# Peeing in Xpen Fine, but Pooping elsewhere



## ladypotter (Apr 26, 2012)

I know my first problem is not being with him 100% of the time and giving him free range of the downstairs area (he can roam the living/dining/kitchen area as long as one of us is down there too), but he is doing so good with pee pees in the xpen (the one place I have his potty pad). The door to the xpen stays open unless he is in it and I have to close it if I go upstairs to work (I work from home 2-3 days a week). He barks like mad if I close the xpen on him and knows I am home. If it is quite for a while, he will fall asleep, but otherwise, if he knows I am home and close by (like sitting on the couch or something)...he freaks out!

He seems to do just fine with pee pee, but whenever he wants to go number 2...he has 2 or 3 spots picked out that he wants to do it. We have caught him half squat a few times and just whisked him over to his pad and not saying anything other than go potty when we put him down on the pad. I will clean up whatever mess he made (always very little) and use the enymatic spray to deodorize it, but he always goes back to these 2-3 spots (in front of the fireplace, by the front door and by the back door). Wierd that they are by the doors since he has never been trained to go outside.

He was paper trained in an xpen at the breeders, and has also been paper trained in our home since we brought him home. Again, it only seems to be poo-poo. I did also take away all his beds/blankets because if they are in his xpen, he will pee on them instead of the pad. I figured I will give them back once he has the pee pad down a bit more. 

Any thoughts on what else I can do to help? He hates being locked in the xpen unless he is sleepy and I hate to see him sad :blush:


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

Some dogs will not use the same pad to pee and poop. Try putting another pad down in a different spot.


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## ladypotter (Apr 26, 2012)

I REEAAALLLY need some help with this. I bought another pee pee pad and holder and moved it to one of the spots he would go poop alot and no matter what, he still refuses to poo on a pad. I have bought some of that stay off type spray and sprayed the areas he goes a lot and that doesn't seem to deter him. I am watching him like a hawk and I can usually catch him right when he starts circling/sniffing/squating to poo, but by the time I get him to the right pad, he has poo'd already (usually along the way) and I end up not being able to praise him. I have tried also (at the suggestion of the breeder) to move his poo to the pad and show it to him, but no go either. HELP!! :-(

I am starting now to write a schedule of when he poos to see if maybe I can do a partial training outside with him (poo out and pee in). I just don't know what else to do and I am truly getting very frustrated. 

In case, I haven't explained before, I didn't want to fully outdoor train him because I work 3 days at my office and 2 out of my home, so for those 3 days, I can't be with him ALL DAY. He stays in an xpen when I am out of the house. He typically seems to pee fine in the pen, just not poop.

Thanks for any more advice.


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