My 5 yr. old lab was great about pooping and peeing outside. But now that I go to work she is always doing it in the house. I walk her all the time before I go out and I also run her in the yard, but she waits until I go. What do I do.

Is it too late to crate a dog who is 5 yrs. Old. So she stops pooping in the house. She is a brown lab and she never did it before I went to work

Is it too late to crate a dog, when she is 5 yrs. Old and is a brown lab.

How long are you away from her for?

To add to Sariss's post...

Have you not been working until recently?
Was this a sudden change to her routine being alone while you are at work?

How long do you let her run around before you go to work?

cocomoco, I have merged your posts together as they are related to the same topic...

It would be of benefit to us if you could answer the above questions first before we discuss crate training.

I have always been home for her. But now, due to economy I had to get a job and I work from 6-7 hrs. a day. I either take her for a short walk or play with her in the yard before I go. But even when I am working and my daughter comes to take her out, she won't go with her even though she sees her all the time. Then when I come home I see the poop

I would say that the most likely cause is the sudden change in routine... she is not used to being left alone and does not realise that you will be home at xx:xx o clock to let her out, which is why she is pooping in the house.

Do you know if she barks or cries when you leave? It might be of benefit to do some separation anxiety training, I would recommend this to anyone that is going to be changing their routine or leaving their dog alone for longer hours...

I will post my method below, just have a read and see if it sounds like it might help you.

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Does your dog cry when you leave the room? Urinate only when you leave the house?
These are a few signs that your dog may be suffering from Separation Anxiety.

Some dogs do not like being left alone and some will think you are leaving them permanently and not coming back. Here are a few tips to help fix this problem.

When you leave, no matter how long for always have fresh water available. Toys are also a wonderful training tool as it will keep the dog distracted, I use kong toys stuffed with yummy food as a cure for boredom, having special toys or treats that the dog gets only when you go out are also a wonderful idea.

When training my own dogs for separation anxiety I first distract my dogs with their favourite toy and then exit my house through the front door.
I only leave for a minute or two, just long enough so that the dog does not bark or cry.
I then re-enter the house and give them praise for not crying.

Next time I go out I leave for a few more minutes, again only entering the house if the dog is not crying and giving praise.

Increase the amount of time you leave for and always come back before the dog starts crying (you will learn how long that threshold is pretty quickly)

This teaches the dog that you are going to come back and they are not being left alone forever.


Another technique is to not "baby" the dog.
Some dogs become overly attached to their owner and don't even like their owner being out of their line of sight, in this case the training needs to begin before you start going out

Start paying less attention to the dog, when he pushes for attention, don't give it to him
If he wants to be petted, make him wait.
As harsh as it sounds it is the only way to get the dog to start becoming less dependent on you.

After you have trained the dog to be less clingy you can move onto things like leaving the dog in the living room while you have a shower, or leaving him inside while you are out hanging up washing on the clothesline.

Thanks shazamatz, your second answer to the question is the one. She is very attached to me and follows me wherever I go. Always want to be petted and have her belly rub. I'll try to do what you said.

Let me know how it goes so I know whether to come up with a new plan or not :)

I don't know if its going to work. Yesterday I was home with her all day because I had off and she was good going out and everything. But in the evening, when I was watching TV she didn't even telling me she wanted to go out and pooped right behind me in the LVRM as usual. And when I woke up this am, she had done it again. She always used to tell me during the night if she had to go out. I am really at a loss with this problem.