Doxie Toilet Habit

Question
I have a Doxie who  will be 4yrs old in Jan. I had little problem house breaking her when she was a pup. She sleeps with me in my bed and I have to keep the bedroom door closed or I would have 2 more canines that would want to be in bed with us too-sorry no room. About 6 months ago I started finding poop piles on the floor in the morning. I sleep very soundly and never hear her get out of bed to do this. Our dogs are fed at 11:00 AM every day so it can't be a late feeding. She is able to go outside all day and also I have her go out before we all go to bed. I really have not scoulded her too much but I know what I will find as soon as I wake up as she is very guilty so she knows that she has done wrong, She will not bark or anything to let me know that she wants out. How would you suggest that I tackle this? Thanks

Answer
Her poop piles might be a statement to the other dogs (Nyah, nayh, I'm here and you're not.)  The "guilt" you're seeing is a clear indication that she knows you are NOT pleased at the presence of poop (this "guilt" would appear even if the poop were not HER OWN.)

You need to reassess how you are living with your dogs, and you need to assess THEIR relationships with one another (observe rank behavior).  I suggest you read Patricia McConnell Ph.D.'s book on multiple dog households and Turid Rugaas' book on calming signals (dog body language), both available on Amazon.  WATCH your dogs' interaction; the Doxie may not be the naturally higher ranking among your three and, having obtained the age of 3 (a plateau of adult behavior), she may be making a rank statement to one (or both) other dog in your household who is more naturally the chosen one to share your bedroom.  This is a very anxiety provoking predicament for a dog.

If all three of your dogs coexist calmly at all times (with NO overt displays of aggression at ALL), I suggest you make the Doxie sleep with the other dogs at night (rather than in your bedroom.)  You may (you WILL) have a sleepless night (at least the first night) as your Doxie will no doubt object loudly (with whines and barks), but she will (especially if YOU do NOT interfere with her adjustment by giving her attention throughout the night if she barks) make this adjustment.  Treating any dog like a "baby" might satisfy our own needs, but it almost always provokes problem behaviors in the dog.  There's no reason she can't sleep with the other dogs.  You must also be certain she eliminates outdoors by observing her daily habits and waiting until she performs this function, then praising and rewarding her for doing it.  I don't agree that feeding dogs once a day is acceptable for a great many reasons; waiting a full 24 hours between meals is excruciating and has physiological results that can translate into behavioral issues.  Feeding a dog twice a day is optimum; the introduction of food often accelerates the need to defecate.  Keep a journal of when your dog defecates outdoors if given appropriate time (fifteen minutes each outing, and outings must be fairly spaced over the course of each day, not just three a day).  Once you observe her natural schedule of elimination, be certain she's allowed to remain out long enough at that approximate time; then you can (if you choose to) introduce a second meal (splitting the first into two portions) just prior to this time of day.  Rewarding appropriate elimination, addressing the emotional cause of inappropriate behavior and intelligently overseeing the interaction of your multiple dog household should maintain peace and harmony for all.