How do I stop a rescue dog from pooping in the house?

My wife and I have a rescue dog, a yellow lab, that goes in the basement in the middle of the night and poops. We've only had him for 5 days, but this is a bad trend. How do we get him to stop? He is outside a LOT during the day and evening and has plenty of opportunity to go out there, but chooses this instead. HELP!

Keep him out of the basement until he breaks that habit.

I used a matt. He got used to pooping on the mat. I then slowly moved the mat closer and closer to the door. Now he poops on the mat outside. I will soon remove the mat completely and he will get house trainEASY Ey?

( "Crate Training" ) is a very good way to do what you want might even be the best way. Here is a link. I have been training my dog and others for 5 years this is the method I use with 100% success rate so far. Do not worry about how old your dog is this method has worked on all ages. Moreover he may be just stressed because of the new surroundings. None the less crate training is still the way to go.http://www.tropicanas.net/crate.htm

does he go in certain areas? I would get some special spray that you can buy at your local pet store that smells wierd to the dogs and spray it around the areas he goes the most. Then just make sure you take him out and on walks.

You don't say how young or how old the dog is.Have you tried newspapers? Put newspapers all around the basement - when the dog poops on the newspaper, praise him highly....if you want to break him of this habit - take the poop outside and let the dog sniff it while the dog is outside during the day. Eventually the dog should get the idea that the outside is for poop.Do you HAVE to keep the dog in the basement during the night? Isn't the dog lonely? I mean, you don't have to have the dog sleep with you - but what about leaving the dog in the kitchen? There is a slim possibility that the dog might be pooping in the basement on purpose because it does not want to be there - but that is a very wild guess on my part.Good Luck!

He is obviously an intelligent dog, it kind of sound like he is doing it just for spite. I had a cocker that did that years ago. I was a child at the time but it sounds the same. What I would have done was to put a crate down in the basement and put him into it each night then took him out each morning.All den animals refuse to soil their dens,(in this case it will be a crate), unless there is no choice.Contact me a tell me how it works or what you do.

I have had a few pound puppies and I have been successful with training them all with persistance and understanding and lots of praise when they do the right thing. I never reprimand a dog who had the odd "accident" because if you do, you make it a "incident" that it remembers and the dog is more likely to do the same thing again.My two current dogs seem to want to do poos around 5 in the morning (bless em). Fortunately, I wake up at this time (weak bladder) and let them out so that they can do poos outside.

There could be any number of reasons why the dog is doing this in the basement at night. True, he may not like being left alone there at night...but have you considered that he may have a nervous problem or condition that may also cause this problem? Just something to concider. Especially if you happen to know any of his/her previous history. The newspaper and mat ideas are typical training techniques. They do work but take time and patience. Dirt may be an additional problem; some dogs are allergic to certain foods such as pork products. How is the dogs diet?Try keeping the dog in a doghouse or weatherproofed housing with plain straw for a bed. The straw makes for good insulation and keeps them warm even on cold nights. (Not that you should have to worry about that at this time of year, I know). Best if you have a pen for them, about 5-6 feet by 5 ft. to test his habits at night and to see if it really is the basement or some other "evening" issue. Worst case scenario, a doggie psychiatrist! But I think you may want to try the other ideas and techniques first. It is best to try to rule things out as you go on to discover the dogs behaviors and reasons for them, (perhaps they may not be able to help themselves without your support first). Good luck and God bless. Be sure to reward good behavior with a combination of alternating praise and love v.s. occational treats. You will get better results from them esp. being a rescue animal! Verbally tell them "No!" firmly but lovingly when they are wrong or misbehave. But never hit them if at all possible. Then correct them by showing them what it is that they should do instead. Think of them as training a child. Even older dogs who have not properly been around or learned social skills from other dogs/humans, can re-learn behaviors and can be taught what is correct with patience and loving training.

Please be patient with him, it's only been a few days and he will learn what's expected of him. It's possible that in his last home that was the norm. Lots of praise and lots of love will work as he really wants to please you.And God bless you for rescuing him. I have several 'pound puppies' and they make truly wonderful companions.

