Expert: Jannie Balliett - 7/10/2009

Question
Hello My 4 1/2 year old female boxer will catch us asleep at night and poop in our living room on the carpet and pee on the hard wood floors. (we recently moved into a new house) We will take her out at night and she will poop and pee outside but she will sneak down stairs and use the bathroom. I do not know why she is doing this. Do you have any ideas of why this maybe happening and what I can do to stop her?

Answer
Yes, when any dog is moved-- it is a new location and this is a 1) rebellious act and 2) marking territory making it her own.

The only thing you can do is 1) remove any stain and its smells from the area(s) she is going-- cleaning the carpet and the hardwood floors...

and 2) keep her contained during the night-- either shut the door or put her in a large crate during the night for awhile.