I have a 4 yr old australian shepherd mix. i got him about two years ago from a shelter. when i lived in new york he was completely house trained. although i lived in an apartment and he was walked regularly and on a good schedule. then i moved in with my fiance into his house and he could go out the back door whenever he wanted. there he also had no problems with going in the house.
then we moved to florida and we now have a house with a dog door. he can go in and out as he pleases but since we have been here (about a year) he has gotten worse and worse with going to the bathroom in the house. in the beginning it was just a once in a while thing that would happen overnight when the dog door was closed. it would also sometimes happen during the day while my husband and i are at work when the dog door was closed.
now it is an everyday occurence. we have been keeping him in our bedroom with newspaper put down on our attached bathroom floor. usually he goes on the paper in the bathroom. so it's like we've now trained him to go on the paper during the day and at night.
the main problem is that riley (my dog) is overly attached to me and does not leave my side. so when i get home from work, he is fed and then he stays next to me all the time. so even if he HAS to go out he won't go out the dog door. he only goes out if he hears a dog barking or something. and then he comes right back. if i am out in the backyard for a long time he will go to the bathroom. because obviously he has to go and i'm there so it's ok. i'm assuming that crate training is my only option. i have tried walking him at night and in the morning but he is not a dog that easily poops. he takes a long long time to go and it's never if he really HAS to go. so he holds it until he absoultely has to go which is usually in the house. if anyone has ANY advice i would really apprecite it as this is now a daily occurence and i am very desparate. Thanks
I should also mention that I have another dog in the house as well, a six year old Newfoundland mix that has no problems using the dog door. The dogs get along fairly well though Riley can be a bit aggressive and is definitley possessive when it comes to me. He doesn't really let Wooley up on the bed with me without him jumping up and sometimes growling at Wooley. but overall, they play and get along fairly well.