5 month old german shepherd potty problems

Question
My 5 month old German shepherd has all of a sudden started pooping in her cage again when we are at work.  She has never had an accident in her crate at night but she will pee in her cage while we are gone.  For the last week she has decided it is also okay to poop in there and spread it every where...it doesn't bother her to lay on it.  I am not sure how or if you should punish her for this since it happens when I am not home. We got her at 8wks old and she really only had a couple accidents (poop) at that time before she held it until I got home.  What should I do? Should mention that she LOVES the hose and I have to take out her cage tray and her to hose them everyday... it is like a game for her... she loves getting strayed!  Could she not hold it because there is no discipline when she does poop, just fun time with the hose?

Answer
If so, it may be tough to correct.  If the stools seem to be softer than usual, she may have picked up some parasites the vet needs to deal with.  It could be she feels she is too big of a girl to be left behind in the crate now.  If so, spaying her and obedience training her may 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