Rescue Dog Poop Nightmare

So my husband found a beagle roaming in the middle of no where at a job site almost two weeks ago. No ones posted her missing for a 100 mile radius and she’s not chipped. So we decided to keep her. We were planning to eventually get a dog but when life gives you lemons, you keep the dog. I’m a stay a home mom to a 3 year old and 1:5 year old. Honestly the 3 year old is more of a hassle than the dog. I just need some advice or help or something. So here goes.

Intact female in heat when found (so spaying is our next step, just have to wait for her to be done heat and done a month’s worth of meds for a tick borne illness). She’s a good dog. I’ve had dogs growing up but never as an adult. I’m a gentle animal loving person and very patient. My husband loves animals as well, just a lot less patient. She was underweight and so vet assumed she’d been out in the woods for at least a week. She was VERY eager to eat the first week. Now she waits patiently for meals and definitely knows “sit”. Our biggest issue is poop. Outside she will eat her own or anyone else’s poop. I’ve had success with leave it the past few days when it’s another dogs poop (our neighbors have probably 4 dogs and never clean up after them. literally piles of poop across from their house in the wood line and into the road.) We live on a dead end street in a very small town with maybe 2000 people. Back yard is fenced minus the driveway and is not set up for free outside time at the moment. We have a lead set up in the front yard and I use that most of the time during the day since I can’t leave the kids unsupervised. I watch her like a hawk and collect her poop immediately. Reward with treats and “good potty”. Night two she peed in the kitchen. Now two weeks in, she peed in the living room last night. Then again tonight while we were awake and I scooped her up and said “no. potty outside.” and put her outside for potty. She didn’t go. Brought her back in and she squated again in the kitchen not near the place she did previous. “Potty outside” and put her back outside. Had my husband walk her. She finally peed. She will just like not go most of the day. She pees and poops for him (or me) first thing in the morning. Then usually won’t go again at all until almost 1/2pm. Maybe a pee sometime around 10. She has access to water. I put water in her food as well. If I crate her at any point during the day and I’m home she’s fine. She will bark and I say “Sallie no bark” and she stops (most of the time). If she persists I take her out. She doesn’t go. I bring her in and she’s back standing at the door. I take her out. She doesn’t go. I put her on the lead. Doesn’t go. I crate her and take the kids for a ride (10 minutes) to fall asleep for nap. She loses her mind for 10 minutes then she goes poop and pees in the crate. Eats the poop and licks up all the pee. If I take her with me in the car. She does not poop or pee. She goes to sleep. Sometimes she will go potty when I get back. Most of the time she does not. If we put her in the crate for any amount of time and go somewhere she loses her mind and settles OR poops and eats it.

I can’t take her into the grocery store. We live 20 minutes out of any major town. I can’t leave her outside. I can’t leave her in the house. Or the crate. I’m not giving up on this dog. Like I said, she’s good. She has not growled, showed any sign of aggression or anything towards anyone or the kids. She lays down when told (most of the time). She just keeps eating poop. And keeps going in the crate. And not going at all when taken outside (most of the time). I take her out multiple times an hour. I stand tethered. I’ve done almost everything I have stumbled upon. I’m going to get unsweetened pineapple to try to stop the poop eating. We want to utilize the crate and she goes in and out and lays down in it throughout the day. Hangs out in it when I’m cooking dinner. We have had her in pull ups with a hole cut out because she’s in heat. She’s only ever gone in the diaper twice at my aunts because we had a birthday party a few days before my husband found her. Then again tonight tried to squat with it on. It falls off at night occasionally hence the couple pees in the house. But otherwise she does not go in it. It’s either outside or in the crate.

I guess I’m just asking for help from different stand points or suggestions. We don’t know the conditions she was in before. She acts scared or submissive a lot but never aggressive. She is fine to be bathed and to put a diaper on. I don’t think she was severely abused unless full submission is a behavior that can happen. I’m going to try and contact a dog behaviorist tomorrow and see what they say. I don’t know if separation anxiety can exist this early on in the dynamic or not. Right now she’s sleeping on the couch with my husband during the night but we would like her to be free range or crated for bedtime but with the potty issues in both scenarios I’m at a loss on what to do. Ditch the crate or get a smaller (i think the one we have is too big) but then if she soils that it’ll reinforce it. After two pee incidents in the same general area an enzymatic cleaner is on the shopping list for tomorrow. But I did a homemade cleaner for right now of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, dawn, and orange peel.

We cosleep with the kids in their beds attached to ours so putting a crate in our bedroom is not an option (no more room. we are wall to wall beds) and adding a dog to the bed would make cosleeping unsafe.