What would you do?

Poking about, I came across the description of an adult dog. Digs when left
outdoor when she doesn't want to be there, poops/pees indoors when stressed
or nervous. Howls/whines and messes in it if crated at night, poops/pees on
the floor if not. So, how does one go about managing and potty training
this dog? If the dog gets stressed (and consequently defecates) if
tethered, then what is the option to keep this dog from messing in the house
at night?

Janet B...

There is so much more than just confinement/non-confinement. General
training, confidence building, feeding practices, schedules, etc. A
big picture evaluation is needed.

sighthounds & siberians...

That was my thought. My Bizarro Borzoi used to poop/pee wherever she
was when she was really frightened for about the first year and a half
that we had her, but the way I handled her was tailored to her history
and peculiariites and might not be appropriate for another dog. I'd
need to know a lot more about the dog before I could make any
recommendations.

Mustang Sally

TOTE...

Depends on how your household runs. I'd try keeping the dog in my bed at
night, tethered if necessary. I'd do a lot of tethering, some T-touch, a
very predictable schedule at first, and a lot of structure. Very short
training sessions, but spaced out e.g. for one-two minutes every hour or
every other hour - not too much and not too formal, but enough to provide
a predictable foundation the dog can rely on. Instead of being anxious
for lack of how to respond the dog gets given the information of how to
respond.

shore...

I'd have the dog sleep on the bed at night, frankly, and
possibly leash the dog to me while I slept to wake me up if
he started moving around and I were a heavy sleeper. The
dog wakes you up, you take him outside.

Alison...

shore@panix.com

Alison...

I would do that too. It would help the dog feel more secure
too.
This dog is distressed and "potty training " alone isn't
going to be enough.
As Janet said , look at the big picture and avoid the
situations that cause the
dog to become nervous and stressed.
Alison