, it takes time to get your head around the needs of a new strange dog. Im on my third foster....and each of them is different. Generally male dogs in a new environment will want to mark their territory, it makes them feel more comfortable even though its unpleasant for you. My latest one has been in kennels for 2 years, where during that time he was fed and watered in his kennel and them toiletted there too. I would suggest you are going to have to start potty training from the beginning:- ie feed him then go into the garden with him, give lots of praise when he does his toiletting outside, that way he learns what you expect him to do.
Its very hard for poundies to learn that what they did last week in their old home is not whats required of them this week in their new home.
Time and extreme patience will pay off.....just remember lots of praise and kindness and you're onto a winner.

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SHAK (Safe Homes and Kindness)