Our dog has some mild separation anxiety-
When we leave, he freaks... eventually falls asleep in the window and waits for us to get home... doesn't destroy things or anything... but on occasion, he'll go to the bathroom in the window.
Recently, he's gone to the bathroom on the couch and loveseat, and I definitely can't have that continue...
I wonder if it's because he's freaking out that we're gone, or if it's just that he can't hold it all day and decides to let loose wherever he is...
He's 3 yrs old, is perfectly fine when we're home with him... except for a few very rare and exceptional instances, he's been fine as far as not going to the bathroom in the house... but when we're gone, it's about a 50/50 chance that we'll come home and have to clean up after him.
We've debated crating him while we're gone. But it seems to be worse when we do. He freaks out being confined in his crate (even though he goes in there voluntarily to sleep, lie down, etc. when we're home)- and there's about a 99% guarantee that he'll be covered in pee, poop, or both, and need a bath when we get home. I'd almost rather have to clean off the window sill or the loveseat than have to scrub sh*t out of his fur every night.
Basically, I don't know what to do, but need a solution asap. If we leave him out, or if we crate him, he needs to learn NOT to go to the bathroom when we're gone. I heard that yelling at him is useless if we don't catch him in the act. But since it only happens when nobody's home, I'm at a loss for how to deal with this.
Please help.