Hey there!

I've been lurking around these forums well before we got our Cheb (short for Cheburashka) almost 3 months ago. Lots of really useful and helpful posts and people here!

I finally decided to create an account and start a thread because we've seen an unusual new behavior with Cheb, over the last 2-3 weeks. To give a bit of a background, we got Cheb for a reputable breeder at 12 weeks of age. He's currently 5 1/2 months old. He's just great with other people, large/small dogs etc. He's up to date on all shots, has had fecal examinations done regularly (I'm a bit paranoid when it comes to his health), is fed 2 cups of Orijen/Natural Balance twice a day.

In general, Cheb's (mostly) obedient and he was potty trained in about a week. He's also been through puppy obedience class and will be enrolled in the next class soon. The issue we're facing is that his pooping schedule has been completely off since the last couple of weeks.

Previously, he used to poop once in the morning during the walk (before his breakfast) and once in the evening during the walk (before his dinner). I take him to work with me, where he gets to play with other dogs. Occasionally, he would also poop once in the afternoon, if the playing involved a lot of running etc. His stool is almost always solid and dark. However, about 2 weeks ago, we started seeing Cheb poop twice during walks. The first one would be at his usual spot and be solid/dark, but the other one would be about halfway through. It's random and much softer (but also much less in quantity). The 'random' nature of the second poop makes it difficult to take him for a walk/outside since it's embarrassing/difficult to clean up when he squats and goes in the middle of the sidewalk.

Last week, we moved to a larger apartment, where Cheb gets almost an entire room for himself.

However, things have beenh even worse since! Two days ago, in spite of his regular poop in the morning, he pooped in my office cube just two hours later (he has NEVER EVER pooped at work)! The poop itself was fine, but the whole process was extremely embarrassing and very frustrating. Since then, I've stopped taking him to work with me, thinking that he just needs some time to settle down, or something. But even when we take him out to poop at his usual times at home, he decides to randomly squat and poop!!

As mentioned earlier, we're very specific about his food habits and had his last stool examination done about 2 weeks ago, where everything looked fine.

Needless to say, this has made things very frustrating for both, him and us. It almost seems like he's un-learning his potty training all of a sudden!

Any idea what could be going on here?? Any input would be GREATLY appreciated!

He is a puppy and puppies do this. If his stool samples are alright and there isn't any physical thing wrong don't get upset. All mammals poop and cleaning up a puppies poop isn't anything to get embarrassed about. It gets better as he will age provided your consistent with amounts and time he is fed at.


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That makes sense. But what's confusing me is the suddenness of this. He's been on the same schedule with not notable change in his food or activity for ~ 3 months. Yet, why the random pooping now?

WE feed Rose three times a day and plan to do so for a little while longer (she is 5 months only). She did go thru a period in which she would go #2 twice in the same walk outside) I got to the point I was watching the first #2 and determine if she needed a second #2 based on quantity (it's sad when you get to the point that can tell the "required" quantity to be "released"). If she did I would not walk far away until she finished her business. Also with that I have pretty much taught her to go on command. She knows now that if I stay put and say go .... (insert name for #1 or #2) she better go or she doesn't get to play.

BTW - pics please!

Oh, that's another thing! Ever since we realized that there's a good chance Cheb might go again, we just tend to loiter around his usual pooping area just so we can continue on the long walk uninterrupted. But it does not work! He sniffs and sniffs and sniffs, but refuses to poop in the same area. As mentioned earlier, the second one is COMPLETELY random. We'll be walking fine and then all of a sudden I'll feel a tug on the leash. I turn my head around, and he's already let it lose!

Also, Cheb poops/pees on command. We've trained him to do that since the day we got him. I just feel like he's rolling back on all of his training for a reason I just don't understand

His most recent pictures (Sorry! I only have access to the cellphones pics as of now).

First and third images are Cheb playing in the lawn at work. Second is him 'lounging' while we watch TV. And the last is Cheb in the car, on his way to work

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Since the first #2 is hard and the second #2 is soft maybe it does take time for him to realize he needs to go again. To be on the safe side I would take a sample of both the hard and the soft stool and have it checked by the vet.
Rose went thru that for a couple days no more than a week. I don't think it has anything to do with training. They just can't control soft stools.

being a dog walker i can tell you that it is very common for the dogs who go twice on one "walk" or visit for the first to be solid and the second to be softer. it must just have to do with the firming or digestion time of the food and/or stool. i would really not be concerned.

as other people said, i think you're going to experience a lot of potty habits changing throughout him growing. my boy is 1 1/2 and we live in an apartment as well so all of his potty habits are done right next to me on the leash and they do change a lot. some months he has a specific spot and then the next day he refuses to go there and needs to go a block or so down before he'll do his business on some different lawns. id relax, nothing to stress about!

A bowel movement during/after exercise that is less formed in not unusual. Exercise will stimulate him to go so I wouldn't be alarmed that he is going twice on walks. Excitement can also cause them to have to go, so that may have been what happened at work. Sometimes dogs are unpredictable despite the best laid plans. Just take a poop bag on your walk, cleaning dog poop when you own a dog shouldn't be embarrassing even on the sidewalk. At least you're cleaning it up!!

At 5months of age I still don't consider that fully house trained. He is still super young. An accident here and there is not abnormal.

How much are you feeding per day? How about treats, etc?
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