Hi, I'm new to this site. I have an apparently rare problem. I have read all similar threads and they haven't been quite my problem. Here goes:

I have 2 two-year-old jack-russell beagle mixes, boy and girl, same litter. They are the cutest dogs ever and my husband and I adore them. The girl, Chloe was potty trained at about 4-5 months and the boy, Benny, never caught on. He has his moments, but mostly poops and or pees his crate every day when we're gone. This has always gone on…since we got them at 3 months old. And it happens year round whether it’s snowing, raining or nice outside. (But he does hate going out in the snow/rain.)

Both dogs have been crated since we got them and are in their crates when we’re not home. Yet, if I'm home and let them chill in their crates downstairs while I clean upstairs, Benny will not poop in his cage because he knows someone's home. He recently added peeing, but he somehow aims that outside the crate onto the floor.

They eat and go outside on a schedule. They are up at 6:30-7am for breakfast/potty, 6:30-7pm dinner/potty, mid-evening potty at 9:30 and final potty before bed at 11pm.

Some days I clean up poop in the morning and again when I get home around 6-7pm. Other times I clean it up 3-4 times a day. If my husband and I go run errands after they've eaten and gone potty, he'll poop in his cage, even if we’re gone for 15-30 minutes. And if he actually (miraculously) poops outside before bed he – sometimes – has NO poop in the morning. Believe me, it’s a treat.

On that point, he knows when he’s “pooh-pooh’d” his cage. I don’t have to say anything, he drops his head and doesn’t look at me. But when he doesn’t pooh-pooh he gets really excited and jumps all around because we always make a huge deal about it (Good Boy Benny, no pooh-pooh, such a good boy!).

My husband thinks he does it out of spite that we left; I think it’s anxiety that we left. Either way, we agree that it’s because he’s upset. Benny is a sweet boy – and very sensitive and may need anti-anxiety meds. We have discussed medicating him and want to be sure we cover all angles before doing that.

Anyone out there willing to share their thoughts?

Oh and my vet is an idiot so I haven’t talked to him about this yet.

First question, what do you clean his crate out with? If it is bleach or any type of cleaner with anomnia in it, it will actually create a smell that the dog will pick up on and think its OK to go potty here.

A good crate cleaner is anything with a "oxi-clean" detergent in it. My suggestions, Natural's Miracle or Fresh 'N Clean. You can get either one at Petsmart or Petco.

Second question. How long is he in his crate for? Seems like you only give your dogs 4 potty breaks. He might be the type of dog that needs more. Perhaps you would be able to set up a doggy door from a mud room to outside while you are away at work.

Unfortunately both Beagles and Jacks are extremely stubborn and hard to train. They learn something because they want to, not to make you happy. Your boy is learning that its OK to go potty in his crate. It could be the fact that it smells like poop in his crate.

Third question. What type of food are you feeding? A lot of people and first time dog owners are unaware of all the bad side effects of grocery brand dog foods. Excessive pooing and large amounts of it are always good indicators that your not feeding good food. His body is so full of fillers that he can't help but poop between potty breaks.

It does sound like a little bit of Separation Anxiety and pooping in his crate is his way of retaliating from you guys leaving him behind. But you also mentioned he will soil his crate while you are home. THAT isn't a sign of anxiety, but sounds to me he is starting to turn soiling his crate into a extremely bad habit.

Is the female having any problems? Sometimes dogs don't learn to keep a clean sleeping area because their mother wasn't a very clean dog herself. She might not have kept her nest clean, teaching her puppies that its OK to potty where you sleep. This is very hard to over come. You have to have a tight schedule and not a single day can be missed. I'm aware that everyone needs to work and you won't be able to do this. You should try maybe hiring a dog walker if you can or take both dogs to doggy daycare if available. If there is a chance for either you or your husband to come home at lunch, then do so.

Try not to humanize your dogs reactions. Every pet owner is guilty of this. He is only acting that way because of your body language and tone of voice. I'm sure that you are much happier to see him when his crate is clean vs when it is dirty. Try and react the same way every time you go to him, even if his crate is dirty.

Also. When you clean his crate, be sure to clean him real good. Get the smell of feces off his body and away from his sleeping area. Don't give him a pet bed if you do. The fabric holds the smell, even if you wash it.

But like I said, getting him to break his habits is going to be a huge commitment on you and your husband. You have to find a game plan and stick to it.

Taking him to the vet for meds at 2 years old will give you problems later in life. Melatonin is a good remedy and is affordable. Give one pill to him when you leave. It'll just relax him, not zonk him out. He will still be aware of his surroundings and what's going on. He will still be the same dog. Vet meds... You could very possibly get a zombie of a dog. Not to mention, most anxiety pills kill the liver.

If you are interested in searching for a good food... please visit Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble (copy and paste into your browser). 6 and 5 star foods are by far the best.

I wish you luck

I'm going to go with separation anxiety on this one...
Even you say he may need anxiety meds but with the proper training it can be avoided in some cases.

Here's some tips that I typed out, I will cut and paste them for you.

Sorry for the long post but I will include crate training as well just to cover all bases.

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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.

