I'm so frustrated right now it is not even funny. My 3 year old female GSD is, all of a sudden, having accidents in the house, just like that. It started about a months or two ago. Every time I left the basement open, she would go downstairs and poop. Then she would eat it as if trying to hide the evidence. So now I close the basement door and leave her gated in the kitchen. Well, today when I went home for lunch, she had pooped again and PEED!! Before it was just poop. I did notice that curtine on the door to go out was down as if she had been trying to open the door wanting to go out. Why is she doing this? She has been housebroken since she was a puppy, why this now? I am feeding her Canidae and I did notice she is going potty more often now since I switched her to Canidae, but so is my other female and she is NOT having accidents!! This is so upsetting. What should I do? Is she upset at me? Could it be the food? Can it be health problems? Gosh I wish they could talk!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />
Oh! and she only has these accidents when I'm not home. And like last time, she had already been out and pooped outside. I left the house for just 2 hours and when I came back she did it again. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

Feed her on a strict schedule. When you put the food down if she doesnt eat it in a matter of minutes pick it up and waite till her next schedule feeding. I recomend twice a day to people.If you know exactly what goes in her and when it is suppose to come out you can go along ways towards eliminating your problem.

She has eaten twice a day all her life. And she eats her food right away with no problem. So I don't think that is the issue. Again, she started doing this recently and the only thing that has changed was the food.

I would switch her back to her original diet(if she had no problems on it) and see if that cures things. Some dogs don't adjust as quickly as others to a dietary change. If going back to her old food works try gradually increasing the amount of the new food and decreasing her old one.
I think she is trying to be clean but the food is moving through her system faster.

Ok, I switched her back to Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul. Lets see what happens. :rolleyes:

Was the basement where you kept the puppies? Might have to do with it? We had a bad few weeks in the summer where Magic was all of a sudden pooping in the living room. She did it 2 or 3 times. I went back to basic housebreaking for a couple days and there hasn't been a problem since.
Maybe she just needs a refresher course.

Well, it is not the food. After almost a week of feeding her Chicken Soup, I found another "present" in the basement yesterday. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> I don't know what to do. I'm so upset, as she had never done this before. I guess I'm going to have to start crating her when I leave the house.

Leslie, yes, the litter of pups where in the laundry room in the basement.

You're switching foods like my daughter switches hairstyles! You have to ease your dog from one food to another over a period of about a month with the % of food changing slightly each day. Too much change too quickley will give you lots of "goodies" to clean up after.

Also, when in doubt, see your vet.

Carolina- I switch between 3 different dog foods weekly-which was RECOMMENDED BY MY VET,I have done it since he was a puppy because he is so darn finicky, and I have NEVER had a problem, and never had to clean up any extra's his stomach adjusted just fine-except with Canidae-and ONLY with Canidae. It started with frequent potty/poopy breaks, then he wouldn't eat it-so I added water to it, helped for a while, then when I offered it he would start to take the dish and either flip it over or throw it. The grand finally when it finally sunk in my thick squash that he didn't like it was when he lined up to his food dish and Sh^* in it . I talked to some other people that had problems getting their dogs to eat it also. None of them had their dogs crap in it, but one took every piece out of his dish and put it right next to his Daddy, others would tip it over.
You switched back to Chicken Soup which is good, but also call your vet, it sounds like something else could be going on. She could be lacking something, or have something UTI etc. have you had any big changes, and how are you doing emotionally, dogs can sense these things. Also how are her stools, if they are loose or mucusy maybe she is having stomach irritation to it.

Dee Dee, to switch frequently a dog must be used to it. You either have to start with a pup, or gradually change foods and then slowly decrease the time that you use to transition between foods. I started giving Auster a different high quality food every bag as a pup and now she expects it, but I would never try this with an adult that hadn't been brought up this way without a year of two of getting them used to this way of eating. I cleaned up way too many nasty kennels from dogs who had owners that forgot to bring their regular food to be convinced otherwise.

Carolina, I feed chicken and rice or/and cottage cheese while Auster is having problems, then gradually reintro her original food. This is after a vet visit to rule out parasites, coccidia, giardia, IBS, EPI, infection, etc.