3 year old minpin not potty trainted

Question
I have had my 3 year old min pin since he was 6 weeks old.  We crate trained him at first, but he cried so much at night, and every day, he pooped in there while we were at work.  He has been sleeping in my bed at night every since, and usually is locked in a spare room during the day. I have always put down pee pads for him, as he seems to poop more often than the regular dog.  I swear, this dog poops all day long! He gets up, up to 3 times a night to poop/pee also.  He is fed once early in the morning, and again later in the day.  I have tried a couple different foods over the years, and nothing helps.  If I don't lock him in a room with pee pads, he poops/pees on the throw rugs throughout the house.  I even come home on lunch most of the time to let him out, but still he has an accident before the end of the day.  He has no problem going outside to eliminate, he just cant seem to control his BM's and bladder when he's supposed to.  Please help! My husband is fed up.

Answer
Hello, Nicole!

I wonder if your dog has been to the vet lately?  Before you do anything else, be sure he doesn't have worms or any other medical condition causing him to poop more than normal.

Then, you probably need to start back at square one on the potty training.  Please consider this blog post:  http://blog.gizmo2wizmo.com/2008/09/13/house-train-your-dog-the-easy-way.aspx

It also sounds like your min pin may have separation anxiety if he cries when you left him in the crate.  Check out this blog post:  http://blog.gizmo2wizmo.com/2009/02/03/5-tips-to-remedy-separation-anxiety-in-do...

Dogs don't typically like to soil the area they sleep in, so by your dog pooping in his crate it may be that he just could not hold it for as long as he was left in there yet.  Potty training takes time and most of all consistency.  It can be very frustrating, but it can be done and once you do it you will have a much happier relationship with your dog - it is well worth the time investment.  Many dogs are not completely potty trained until 6 month of age or in some cases more.  So an occasional accident is to be expected, even once he begins to do well with the potty training - just remain consistent.

Also, whenever he poops in the house, be sure to thoroughly clean the area and neutralize the odor with a 50/50 solution of water and vinegar so that he won't go back to that spot.

Good luck - hang in there - you can do it!