A friend of mine has a ten year dalmation and has had him since he was a pup. Zachary has been an angel - except for these past six months. First of all he acts like he doesn't like his 'daddy' at all. He walks five paces behind him, almost like he doesn't want to be seen with him!

About two weeks ago, Zach has been pooping in the house. He's never done that before. Every day Peter comes home with poop near the front door - Peter has taken him on long walks in the morning and after work. Today Peter came home for lunch and Zach had pooped - so I guess he's doing it in the morning.

As far as changes in life - Peter and Zach were living at a friends house (Sheri) for about a year. Zach is really attached to that friend who still comes and visits often.

Is it possible that Zach is pooping because he misses Sheri - even though before Sheri Zach was fine?

Could it be a medical problem?

Any advice?

Can I be any more confusing?;)

Bring him to the vet!!! If this is new behavior it could be something medical.

Bring him to the vet!!! If this is new behavior it could be something medical.


That's the first thing I told him . . . if it is medical, what can actually cause this behavior?

Is it possible that Zach is pooping because he misses Sheri - even though before Sheri Zach was fine?

Oh, yeah, absolutely. Dogs have emotional lives, too.

Could it be a medical problem?

Possibly. Zach should be seen by a vet to rule out any physical problems. If he's in generally good health (I say generally because he's 10 years old and older dogs will show signs of aging), then perhaps Zach needs to be evaluated by a pet psychologist. I'm serious. There are animal behaviorists who will visit clients' houses to evaluate their pets when the animals start behaving inappropriately and they'll offer advice to the pets' humans on what to do.

At that age he could be entering the incontinence stage... I'd have a vet rule out medical issues.

Stress and worry could cause him to start pottying in the house, so yeah it's possible that it could have started when the roommate moved out. The walking behind his dad thing makes me think the dog might be scared of him, so the pooping could be a way to tell dad he doesn't have to be scared of him. Make sure he doesn't ever punish the dog or yell at him for the pooping.

He's actually 12. He didn't yell at him before - but he might be now.

I thought incontinence would affect urination first?

Not always - Some people I knew had a wonderful Weimeraner who suffered from loss of bowel control first. I am not sure how usual that is though.

More background on this. Peter actually had a partner for seven years who was home all day with Zach. When they moved in with Sheri, Zach became unpredictable with people. Sometimes he'd growl, sometimes he wanted nothing to do with them, etc.

So now we are thinking this has more to do with separation anxiety.

Does getting another dog help dogs with SA?

Definitely have him checked by a vet. Twelve is quite old for a big dog and there could be a medical reason. Dogs often suffer from dementia and behavior changes just like people as they age.

Dogs can also be very affected by changes in their lives like moving into new surroundings or having their people leave. If he was used to human company all day and then suddenly moved to a new place where he was left alone most of the day, then on top of that having Sheri leave, that could definitely be affecting him.

My husky ended up at the shelter because of pooping problems much like Zach. Specifically, he lived with a couple and adored the woman and was a bit jealous of the man. So he'd tear up his things and poop on his pillow. When I first adopted him, he thought he ran the show at my house too and if I "wronged" him in his doggy mind, he'd poop on the couch. He got over that bad habit by my showing him he wasn't in charge. I don't let him lead me on a walk, I eat before him, I ignore him when he demands attention, etc.

If the vet rules out medical issues, ask him for a referral to a behaviorist. And if your friend is into reading books, order The Dog Listener by Jan Fennell. You can get it on amazon.com. I've read a lot of great books on dog behavior but that one still remains my favorite. I saw changes in my dogs within 2 days of following her techniques. Even though I'm admittedly too lazy to follow them 100% every day, it still made a huge difference.

Also, tell your friend NO YELLING. That won't solve the problem and will likely make Zach worse.

I think it's stress and worry, too. I know someone whose dog (about 9 years old) suddenly started peeing when the owner came back after being gone for a few hours. They took him to the vet, and it was nerves. He doesn't do it anymore, but I'm not sure what treatment they did.

Does getting another dog help dogs with SA?

Not really. It does a little bit, but it's not a solution. How he greets the dog when he comes home, and how he leaves the house, have a much greater impact on dogs who are prone to seperation anxiety. He should make leaving and entering as boring as possible, no greetings, no long goodbye--even ignoring the dog for five/ten minues every time he comes home. The book Wolfie recommended goes into this more, explaining the reasons why and such. Insufficiate exercise also plays into an increased level of anxiety.

If he notices the dog scratching at the doors and windows, and chewing up carpet near exits then it's most definetely a sign of seperation anxiety.