My Westie is 1 1/2 yrs old, and potty trained, or so we thought. Lately he has been pooping and peeing inside, although we take him out 3 times a day. We have now increased to 5 times per day, and that does not help. Is it canine "adolecent defiance" as I have read? We do not spank him or rub his nose in it, or otherwise punish him. Our current strategy is to keep him under close supervision at all times, and in the crate when supervision is not available, and if we catch him in the act, make a loud noise to get his attention, and take him outdoors to finish. Every time we put him in his crate, he cries, moans, and howls like the world is coming to an end. We took him to the vet recently, so there is not a health problem causing it. What am I doing wrong?

[Lara's mom]

That's a hard one... Has something changed within your family that might have upset your dog?

I remember my Border Collie X Bailey "doing the adolescent rebellion thing" but she was only nine months old at the time. Talk about defiant!! She would squat and pee on the floor right in front of me. I swear, if she could, she would have stuck her tongue out at me! Thankfully, it didn't last long...a couple of weeks as I recall and then she was her old self again. Unless there is something going on that has really upset your dog, it's probably just a "stage" and will pass.

My JRT Lara is 1 1/2 years old and is still very much a puppy. I shudder to think of what she'll get up to when she hits that stage! I may need tranquillizers!!!