Change in routine = change in house training !!!

[{97702}]

The poor greyhound girls have had quite a lot of change over the past month or so - my ex has moved out, Hoover is no longer with us and I am walking them every day now. It seems to have resulted in a break down in house training which I’m struggling a bit with!

They are fed before work (8am) and after their evening walk (between 7 and 8 pm at the latest depending on horse care)

Every morning I let them out, feed them and see all 3 of them poo in the garden, which I then clean up immediately

Over the last few weeks my dog sitter has been arriving around 12.30-1pm and has found one of them (we suspect Millie) has pooed in the kitchen! Even though I see them all go in the morning only a few hours before! She lets them all out and they have plenty of time to poo again..... and I come home at 5.30pm and find Amy has pooed in the kitchen!

I know not everyone agrees with leaving dogs while you are at work, but I am absolutely sure that isn’t the issue here. All of them are used to being left for those pattern of hours, and it isn’t due to digestive upsets.

The ex did keep different hours to me - he used to regularly fall asleep on the sofa in the evening, and end up going to bed around 1 or 2am (it drove me absolutely mad!) so I’m wondering if it is because they aren’t getting let out in the early hours any more? I’m not being regularly woken up to let them out during the night, and there are no accidents at night time.

I’m thinking I will start crating Millie in the morning and Amy in the afternoon, that would solve the problem but wouldn’t really solve the problem if you get what I mean! Why are they doing it? Are they just unsettled? I couldn’t blame them if they were....

 

[CorvusCorax]

It's probably a bit of stress and a change in routine (a bit like myself )

You could try caging to make them feel a bit more secure? Even just in the interim.

 

[twiggy2]

It could be that hoover bought stability to the house in your absence, with him no longer there maybe they are just not quite as settled and that is getting their bowels going.
Does the dog walker see Amy poo? Maybe she needs to go out separately from the others maybe even on a lead and the dog walker needs to see her poo and give praise for it. Dogs are at risk when they toilet and if they are feeling nervous or even the slightest bit anxious they may not go.

 

[{97702}]

I think you may well be right Twiggy, they seem to have been noticeably more unsettled since Hoover hasn’t been around. He wasn’t top dog by any means, but he was a lovely solid dependable reliable male 😊 (not often you can say that 😄) - I’m hoping Marty will be the same, that’s how he seemed to be when we met him.

I’ll ask the dog walker to make sure she sees Amy poo at lunchtime, it does seem to be getting to be a habit for both of them which is what I’m trying to avoid.

CC, I think I’ll go for crating in the interim, and see how we go! I never tell them off obviously, it is just one of those things, but it would be good to put a stop to it.

Oh Hoover, we all miss you so much 😔😔😔😔

 

[{97702}]

Ah ha! Dog walker has reminded me that this started before I lost Hoover - around the time that I started feeding them all twice a day! I used to feed Hoover 3 or 4 times a day, and the girls used to be so cross that I thought they might as well be fed twice too.

Perhaps I’ll go back to feeding just once a day

 

[twiggy2]

I would 👍

 

[SusieT]

Are they getting physically taken for a walk before work and with dog walker? As I find it's often going for the walk that makes them actually go..

 

[kimberleigh]

Perhaps I’ll go back to feeding just once a day

I was going to suggest feeding once a day, all my adults are fed once and even little pups very quickly drop from multiple meals and are down to once by the time they are between 6 and 12months depending on the individual!