Pooping in Kennel

Question
QUESTION: Our 3 year old female spayed yellow lab has loose stools in her kennel almost nightly.  We have her sleep outside in the warmer weather because we cannot deal with the daily cleanup of her and the kennel.  Her kennel has been moved from the house to the attached garage because of this problem.  What is going on and how can we help.  She only eats in the morning and is outside most of the day.

ANSWER: You need to take care of the loose stool problem.  The most common cause is different parasites.  Take her and a stool sample to the vet.  Even if she was checked before, something could have been missed.  Sometimes it takes several visits or even a second vet.  

It could be overfeeding.  Your dog definitely should be narrower at the waist than the hips and chest. You should be able to easily feel the ribs, but not see them. Each dog is different. Standard recommendations are a good place to start, but each dog must have its food and exercise adjusted to its individual needs. Here is a link to a good illustrated guide, http://www.longliveyourdog.com/twoplus/RateYourDog.aspx

It could also be her food or an enviromental allergy.  I don't believe all claims about the premium chows.  But there isn't any diet right for all dogs.  I even see reports of people switching from a common brand the dog is doing fine on and having problems on a premium chow.  Try something different, a different brand and different ingredients.  

If none of the above help, you may have to do expensive allergy testing.

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QUESTION: She never has loose stools except in her kennel during the night in the cold weather months.  Again during the day not an issue.

Answer
The one cause of loose stools I didn't touch on is stress.  You could try a Kong filled with peanut butter and frozen.  By the time she is done licking the last of it out, she could be too tired to worry about being shut in the kennel.  

Obedience training could help.  The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts. Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/ For more on being top dog, see http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm  A dog that has a strong leader has a world that has everything in place and will be less stressed.  If she respects you as a leader, she may accept being kenneled better.  

I hate to suggest it, but you could try medication from the vet.