My 6 year old-mix (brittany spaniel/lab) started to poop in the middle of the night. She's been potty trained for years and usually scratches the back door to go out. However, lately, she's pooped upstairs (where she's not allowed). More recently, we've kept her in our bedroom to keep her from going upstairs. She pooped in out walk in closet. What could be the problem? Nothing's changed in her feeding times. We've always fed her once a day about 6:00 pm and leave her outside for a few hours to play w/our 2nd dog.

There's a lot of reasons your dog might have started this. If you've ruled out any medical reasons, a couple of possible reasons might be:

1. She's had a hard time in the past getting you to notice that she needs to go out, and has finally decided that asking by scratching the door isn't a reliable way to get what she needs. Watch her very carefully over a few days time to see if she's asking in a way that you would not have noticed in the past.

2. She's doing it intentionally because she's upset with you. Has anything changed in her environment recently that she doesn't like-ie is someone in your household gone more often than usual, or is there a new addition to the household? If your dog is crate-trained, you can try crating her during the time of day that she's been having accidents. If she's not crate-trained, try keeping her confined in as small a space as possible, such as in a bathroom. Let her out every half hour or so to go outside. Watch her very carefully while she's outside so you can catch her pooping outside, and immediately give her lots of praise and a treat for her good behavior.

You can also try very close observation of her behavior while she's outside playing after dinner, to ensure you don't let her in until she's pooped. If you observe her over an extended period you may also see a pattern in her behavior that will shed more light on the problem.

For a 6 year old dog to develop a problem like that, something very important has happened in its life. If she was 3 years or less, I would see it a challenge to your leadership. It is more likely to be emotional than physical, but you should start with a vet visit. You then need to look at what has changed in your household including stress in your life. Dogs are highly attuned to their owners emotions. If you are stressed, the dog will be stressed. If something new is causing you to give her less attention, you need to look at your priorities.

It is possible you have shown weakness as a leader and she has decided to challenge you although beyond the age where it is common. 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

She may have decided she is a big and is showing you she can mark in the house and you can't stop her. In addition to taking over as top dog, you need to keep her where you can see her when you are around. Keep the bedroom door and the others closed. Use gates on doorways and the steps. Some people go so far as leashing the dog to them. Take her out when you think she needs to go perhaps on a regular schedule. Use a command and praise her.

When you aren't around, crate her. Other dogs may
Not be as bad as the young Labs I am plagued with. Still your house and dog
Will be much safer with the dog in a crate when you are away. 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 dogs 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.

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.

You might review the housebreaking sticky, https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/i...tml#post251809 I don't see this as a housebreaking issue, but it has some material on recognizing when a dog needs to go out and teaching the dog to let you know. Post back with any questions on applying my answer.