2 yr old Shih tzu spoiling carpet suddenly

Question
QUESTION: I have a 2 year old shih tzu female.  She was always very good with doing her business on her pads that are always provided for her.  She was praised a lot as a puppy and was trained within 2 days.  Then i slowed down the praising and treats.  After about a year, she started to pee and poop anywhere she pleased.  Then she started peeing RIGHT NEXT TO HER PAD.  (She has a box so she can step into it.) At first i thought she didn't like the location of the bin, so i moved it to where she kept relieving herself.  But now I realized that she does it when she is left at home.  I cannot be with her 24 hrs a day.  I usually leave her in my room.  And i thought maybe she wanted to roam around the whole apartment, so I let her out when I'm gone.  I think I have done everything in my power and knowledge. but nothing seems to be working.  I tried ignoring the behavior so she won't correlate it to negative attention, praising her profusely when she goes on her pad, leaving out extra pads, and giving her more attention when she is good.  I'm not sure what else i could possibly do.  PLEASE HELP!!!!!

ANSWER: Dogs aren't mature until 3 years old.  As they mature, they often challenge their owners' leadership.  Spay her if not already.  It is no cure all, but helps in cases like this.  Then obedience train her.  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

When you are around you need to keep a close eye on the dog.  Use closed doors or gates to keep it in the same room as you are, and perhaps as I do, a short chain fastened to the computer desk.  If you catch it in the act, give it a sharp ''Ah, ah, ah!'' and take it out.  When you can't watch it, crate it.

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.

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QUESTION: Thank you so much for your detailed response.  It definitely helped.  I can assure you that I am definitely "top dog" and i know she knows it.  But at the same time, i like to treat her well and give her attention.  She has a crate, but i never used it with her.  Since i had her (since 2 months of age), she always had at least a room to roam around in.  She is not destructive with anything.  She only chews on toys and raw hides that are always in open access.  The crate is a good idea, but what about times when I'm not going to be home for more than 12 hrs?  I have a job that sometimes requires me to work over 12 hrs.  She is already spade.  I never catch her in the action, because she always has this behavior when I am gone.  I don't want my dog crammed in a crate all day because she likes to play with her toys and sleep in her separate bed.  Besides the crate, could you suggest something that I can try? (since she isn't destructive, nor bite through anything unfamiliar)

ANSWER: I hate to see a dog left that long alone.  Could you find a neighbor, or a professional dog walker to give her a break?  Doggy day care would be a good idea too.

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QUESTION: I have roomates that play with her when I am gone.  She is only away from me for 12 hrs and this happens 2-4 times a month.  I hope you didn't get the impression that she is being neglected.  She is usually very good, but the problem is that she is soiling the carpets for a specific reason.  It's not because she forgot because when I am home, she does fine.  It is ONLY when i leave her whether it be 2 hrs or 12 hrs.  I think I really have tried everything, but I really don't want to resort to keeping her in her cage throughout the day.  Is there anything else I could do?

Answer
Just why dogs do things is always speculative.  If she only does it when you aren't around, training her not to won't be easy.  Leaving her a Knog filled with peanut butter might help.  Otherwise, likely the crate is the only solution.  If she is never left long without you or your roomates giving her a break, it won't be that bad.