Pet Articles
Dog Poops in the House
Dog defecating indoors – Inappropriate Elimination in Dogs
Ask any pet owner – there are few surprises as unpleasant as finding a pile of Rover’s doggie-doo on the living room carpet. The resultant mess and odours are off-putting enough, but the most important potential consequence of housesoiling is the havoc it wreaks on the relationship between dog and master. Understandably, defecation in the house is poorly tolerated by owners – much more so than urination – and may lead them to seriously consider relinquishing the pet. This is an unfortunate scenario that owners and veterinarians must strive to avoid, especially since the prognosis for resolution of the behaviour is often quite good, depending on the underlying cause.
Elimination is defined as ‘inappropriate’ whenever a pet has had ample opportunity to relieve itself in a designated area, yet continues to do so indoors.
Although the net result is the same – poo on your new beige carpet – the causes are numerous, and diverse. Furthermore, the nature of the problem, be it medical or behavioural, has a direct bearing on the likelihood of successful treatment. For this reason, the first task in working up any dog that has started to defecate indoors is differentiating between medical versus behavioural causes.
Medical Causes
When an otherwise housebroken and well-behaved mature dog is found to be leaving ‘number two’s’ around the home, it may be the result of an increased urgency and / or frequency of needing to relieve itself. Conditions such as colitis (inflammation and irritation of the large intestine) may manifest in this way. Organisms causing diarrhea, such as parasitic worms, bacteria, and viruses, may also be responsible for increasing the fluid volume of stool and the urgency to defecate in between walking times. Puppies, as well as immunocompromised and debilitated dogs, are particularly vulnerable to some of these diarrhea-causing pathogens. This last point underscores the importance of regular preventative deworming and timely vaccination of puppies (and adults), according to your veterinarian’s advice.
Your vet is able to easily check stool samples for microscopic evidence of parasites and their eggs, or ‘ova’. Multiple samples may be needed though, since many parasites’ ova are shed in feces inconsistently, and as such, may not appear in every successive sample even though they are cause of the infection. Feces may also be tested to rule out other infectious causes of diarrhea. Treatment usually consists of supportive care (such as fluids for dehydration associated with diarrhea) and antibiotics or antiparasitic medications. Colitis is managed according to its cause, be it allergic, infectious, or otherwise.
Dogs suffering from constipation or otherwise difficult or painful defecation (“dyschezia”) for a variety of causes may not make full use of their bathroom time outside, and may therefore find themselves having to defecate at inappropriate times and locations. Conditions affecting the hind end are often to blame, ranging from inflammation or infection of the anal sacs to orthopedic problems such as arthritis and hip dysplasia, which make it uncomfortable to squat down to defecate. A thorough history, including questions about the appearance and consistency of your dog’s stool, physical exam, and fecal testing by your vet will aid in sorting out gastrointestinal from orthopedic causes. Again, treatment will be determined by the underlying cause of the difficulty in defecating.
Another medical cause for inappropriate elimination in dogs is incontinence, a condition in which the dog simply cannot control its bowel movements, and may not even be aware that it is defecating at all. Incontinence is a neurological problem, and as such can be more complex and carry a less favourable prognosis for cure, especially in older pets with a chronic history or in spinal injury patients. Your veterinarian will perform a thorough neurological exam of your dog to rule in or out nervous system involvement. Another neurological basis for housesoiling is cognitive dysfunction (CD), akin to dementia in people. This is often seen in the geriatric dog population, as mental function declines and awareness of their surroundings decreases, such that the dog loses any concept of the inappropriateness of its behaviour. Cognitive dysfunction is the result of a degenerative process occurring in the brain, so it is slowly progressive. However, your vet is still able to offer some therapeutic options that may slow these often inevitable changes. Ask your vet about the latest medications available to manage CD.
Behavioural Causes
When the results of your dog’s physical exam, lab tests, and fecal analysis yield no evidence of physiological causes of inappropriate defecation, the root of the problem is often times found to be a behavioural one. A common cause of housesoiling is inadequate housebreaking training. This topic is discussed in more detail in the Pets.ca bulletin board here.
Changes in feeding or walking schedule can sometimes account for a recent onset of indoor defecation by a usually well-behaved dog. Dogs, like people, will often relieve themselves at more or less predictable intervals following meals. Take some time to observe these intervals and ensure that your dog is afforded the opportunity to relieve himself outside at the times he is most likely to have to go. Feeding two or three small meals a day is more likely to allow owners to predict, and therefore accommodate, their dogs’ defecation habits than leaving out a bowl of food all day long for occasional, unpredictable grazing.
If changes in your shifts at work mean you will be away from the house for longer periods of time than usual, ensure that any feces that will inevitably be passed over that time will end up in a location of your choice. Laying newspapers or ‘pee-pads’ down in a tiled room in the house makes clean-up of the unavoidable accidents easier, and provides an appropriate outlet for your pet’s bathroom urges. Crating your dog may also be a good option, as it takes advantage of dogs’ natural aversion to soiling where they sleep. Leaving any dog in a crate for too long, however, will eventually lead to it soiling its living quarters, which is upsetting for the dog. It should therefore be emphasized that crates are in no way a replacement for conscientious care and walking of a dog.
