my dog poops when I leave him alone

Question
I have a almost two year old neutered standard poodle.  He is a good dog except for one thing. If I leave home alone (like when I go get my kids from school or out to get groceries) he will often poop (and sometimes pee) in the house.  This happens even if he has gone outside before I leave, which I always make sure to do.   

I'm getting to my wits end and would prefer to not crate him when I leave.  I used to crate him but he would howl and bark and it would break my heart leaving.  Now I give him access to only the main floor (three rooms) when we leave and still he poops.

He never has accidents when we are home, or through the night and he is really good about letting us know when he needs to go out.  I'm starting to think he is pooping out of spite!  Any advise would be appreciated because I really have no idea what to do next.  

Thanks!
A

Answer
Dogs do not do things out of spite, Allison. It sounds like your dog has a bit of separation anxiety. Here's what I would recommend practicing with him, since you do not want to crate him when you leave:

This technique requires that you practice leaving, when you aren't actually going anywhere. Get ready to leave, just as you always do, while saying nothing to the dog. Completely ignore him. Go to the door, open it and go out, and then close and lock the door, count to 1, and then go back in. Don't make a big deal about leaving OR coming back. You would gradually increase the amount of time you were outside the door as your dog became comfortable with you going out. If he freaks out as soon as the door closes, then start out by NOT closing the door all the way. The key here is to go >>just<< far enough so that you can progress, but >>not<< so far that he begins to become anxious. Eventually, you should be able to go out the door, walk to your car, get in, and drive around the neighborhood without him becoming anxious and pottying in the floor. At this point, you should be okay to take short trips to the store, etc.

The main thing is that you should completely ignore the dog before you leave, and when you get home, until he's settled down and not so excited that you are back. By going goo-goo ga-ga over him as soon as you walk through the door, you are actually increasing his anxiety level when you leave, and many people make this mistake. You certainly aren't the first or the only one!

Good luck