Hey!
Do you know how long she was in the shelter for or any of her back story?
1) I recommend crate training. Dogs hardly ever poop or pee in their beds simply because this is gross to them just like it would be to us! This is not restricting the dog as when the crate training is done properly the dog will prefer to be in their crate rather than roaming the house freely as this is their safe spot, it is their den.
2) Think about how long you are leaving the dog. Whether it is 5 minutes after you walk out the door or 6 hours after you walk out the door. Most dogs who have accidents while the owner is away is because the dog doesn't know when you will be back and they asked, like they were taught to, but no one let them out..
3) Taking away food and water are usually only for a little while until you figure out why the dog is doing what they are doing. You have to remember that not every do does the same actions for the same reasons. Some dogs mark. Some dogs are scared. Some dogs have separation anxiety. Some are not trained.. You have to find the reason before you can fix anything.
You are welcome to message me or reply here if you would like anymmore information from me.
Her stools are not soft at all. They are completely normal. She does this during any time of the day and usually when we are at home. Keeping her out of those areas in the house seems to be working but I hate restricting her. She doesn't do it in front of us so we can correct her right away. It's like she knows it's wrong but does it anyway and only sometimes. When we had the carpets changed we hoped that the scent would go with it and then she would not do it anymore but no luck. I see no health issues at all. She still likes to run with my husband about 6 miles everyday and when she gets back she is still full of energy and runs around the yard. It's just a mystery for me because I have never had this problem with any other dog.
I agree with Jerry, it could be a health issue that you just aren't aware of. Maybe call your vet and get him checked out just in case... especially to ease any worries you may have.
Also, when you leave, can you put him in a crate? It's not always what we want to do as pet owners, but some dogs need it. It's like their den. My beagle is a rescue and she has separation anxiety. Leaving her alone in the house when we aren't there is a terrible idea. We crate her for now and hopefully in a year or two, we won't have to anymore.
Interesting, we have an estimated 10 year old Westie which has been with us two years last April. He had never dumped in the house, and we against recommendation of the rescue person have given the dog the run of the whole house.
In the last three weeks (estimate) he has pooped in the house, both on hard surfaces (easy to clean) and runs, not easy... including in our master bedroom which he shares with us via his own bed on the floor. I understood dogs will not mess their own area, but this guy will. To make things worse the movement has been soft, not diarrhea, but soft and wet enough to immediately start to stain carpets. I have been up at 3 AM cleaning and that gets old fast, not to mention the possible costly damage.
We have moved to cut his food after 6 PM, as his problem is always over night and seems to be urgent. I'm paying close attention and have to take the dog to the vet soon anyway for some dental work and will discuss the problem with the vet. It may be our poor little guy has some indigestion issues, in fact he will not eat his usual kibble and I have taken to cooking by boiling skinless chicken breast and added shredded carrot. I may add other vegetables. We'll she how this goes, wish us luck.
Your dog may have a health issue, some indigestion loose bowels... you know the answer to the second point.