Adult doggie potty issues!! :(

First, Dewey is not acting guilty because he knows he's been bad.  He's showing you appeasement behavior because he knows you're upset over his accidents.  Dogs don't feel the emotion of guilt, though many people mistake appeasing type behaviors as guilt.

Stop reacting when you find he's had an accident.  He may have gotten into a vicious cycle of anxiety over you coming home and getting upset over an accident.  When you're gone he's anxious and very often, stressed, anxious dogs will have accidents.  The more often you've shown your distress and upset at finding an accident the more you've set him up to be anxious the next time your gone.  See the cycle?  

Ignore any accidents you find.  Act happy to see him and take him outside or elsewhere in the house while you clean up the mess.  Don't scold him or even give him an unhappy look.  Make your coming home a pleasant reunion.  When you leave don't admonish him to "be good" in a stern voice.  That will have the opposite affect.

He sounds like a dog who would benefit greatly if you'd consult a qualified behaviorist for an in home consultation.  Being anxious all the time when left alone must be a miserable existence.  You can help him.  I'll post some links below that you can use to find someone.  A caveat.  Do not use anyone who suggests any sort of punishment for this dog.  He needs someone well versed in positive training methods. The second links has some tips on what to ask a trainer.  I recommend a veterinary behaviorist if you can find one because sometimes some temporary medications are needed until the behavior modification is complete.  

You and Dewey would be helped if you read a few dog behavior books.  Karen Pryor's book 'Don't Shoot the Dog' is great.  Also Patricia McConnell has a book called "I'll Be Home Soon".  Not expensive and written for the average dog owner.

Good luck and don't give up on getting the old Dewey back.

avsabonline.org/.../find-consult

avsabonline.org/.../find-consult

Jackie:

Thank you so much for the advice. I really never thought of it as an appeasement situation. It will take me all my might to not be upset or angry when I get home, but I completely understand why and where you are coming from in that regards. More recently I have just approached the situation as not saying anything to him and ignoring him instead of yelling and scolding.

We do not understand why this just started happening(1.5 years ago) which is what is throwing us off even more about the whole situation. I looked into the site.. avsabonline.org for a behavioral vet, but unfortunately the closest one to me is over 80 miles away. Perhaps e-mailing them and chatting with them might offer some more enlightenment and they may have some suggestions as I am not sure how much they are willing to travel.

I will also check into those two books you suggest.

Thank you again!

You're very welcome. :)

I know it's extremely hard to stay calm when you get home and are anticipating a mess to clean up.  Who wants to deal with that first thing when they get home?  I find that practicing, mentally, how I will react helps me achieve the emotional state I want.  It sounds odd but it does work if you do it often enough.

Do you leave Dewey with some sort of long lasting chew when you're gone?  Some dogs find it a stress reliever to chew on something.  Antlers and stuffed Kongs are some you might try if you don't already.

Thundershirts help some dogs and not others.  Sometimes a dog will make an association between having the Thundershirt on and the situation that makes them anxious.  In this case, you leaving the house is probably his trigger.  This might not be the case with Dewey but something to think about.

I do believe that some behaviorists will do phone consultations for clients that live too far away.  They generally ask you to fill out a detailed history and questionnaire.  This saves time and gives them some background so they can ask the right questions and give you the right advice.

Best of luck and please let us know how things are going.  Dewey's a lucky dog to have an owner willing to try and figure out how to help him.

BTW, I've learned not to make myself too crazy trying to figure out why a dog's behavior has changed.  Sometimes it's obvious but more often it's not.  Dogs are amazing in their ability to get along with humans with all our varied life styles and personalities.  Their ability to communicate with us is huge if we can learn how to interpret what they're trying to tell us.

Well, we always have something for him to chew on when he is in the basement-whether it be rawhides or kongs, however, he will not touch anything until we get home! Once we get home he will grab the treat or toy and go to town on it all night! I did try to put some different stuff in the kong for today (some string cheese, peanut butter, etc.) so maybe that will entice him to be interested in it. Keep your fingers crossed :)

@nchamberlain

we always have something for him to chew on when he is in the basement-whether it be rawhides or kongs, however, he will not touch anything until we get home!

That's pretty common for a dog who has anxiety over being left alone.  I'm pretty sure Dewey is a nervous wreck when you're gone and that booklet by Patricia McConnell is a great resource.  Her website and blog also have lots of articles on the subject of separation anxiety that you might find helpful.  Some behaviorists are starting to question whether that label should be used as often as it is but Dewey does sound like he has some degree of SA. 

This is a good article.  http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/11_7/features/Canine-Separation-Anxiety_16044-1.html

Jackie is an expert, so I couldn't possibly offer anything as comprehensive as she has posted, especially because I've been fortunate to have two dogs who have not displayed any anxiety at being left alone.  That's not to say that I don't humanize my dog and think she's feeling very sad and lonely when I leave her.    Anyway, I echo what Jackie said that Dewey is a lucky boy to have an owner who is willing to take special steps to solve the problem.

I was going to suggest the stuffed Kong, too (I like to fill them with mashed banana, some kibble, and some peanut butter -- then freeze them because they don't make quite as much of a mess when they're frozen).  

The only other thing I thought of that might help if Dewey is sensitive to any sounds that startle or upset him in the basement (e.g., a furnace kicking on, maybe?) . . . have you tried leaving a radio on to drown out any other noises?  We leave one on for our dog, usually NPR because the voices and music tend to be calmer/softer than a pop station.  I have a friend who plays some kind of special music made just for dogs -- I think it's a combination of soft music and nature sounds or something. She downloaded it somewhere -- and she just leaves it on a loop for her dog.  

Good luck with Dewey -- keep us posted!