My dog poops in his crate when home alone. Is it separation anxiety?

Crating actually helps with separation anxiety, as it gives a dog a safe place of their own. I wouldn't feel terrible for putting Duke in there, as it can be a fun place for a dog to be in, and it helps them feel secure. That being said, him pooping two nights in a row could actually be due to a medical illness as opposed to separation anxiety. He could be suffering from diarrhea, which would make him have to poop immediately. I would take him into the vet in the morning for an exam. Diarrhea in dogs can be caused by intestinal parasites, GI illness, a sudden change in diet. or a foreign body. The vet can diagnose if he does have a medical illness causing the pooping in the night, and can treat accordingly.

Since it sounds like this is a recent behavior change for Luca, I would be concerned that he may have a medical problem of some kind causing him to have trouble controlling his bowel movements - so the first step would be to have him checked by a vet. He/she can do a fecal exam as well as other testing if needed to check for any problems. If his exam and lab work is all normal, then it may take a bit more detective work to figure out what is causing this behavior. If it only happens when you're not home, then I would be very suspicious that he may have separation anxiety - this is a very common cause of accidents in the crate when owners are not home. You can try videotaping him one day while you go out if you want to know for sure if this is the problem. If so, he may need prescription anti-anxiety medication to help keep him from becoming so upset - this would be something to discuss with your vet if you suspect that this may be the issue.

Hi. Poor righ. With diarrhea, I would first get a fecal checked for parasites and have your veterinarian prescribe something for diarrhea . In his case, I would also recommend looking in to a trainer and an anti anxiety medication thru your veterinarian. Good luck.

Hello. I would start with an over the counter anxiety product like Zylkene. I would also start using a dog appeasing pheromone in the home ( room diffuser ) or it comes as a collar. The pheromone can calm an anxious dog without drugs. Adaptil is the name of this product. If this does not help over the course of a couple of weeks, you will need to talk to your vet about possible behavior modification therapy & the use of prescription medications like Trazodone. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Poor Brownie! You're right that this level of anxiety is not normal, and needs to be treated ASAP in order to improve his quality of life and prevent things from getting worse as he gets older. I would strongly recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate Brownie in person and help you put together a detailed plan to work on his problem - this will likely include training exercises to help build his confidence with being alone, management suggestions to help him be more comfortable while you work on the problem, and anti-anxiety medication to make him feel better in the short term. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

It may be related to your absence. You can reinforce crate training. Walk him before you go out. Get him acclimated to your absence as well. Do this by preparing to leave several times daily. Leave sometimes and other times prepare to leave but then stay. Go out for ever increasing periods of time. Do not make a big deal when leaving or arriving. Use a special toys or treat as a distraction when you go. A pheromone product, such as the Adaptil collar or DAP plug in diffuser, may decrease any anxiety.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. There are definitely things you can do without having to see a veterinarian. Unless the anxiety is so bad that you need anti-anxiety medications, it is not necessary to see the vet for this behavior. There are several things you can try listed below to see if this relieves the separation anxiety. As for eating other dogs feces, you can buy bitter apple and apply it to the feces on the ground to help deter Sadie from eating the feces. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. 1. Adaptil collar and diffuser 2. NaturVet Quiet Moments Calming chews with melatonin 3. Provide more toys and use sound such as the TV or radio when leaving Sadie home alone 4. PetCube - this device allows you to interact with Sadie using your voice and a laser pointer that you can control from your phone ***All of the above products can be found online quite easily***