My rescue dog pees/poops inside from separation anxiety. How to stop?

Question

I have had a rescue dog for about 3 years now and I have yet to be able to stop him from defecating and urinating in the house when I am not home or when I am sleeping at night, he does have some separation anxiety when I leave him. I am afraid I am going to have to return him to the rescue if I am not able to get this under control, do you have any advise for me as to how I might be able to stop this behavior. He goes out on a regular scheduled about every 2 hours when I am home. Thank you! Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Male | neutered | 15 lbs

Lauren Kennedy, DVM · Accepted Answer

I would recommend keeping Buddy in a crate while you are gone and at night time while you are asleep. This will help keep him safe while you are gone and he is anxious. It will also discourage him from using the bathroom in the house when he is alone. The crate should be just large enough for him to stand up and turn around. In the beginning he may resist the crate and he may use the bathroom in the crate. With time and repeated use of the crate he will learn that he will not want to defecate/urinate when he is in such an enclosed space. This should help him learn not to use the bathroom in the house while you are away. You may also want to discuss with your veterinarianabout starting Buddy on anti-anxiety medication since it sounds like historically he has had anxiety and that it is slowly getting worse. Anxiety medication can help greatly improve his and your quality of life. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

My rescue dog pees/poops inside from separation anxiety. How to stop?

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