Cooper is 22 months old. He is a big 85 pound of wonderful! One (of a few) problems: about once a month I get up and go to the family room where he sleeps and he is sort of hiding, so I know something is not right.....he usually greets me with a big smile and tail wagging like crazy! And, there it is, POO!! He goes to bed around 9PM.....he sort of tells me it's time to go.....so I take him out to do his business. He does.....most times just a wee, sometimes a wee and a poo. I used to stay outside with him for a long time waiting for him to poo but he would walk right back to the door to go inside. Last night, for example, he went out wee'd and poo'd!!! And the surprise he left me wasn't runny at all.....luckily, quite dry! Easy pick up! Have any of you encountered this with your dogs? I know it's only once a month but still, he is surely old enough not to be doing this? When this happens I do not say a thing....just go in and pick it up and, frankly, feel sort of sorry for him having to do this. Wish I had a doggy door for him to go in and out of but I leave in the northern part of United States and its coooold in Winter!! Thanks for any suggestions.
Maybe he just really, really needed a poo and couldn't wake you up to tell you? It might be nothing to do with how old he is, and just he got caught short and really needed to go? I think the only solutions to this are to make sure your dog has a poo before bedtime, or have a baby alarm that alerts you to movement - the problem with that is it wakes you up everytime the dog has a wander round as I found out....or, the best, have your dog sleep in your bedroom so he can let you know he needs an emergency poo over night. Charlie always needs a poo at 2am in the morning after gundog training (too many treats) and it's this that had us move him into our bedroom, because that was the only reliable way we could be sure of knowing if the dog needed us overnight.
There is a good dog door you can buy which keeps draughts out, it is called Plexidor and I believe is made in the States. I have one and it is excellent, it is cold here at the moment and no cold has been let in!
Thank you Julie and Stacia. I will look into the Plexidor door....hopefully it will work on a sliding door? I totally understand that he had to go....and he does sleep at the other end of the house from me at night. He has the sofa and entire family room and I go to my bedroom. I cannot hear him from where I sleep unless he would bark, which he does not. Reason he doesn't sleep in my bedroom is that he is very restless plus I have carpet on the floor and it is probably too hot for him. I've had him in my bedroom a couple of times when he would not settle in his area for some reason, and he kept jumping on and off the bed, licking my hand, my face....if I moved in bed he must have thought it was morning because he was all happy and jumping around! As you can imagine at 3AM or 4AM.....not too funny!! The baby monitor might be something I could try. Or, as you say, make sure he DOES poo before he goes to bed. But how do you make a dog poo???!!! He ALWAYS wees.....but poo?? Nothing like keeping us on our toes!!! I am going to research the door, because that would be great. And look into the baby monitor. That would certainly be cheaper than the door, I am sure! Or, lastly, have him sleep in my bedroom. Maybe if he did every night then he wouldn't be so restless in the bedroom. Again, thanks so much.
I wonder if something is going on outside your house that he hears and while he's up and awake he might as well poop? Sounds a bit far fetched to me as I'd think a neighbour would get up, or come home, more than once a month from a job or something, but ..... Remember, the dog door can let other critters in too. Unless you use the special collar one. LOL, neighbors have a cat door and a stray cat we are both putting food out for has walked into their house several times. They know because of the howling, barking and frantic toenail scrabbling on the floor from it and their own two cats and their dog.
Charlie won't poo in the garden, so we take him for a last walk around the block at about 10pm. He will normally have a poo then, not always, but if he needs a poo he will go. He'd soon get into a routine and be settled in your bedroom though.
I don't think Plexidor would work on a sliding door unfortunately, but do get in touch with the company just in case. I have never had any other animal try and get in, but then we do have an enclosed garden.
Not the only way. Someone could sleep downstairs with him, in a tent. But that would be crazy. No-one would ever do anything like that.
Plexidor will not work for a sliding door.....I checked. Also, Julie, it may come down to Cooper sleeping in my bedroom but would rather not at this moment. Am having two knee surgeries March and June so really will need to recuperate without a dog in my bedroom. Maybe after the recoup period!! Cooper has no problem during the day poo'ing in his fenced in area....it's night time that he would rather go out the front door.....of course, most of this is my fault since I give him the choice! Spoiled.....NO!! not at all!!!!