Separation anxiety may be another contributor. More information, including treatment strategies, can be found in the discussion of inappropriate urination in dogs at http://www.pets.ca/articles/article-dog_urine.htm
The Bottom Line
While nobody wants to return home from a long day to find their home ‘redecorated’ by their dog’s poo, owners should take heart that housesoiling can often be a treatable, transient problem. Working with your vet to pin the cause down as either medical or behavioural is key. Only then can treatments can be devised accordingly and a reasonable prognosis given for success. The problem can initially be a frustrating one but remember…with some patience and dedication, a dog leaving number two’s in the house may well return to being your number one pet.
By Rebecca Greenstein – Pets.ca writer
Hi there!
Well, here’s my problem. I received a beautiful tiny tea cup Chihuahua from “Hubby” about 8 months ago. I thought we had done the dog house training bit and won that battle about 98% and then all of a sudden, Sophie, my angel that I thought she was and is not! LOL!!!!!! started to go in the house again. Not only Pee, Pee but No. 2 as well???????? What is going on with her do you think?
She also is now my husband’s dog ????????? She ignores me as though I no longer exist! She plays with husband and sleeps with him and the list goes on & on if you catch my drift here.
What happened to make her turn away from me like she has? It really blows me away as I have had many female dog’s in the past that have been my constant companion and male’s also. Some say that female’s are better with alpha male human in the home and vise versa? What do you think?
What ever the reason, I hate it for sure!!!!
What kill’s me here is that I am the one who house broke both are Chihuahua’s and they both are female’s and both are now husband’s dogs for sure???????????? What is the deal here? I do all the dirty work and he get’s all the affection and attention from both the girl’s and I get nothing at all ever? I am in no way ever mean or cruel to our dog’s and yet this happened twice now with two female dog’s that we brought into the home as pup’s and it really hurt’s me allot as silly as that may sound I know. They pick who they want to be with I know this and what’s so weird is that they both were all over me in the beginning up until they were housebroke and pretty much on there own so to speak and then went to hubby? What did I do wrong to make them go to him and turn away from me as they both have now. Starting to get a complex about Chihuahua’s for sure and female dog’s!!!!!! Should I get a male dog or what? I have a Pomeranian that is a male and you couldn’t find a more devoted dog than Cricky is to me on this planet. His name by the way! Cricky is a great dog and yet sickly these day’s with Calapsed Treacea and I know I didn’t spell that right either. He’s almost 12 now and really getting so crippled up and has a torn ligament in hind leg and so can’t go on his walks anymore and it just kill’s us both. He is really my true buddy forever ya know?
Anyway, about these two girl’s in the house now? Chihuahua’s????????? Maybe not the right personality for me and me for them? I just don’t know. Need some advise on what you think about this whole mess here as husband is always out of town on business trips and I am here with the girl’s who just love me to death when he’s gone and don’t give me a second look when he get’s home!!!!!!!!!!! Not fair, just not fair. How funny huh? Hope to hear back from you soon.
Sincerely, Rhonda Melton………….
This question has many sides and will get WAY more answers if you post it for free in our forum. Good luck!
http://www.pets.ca/forum/
I have a grown 4, almost 5 year old dog. He has always been good before about holding it if i do not wake up right when he does. He has a regular eating schedule and when he is let outside to go to the bathroom, he has all the time he needs, he comes in when he is ready (barking and letting me know).
We have moved recently to another state state; and he has started urinating almost weekly on our garbage can. I show it to him and say “no” or “bad” in a disappointed voice every time. I am very regular with him. He always gets played with, and is given ample attention. He gets a treat when he does his business out doors. And he has been doing this so often lately that I am at my wits end. And this morning I was woken up to a number two on the kitchen floor, again urine on the garbage can, but also with urine all over every corner in the downstairs part of my house, when we had just gone to bed 5 hrs earlier. Also he is always let outright before bed. He has never been this bad, I don’t know what to do to make him stop. Some one please help! I want my good dog back who I used to brag about
For a better back and forth I recommend that you post this for free on our pet forum.
Good luck!
I am fostering a 13.5 yr old Chocolate lab. Cola is te sweetest animal alive but recently has takento defecating in the house as opposed to outdoors.I keep her food available to her only in the morning and evening and remove it during the day.I am aware how her system works immediately upon rising from sleep in the morning and after eating, so outside she goes. But without any notice from her she proceeds to leave her trail througout the house. She lately has been housed outside and will wait to come in to do her business. I walk her daily and she will not do her business and will wati again until she returns. Not sure how to deal with this any longer.
This is too involved for a blog comment. Please post it on our forum for a better back and forth.
Good luck.
My 15 year old female dog will defecate without warning. Her stools are usually hard and she no longer squats to do so. For instance, while walking around the house her stool just pops out. We tried anti-inflammatorys and pain meds thinking this may be related to arthritis. No success. Desparately need help as we are constantly picking up her stools around the house.
Not sure if you’ve seen a vet about this and i totally realize that this is very unpleasant…
I am not a vet but just like some humans lose bowel control as they become elderly, so do some dogs. I recommend a vet visit…and extra compassion for your pet in her sunset years. Dogs do not do this to upset us. They live to please us.
Doggie diapers might be a solution to this problem….but in your shoes, i’d be calling my vet.
Good luck!