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This is very similar to separation anxiety training.
There are a few things to consider before actually starting the training:

Selecting a crate.
A dogs crate should be large enough for the dog to stand up in, turn around easily and be able to lay down comfortably.
Crates come in all shapes and sizes so shop around for one that best suits your dogs size.

I personally prefer to use all wire crates as to the plastic pet pack varieties as even though the plastic crates have ventilation they can become very hot.
When you leave, no matter how long for always have fresh water available, D-shaped water bowls are great for crates, they are shaped like a D and the flat part has clips to secure to the wire and prevent spills.

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, it shows them that the crate is a good thing, not a punishment.

Another good idea for crates is to cover it with a blanket or sheet. You can leave the front open so the dog can see but having a blanket over the sides and back makes the dog feel more secure than a wire crate out in the open.
Another reason I prefer wire crates, you can adjust the covering to suit the weather.

When crate training my dogs I first coax them into the crate with a yummy treat, I let them eat the treat in the crate and play with a toy in there. Once they are comfortable with being in the crate I give them another treat then lock the crate and then go sit away from the crate and ignore the puppy.
I only sit down for a minute or two, just long enough so that the dog does not bark or cry.
I then walk over and let them out of the crate and give them praise for not crying.

Letting them out only if they are not crying is very important. If you let the dog out of the crate while it is crying it will only teach them that crying makes you come back and let them out.

Next time I sit down for a few more minutes, again only letting them out if the dog is not crying.

Increase the amount of time you sit for and always let them out before the dog starts crying (you will learn how long that threshold is pretty quickly)

This teaches the dog that they are not being left in the crate forever.

A lot of people prefer to leave the house while they are crating their dog to start with, this is purely personal preference, I have tried both and had more success with staying near the dog.

The only attention the dog shoulg get should be an angry "no" from you when it cries to show it that crying is naughty.
Just remember, however loud and hard your puppy is screaming do not let it out of the crate. It will calm down and then it can come out.

First question, what do you clean his crate out with?
We use "Enzyme Action" cleaner.

Second question. How long is he in his crate for? Seems like you only give your dogs 4 potty breaks.
Our dogs are in their crates overnight (7-8 hours) and during the day they max out at 10 hours but it depends on our schedule. Also "only 4 potty breaks" for people that are gone all day is pretty damn good. Plus, if we're home all day they are stay out with us and even get 1-2 more. We don't have a mud room, a fenced in yard or a doggy door and have no means of getting any. ($$$$)

Third question. What type of food are you feeding?
We feed our dogs Innova red-meat small bites. We have never ever fed them crappy "grocery store" food - anything that has the word "chow" in it for example. They have eaten better than we have since we took them home. They are like children to us.

But you also mentioned he will soil his crate while you are home. No, actually I said that he DOES NOT poop his cage when one of us are home because he knows we're there. That's why we believe that it is simply an anxiety issue.

Is the female having any problems?
None. She was fully trained since she was 5 months old.

Try not to humanize your dogs reactions.
We don't. By the time we reach the end of the steps he's either pouting or going spastic in his cage. My husband doesn't give him a reaction until he "fully inspects" the cage (purposely making Benny wait for a reaction) and if there is no poop that dog knows it and is jumping like a kid at Christmas.

But like I said, getting him to break his habits is going to be a huge commitment on you and your husband. You have to find a game plan and stick to it.
Sorry... but do you really think that someone that wasn't committed would clean poop for two years? We will never give up on Benny. I know people that have give away three pets because they were too lazy to train them or fix problems. It was appaling. They threw their animals away. We will figure this out. Thanks for your time.

amcosta,

Sounds like you're following the book! Innova is great food. I feed my girls the large bites.

Seems like it is separation anxiety. There are a lot of remedies to help with it. You should try melatonin or rescue remedy before you start down the expensive road to anxiety meds. You should also, if you can, find a behaviorist that can help you find out how bad the anxiety is. They'll be able to help through the steps and give you the right medication. Really stress the fact that your dog is only two and that you don't want a zombi dog. It seems like you're very in-tuned to your dogs and know what's going on (besides the potty issue) so for sure give that behaviorist or vet a run for their money! Don't just take the first diagnosis they give you.

Good luck!

I would go with hard training at first, not things like Rescue Remedy... it doesn't work ;) I haven't heard of Melatonin though, will have to look into it.

Rescue Remedy works for select dogs. I've had dogs that it worked on then dogs that it didn't even effect. Defiantly trial and error!

Very true, I haven't had one bit of success with it and neither have friends but it must do something to still be on the market.

I think its mainly for people. The last time I bought a bottle it was at a health food store. The brand name is Bach. I know there is a "dog brand" one that I saw at Petco. That one didn't work at all. It comes in the dropper or a spray. The spray is way expensive and a tiney dropper bottle lasts a long time.

Oh! And I just remembered. This may or may not work for this situation, but a DAP (Dog Appeasing Pheromones) diffuser. Its suppose to help dogs with anxiety. It puts off pheromones that will remind the dog of its mother and litter. It comes in a collar form too that I think lasts up to 3 months (one collar a month). They're pretty spendy, so defiantly keep the receipt!