I have a 1 year old boxer/american bulldog mix. He was trained to go potty outside since we've had him (we got him when he was 2 months old) and he's been pretty good at going, with only the occasional accidents, mostly when he was younger. Lately, though, he's been going to the bathroom in the house - A LOT - and I don't know why. His favorite places to go are either in my bedroom or one of the kids' bedrooms, which I have now made a habit to keep closed all the time. He has even learned how to sneak in by pushing open the doors if they don't catch properly when they are closed. What makes it worse is that his behavior has become so brazen that there are times when he will come in the room and either squat or lift a leg right in front of you! The most frustrating thing is that he KNOWS it's wrong! Whenever I find one of his little surprises, the minute he sees where I've come from, he'll run to the back door and cower there while I yell at him to get to his cage. And if I try to drag him to it, he'll fight me the entire way there... dragging him to his mistakes wasn't hard when he was little, but now that he's 90lbs of solid muscle, it's a little harder, and he knows it!

I am at my wit's end trying to figure out what is causing the behavior, and most importantly, how to stop it. I have read a few posts on here, and while he knows who the alpha male is in the house (my husband), I am starting to wonder if his behavior is due to him not being neutered yet, which is something that is in his very near future. I'd really appreciate any suggestions. He really is a good dog otherwise with no other behavioral issues.

T 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.

I would also point out that your dog is still very young. Yelling at him will not help him to learn good behavior, it will only scare him. Every time you catch him in the act, tell him no and place him outside. When he does go outside praise him, overdo it, let him know how very proud you are of him. Dogs are very loving animals, they want to please their human family and will try very hard to do so. You have to reaffirm what is expected of him, he doesn't know the way humans act, he has to learn to live in you world and it's up to you to teach him. Good luck with your pup.

I thought I had mentioned this in the original post, but the dog IS crate trained. This problem has only started in the past 2 weeks or so. Nothing around here has changed - no new pets, no different work schedules, nothing out of the ordinary. Also, from the responses it sounds like you all think this is something that happens when he is left home on his own. That is not the case. He does this when he is allowed to be out and about, socializing with the family.

We haven't deviated from his daily habits... we get up, let him out of his cage, and directly outside, then back in for breakfast, he has free reign of the house until we all have to leave, he goes out once more, then back in his cage, usually around 11 in the morning. My oldest is home from school at 3, he lets him out of the cage, and outside for potty. Then the dog is allowed to stay out. I am usually home by 4. I let him out again when I get in, and he's usually outside for about an hour, comes in, eats dinner, is allowed free reign of the house. He DOES sit by the door when he needs to go out.

But lately, he'll go out, do his usual business, then shortly after he comes back in, he sneaks off to leave a "surprise" somewhere else. He will sneak into the bedrooms WHILE we are home.

This isn't something he's doing just because he's not able to get out. I don't know if it's his version of "teenage rebellion" trying to fight his way up in ranks in the "pack" or what, but this is something that is only recent. And when I "yell" at him to get to his cage, that's exactly what is being yelled at him - the word "CAGE", granted, I am pretty mad at him at the time, but that is his command to get in his crate. On a side note, he only resists his cage when he knows he's pooped in the house. Any other time he's told to go into his cage, he goes no problems.

Thank you all for your advice, though.

1.) I don't believe in yelling at the dog after the fact, rather take him directly to his crate and lock him in for 5- 10 minutes, DO NOT USE A COMMAND like "Kennel Up", or "Crate" simply and silently grab his collar and put him in the crate. Yelling will only scare the dog. Unless you catch him mid leg lift (then it's okay to say "NO" once sharply and lead him out side), when you yell, the only things he understands is "there's pee on the floor, and the master is angry" they don't put 2 and 2 together...

2.) If there have been a lot of new changes in the house, (i.e. moving, new child, new pet, etc.) it can cause the dog to 'freak out' and do things he normally wouldn't do like in your case pee and poop in the house.

3.) Try starting from the beginning, when he goes outside give him treats and say good boy.

If none of these help there could be something medicaly wrong with him, so if all else fails take him to the vet.

It sounds like you are punishing him when you send him into his crate, his "safe place," and thus turn it into his jail cell, a bad place. No wonder he doesn't want to go there when you yell "CRATE"!

You may want to take him to the vet. Its possible he may have a UTI or other infection, so he is having problems holding it.

Also, a lot of this behavior may go away after getting him neutered. It somewhat sounds like he's marking.

And crating also sounds like a great option when the above hasn't worked or in the mean time. As others mentioned, the crate should never be used as a punishment. Make only good things happen in the crate, like meals or treats for staying quiet. Be sure the crate is in the most active room in your house. Make him stay in the crate while you are watching TV or making dinner and praise for being quiet.

Also, you may consider practicing NILIF. Everyone in the house should be alpha above him, so everyone in the house should practice NILIF with him. Just Google it and there are tons of articles with basics to get you started.