Hi,
I have 2 lhasa's in a 2 bed apartment. One is a rescue, and I had some housetraining issues at first but have gotten past them, I thought. The other I've had from a pup, and NEVER poops inside.
I recently took in a new roommate, and they are both pooping! It's almost too coincidental as it began to the day that my roommate moved in, first in her room, and then directly outside it after keeping the door closed. I am a male, and my roommate is a woman, if that means anything.

Has anybody encountered this type of situation before? On of the dogs is very alpha, the other is submissive and mimics the alpha guy, but it has been the submissive one pooping first...

Exactly what goes on in those furry little heads is hard to say. I am sure it has something to do with the woman. It could be jealousy, an appeal for attention, or it could also be stress.

For starters, the alpha one needs to learn his proper place in the pack. If not already, get them both fixed. The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts. Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at Raising Your Dog with the Monks of New Skete For more on being top dog, see Establishing and Keeping Alpha Position, Letting your dog know you are the boss It should help if the roommate does some of the obedience drills. Maybe you could each take one to obedience class.

When you are around you need to keep a close eye on the dog. Use closed doors or gates to keep it in the same room as you are, and perhaps as I do, a short chain fastened to the computer desk. If you catch it in the act, give it a sharp ''Ah, ah, ah!'' and take it out. When you can't watch it, crate it.

It is only natural that a puppy resists its crate at first. What the puppy
Wants more than anything else is to be others, you, anyone else in the
Household, and any other pets. In our modern society, even if we are home,
Other things distract us from the attention an uncrated puppy must have. The
Only real solution is to crate the dog when you aren't around. The dog may be
Happier in its den than loose in the house. It relaxes, it feels safe in its
Den. It rests, the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving
Its self. Dogs that have been crated all along do very well. Many of them
Will rest in their crates even when the door is open. I think the plastic
Ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den feeling. Metal ones can be put
In a corner or covered with something the dog can't pull in and chew. Select
A crate just big enough for the full grown dog to stretch out in.

Leave it some toys. Perhaps a Kong filled with peanut butter. Don't leave
Anything in the crate the dog might chew up. It will do fine without even any
Bedding. You will come home to a safe dog and a house you can enjoy.

A dog that has not been crated since it was little, may take some work.
Start just putting its toys and treats in the crate. Praise it for going
in. Feed it in the crate. This is also an easy way to maintain order at
Feeding time for more than one dog.

labman,

Thanks for your reply, and the time you took to write it! To clarify a couple things, my 'puppy' is actually 5 yo, and the submissive one is a 7 yo rescue which I've had about a yr.
I am pretty confiedent when I say that I already am the pack leader. I am able to walk both dogs offleash with total control of their movements, and they both respond promptly to any other commands I give them. I have been very assertive in that role for quite awhile, but am not excessively stringent when it comes to keeping them off the bed or furniture with me because I enjoy hanging out with them like that. They have also been neutered/spayed.

My Aplha's dominant traits are to protect and possess, and I think these are the places where all the problems originate. He is very protective of my apt. the apt. grounds, my other dog when he is petted or there is a perceived threat, or when anyone new comes into the picture, i.e. new roommate, guests, mailman, noise from outside. My biggest concern with that is that my submissive rescue is starting to mimic his actions, and is beginning to worry me when I have them around people.

On one of the attachments you gave me, which was very good by the way, it had a list of rules for alpha dogs to follow, which I'm very familiar with, and the one I liked the best was having the roommate be the one to feed the dogs. Additionally, I think that not allowing them on the couches will help to keep them in check in the pack hierarchy and will not be as quick to bark at my roommate when she gets home if they are sitting on the floor and do not have the ability to use the furniture as a 'podium' from which to display his alpha tendencies.

Do you have any other suggestions that are specific to these protective traits?

Thanks again for your reply..!
Jim

Golfratt, you may be the pack leader, but your new roommate is exhibiting some form of submissiveness for your dog to be doing this. It might not be detectable to you or your roommate, but your dog is seeing it loud and clear. Your new roommate needs to take on a leadership or dominant role in your dog's life. Your dog is challenging your roommate for rank status. Please share all of labman's advice and suggestions with your roommate and help her work on asserting her leadership with your dogs.