Advice needed - dogs doing business in house

I have 2 dogs, both between 5 and 6 years old.

They have always been really good about going outside to do their business, and letting us know when they need to go out, but recently there has been quite a few occasions where they have done it in the dining room.

They are having plenty of opportunities to go outside, and just now they have been showing signs of needing to go out so I let them out for about 10 to 15 minutes. Brought them back in, I went upstairs to get something, came back down and one of them had pooed on the rug.

I really don't know why they have started doing this. It has happened at least 5 times in the past week, and I don't know how to stop it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated....

They could be unsettled with the weather? I have a shy cat and she's taken to peeing inside over the last week or so, I think she's feeling worried outside by all the noise.

If I were you I'd go back to basics - keep a close eye on them inside as much as you can, take them out very regularly and wait with them until they go, lots of praise and then back inside.

Also make sure you clean the area where they've toileted inside very well, you can buy special products for this or use biological washing powder - removing the smell will help break the habit. If possible you could physically block access to the area as well. With my cat I have put tinfoil down over the spot where she weed. Cats hate tinfoil and won't stand on it. The dog doesn't seem to like it either so it may also work for dogs!

Thank you vwkittie. Yeah I think they probably are unsettled by the weather, but I wasn't sure if that was it because it doesn't stop them going outside. I'll keep a better eye on them inside definitely. I don't think the tinfoil thing is that practical for this because they aren't just using one small patch, it seems to be the whole of the dining room lol, but it is handy to know for future reference.

Hopefully the weather will calm down soon.

I second what vwkittie said. My instant thought was the weather as after boxing day one of ours started weeing in the night and became very opposed to going in the garden in the dark. When we came down in the morning, if there was a wee, we completely ignored all the dogs and carried out the normal routine without fussing them but never scalded them for it. It lasted about a week and things then went back to normal.

This behaviour could have triggered the other to copy for a number of reasons if both of your dogs are doing it.

I would also consider a vet check to rule out any sort of health problem.

I would also go back to basics, lots of praise for doing their business outside and completely ignoring them if they do it inside, preferably trying to catch them wanting to do it and sending them out at that time before they do it inside.

10 mins outside is not always enough for my dogs either as they get distracted by an old bone or a noisy neighbour they feel the need to bark at. Try leaving them out for a little longer and see if it makes a difference. Also, if the toileting in the house has only been in one room I would restrict their access to that room until the problem has been resolved.

Today has been incident free

One of the dogs had an operation on his paw a few weeks ago and has not been able to go out on walks (under instruction of vet because he keeps opening the wound) and I'm wondering now if he is acting up and the other one is just joining in? It does seem like the weather is playing a part though because a few people seem to be having similar issues.

That's good news Hopefully it's a phase that is now passing.

I have the same problem with one of my dogs,I have 2 long haired chihuahuas,5yrs old, one does his business in the garden but the other one goes out,runs in ,does his business and runs back out in the garde,They are both males from the same litter.I also have a problem getting them to come back when I let them off the leash in the woods. They have bwwn to training schools etc and I have tried training them since they were 3mths old, all to no avail.they come in out of the garden when I call them but on the beach or woods they just ignore me.T5hey do turn around sometimes when I call them, run right up to me but before I can grab them they take off again,takes hours to make them come back

Have you thought about one to one training lessons Laura4? It sounds like you need to train them separately, and go back to basics, treating each problem separately.

For the recall, get a lung line and take one dog out on its own. Go to an empty field/green and let the dog have 4/5 feet of line. Let it sniff about then call it's name followed by 'come' (or whatever word) in a high pitched singy tone of voice. Bend down to the ground and keep inviting the dog with welcoming fun noises for ten second or so. If the dog comes, give the dog so much praise like it's just won you the lottery and give it a really tasty treat like cheese, liver or sausage. Then let the dog have the 4/5feet of line again and repeat when the dog is distracted again.

If the dog doesn't come back, ignore and try again in a minute and be patient.

Only do this for ten mins or so and try to end on a positive. When you manage to get the dog to come back at 4/5 feet, extend the line a little more on the next session and so on.

I'm not a dog trainer but this has worked for my cockers very well.