dog loss

Question
I have a 6 year old spayed female shih tzu, Lucy. She has been with us since she was a puppy. She would have accidents here and there in the house but nothing often. We also used to have a male shih tzu, Bandit but we had to put him to sleep this past summer. Ever since he's been gone we can't leave Lucy alone without her going to the bathroom somewhere. We let her out right before we go anyplace and make sure she goes, but as soon as we leave she manages to leave us something when we return, even sometimes it looks like she must've forced what she could out being that its such a small amount. She's never been the only dog before, and we've recently moved into a new home, so I'm wondering if losing Bandit and being alone is making her go when were not around?

Answer
While I can say yes, the stress of being left alone likely is the cause, I don't have a good answer on correcting it.  A vet check wouldn't hurt, but likely won't help.  A Kong filled with peanut butter and frozen may help.  

You could try a crate.  It is only natural that a puppy resists its crate at first. What the puppy wants more than anything else is to be others, you, anyone else in the household, and any other pets. In our modern society, even if we are home, other things distract us from the attention an uncrated puppy must have. The only real solution is to crate the dog when you aren't around. The dog may be happier in its den than loose in the house. It relaxes, it feels safe in its den. It rests, the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving its self. Dogs that have been crated all along do very well. Many of them will rest in their crates even when the door is open. I think the plastic ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den feeling. Metal ones can be put in a corner or covered with something the dog can't pull in and chew. Select a crate just big enough for the full grown dog to stretch out in.

Leave it some toys. Perhaps a Kong filled with peanut butter. Don't leave anything in the crate the dog might chew up. It will do fine without even any bedding. You will come home to a safe dog and a house you can enjoy.

A dog that has not been crated since it was little, may take some work. Start out just putting its toys and treats in the crate. Praise it for going in. Feed it in the crate. This is also an easy way to maintain order at feeding time for more than one dog.

The "shut the puppy in a safe room" is a fallacy. Very few houses even have a safe room. How many of us have a room with a hard surfaced floor and nothing else? Most rooms have electrical cords to chew if nothing else. In addition to destroying anything a bored puppy finds to chew, it may choke or have intestinal blockage from the pieces. I had a friend that left her dog in a "safe" room. It ate a hole in the floor covering. The safe rooms fail to give the dog the comfort of the enclosed space their instinct requires. Nor do they restrict activity extending the time the dog can go without relieving itself.

I hate to say it, but you may have to resort to medication, Rescue Remedy from the health foods store or something from the vet.