A puppy is like a baby. He will relieve himself anywhere, anytime. Because a newly adopted adult dog is unfamiliar with your home, he may not understand where he should "go"! Housetraining, or teaching your dog to go outside to relieve himself, is an important lesson your dog must learn. It is up to you, the new parent, to housetrain your new puppy or dog with patience, love and understanding. CRATE TRAININGIn the wild, wolves live in a den or cave. It is important the entire wolf pack keep this area clean. The same idea works with your family pet. Your dog’s crate is his home, his bedroom. It is likely that your dog will not like to soil his bed. Therefore, he will wait until he is let out to do his business. HOUSETRAINING WITH YOUR CRATEOn average, puppies can hold their bladders one hour for every month they have been alive, plus one hour. For example, if you have a three month old puppy, he can wait 3 + 1 = 4 hours. If you work longer than this, the best solution is to have someone (a neighbour, a relative, a dog walker) come in at an appropriate time to let your dog out.100 PER CENT SUPERVISIONSupervision is the key to housetraining! While you are at home, your dog must be supervised. Whether you are watching television, making dinner, on the phone or on the computer, your puppy must be watched. While it sounds like an impossible task, it isn’t. Keeping the crate in a social part of the house makes it easier. Using a house lead – a small, thin lead with a little clip on it – also helps immensely. Outside, you put a lead on your dog so you can control him. If the lead is removed after returning home, control is lost. For example, when watching television, have the lead tied to a couch leg. Your dog can have his blanket and toys with him. He’ll feel safe and comfortable. The majority of accidents happen when your pup wanders off and you haven’t noticed. You don’t want him to sneak off into the kitchen and find a puddle a short time later. If your pup is kept from wandering, the possibility of an accident is diminished because he will not eliminate where he is sitting. 100 per cent supervision means ensuring your dog is playing with you, in his crate, outside or on his house lead.SCHEDULINGIn the morning, take your dog outside. He should urinate and possibly have a bowel movement. Spend about five to seven minutes with him and then bring him in. Do not play with him yet. Feed him breakfast, either in the crate or with the lead, and supervise it. If your pup did not have a bowel movement earlier, take him back outside about 15 minutes after he has eaten. Use the lead to keep your pup moving along while outside. Otherwise, he may start sniffing, stopping and playing to avoid the job at hand. You can say “hurry up” and your dog will begin to associate these words with the task at hand. Praise him excessively when he has eliminated. Bring him back in the house and place him in his crate if you are going to work. Continue to supervise him with the crate or the lead if you are home. When returning after being out, go directly to the crate, let him out, praise him and put him back in. Feed him his meal, take him outside 15 minutes after he has eaten, praise him after he eliminates, and bring him back in. Continue to follow the same steps consistently.While you are home, you should take your pup outside on a regular basis. Even if your pup is in a crate or on a house lead, he still needs the opportunity to eliminate. Also, be careful what you wish for! A pup who barks to go outside may be cute and clever now. However, you must try not to fall into the habit of leaping up every time your dog wants in or out. It is a very submissive gesture on your part. Have your pup wait a moment or two. Setting up a schedule is also a good idea. If your pup is under four months of age, take him out for five minutes every hour on the hour. If your pup is over four months old, take him out every second hour on the hour. The schedule will help you remember when to take him out. Go out for five minutes only. It provides the opportunity to eliminate even if your pup may not need to go. Take your dog out after active play and also after napping. If an accident occurs, you may have forgotten to take him out .FEEDING TIME Having a puppy drink a lot of water and then placing him in his crate is much more unkind than letting him be a bit thirsty for an hour or two. Adult dogs should have access to drinking water at all times. However, this is not the case for untrained pups. Most parents will not allow their children to drink a big glass of water before going to bed. Avoid setting your pup up for failure. Restrict his water intake to three or four drinks daily and make sure you remove the water dish about three hours before bedtime. This will help your dog sleep more comfortably.If it is a hot evening, supply your pup with a few ice cubes. They will enter your dog’s system at a slower pace. When feeding your pup, provide a high-quality food that is a good source of protein. The food must be concentrated so your puppy’s body doesn’t require much of it. If you feed less, your puppy eliminates less. Food is directly related to how well puppies do in their housetraining.EXERCISEIt is important that your pup gets a lot of exercise, especially while crate training. You can play fetch, chase or hide and seek in your home. You can call ‘come’ at the same time to provide further training. Anyway you do it, your pup needs to be able to run and play.

i have a rescue dog and dogs in the past and almost all of them did almost the same thing. they just have to get used to their surroundings. go out with your dog and if he dose anything praise him. that has always worked for me in the past