old dog, new kitten

Question
My 9 year old male mini schnauzer is not adjusting well to a new kitten we found.  He is not aggressive except around the house with other dogs.  He has periods where is is starting to try to play with Kitty but he is 22 lbs and Kitty is 7 oz so we have to control.  The problem is he has been pooping in different rooms in the house.  How do we stop this.  I can kennel him when I am not home but is there another way to get him to stop?  Do you know if this is just part of his transition, marking his territory?  Thank you,  Amy

Answer
This could very well be a stress-reaction because of the new household member. I would certainly crate him at night or when you are gone, and then revisit "housebreaking 101" to remind him what is expected of him. Sometimes dogs just need a reminder of the house rules.

Go outside and give him lots of praise when he "performs", and clean those inside areas thoroughly with an enzyme cleaner to remove all odor. You might even try closing off some of those rooms, if you can, so that he cannot get in there to eliminate. If he is one of those "sneaky" types, put him on a long leash that is fastened to your body so that he has to go everywhere you go, and you can keep an "eagle-on" on him and get him out when he shows signs of having to eliminate.