Does your adult dog shit in the house when he didn't before? Does he show unusual behaviors? There are many different causes that can cause a change in habits in the dog, including a move, the acquisition of fears, the appearance of behavior problems… It is then when we observe abnormal behaviors that he did not perform before. But what do they really mean? How should they be solved?
In this article on our site we will explain why your dog poops at home if he didn't do it before, showing you the 6 most frequent reasons and offering you some extra tips to apply to try to solve the problem. If you're sick of your dog pooping at home at night or during the day, read on:
1. Diseases
There are numerous diseases that can cause your dog to start displaying unusual behaviors, including urinating or defecating indoors. Before suspecting that it is a behavioral problem, we must rule out that it is a pathology, therefore, the first step will be to go to the vet and carry out a general review.
Below we will show you some of the pathologiesthat can cause an adult dog or puppy to relieve herself at home:
- Food Allergy
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Intestinal parasites
- Bad nutrition
- Poisoning
- Bacterial infection
- Viral diseases
- Stomach flu
- Incontinence
- Others
two. Separation-Related Disorders
If your adult dog shits at home when you're not around, you may have separation anxiety. This behavior problem appears only when the dog is alone, that is, in the absence of the owner and is caused by high levels of stress. To determine that it is indeed separation anxiety, your dog should defecate when you are not home, whenever a separation occurs and should occur even on very short outings.
3. Cognitive dysfunction syndrome
Cognitive dysfunction syndrome is a frequent pathology in elderly dogs and is usually accompanied by other symptoms, such as disorientation, fear, behavior changes, and poor appetite. Although it is a degenerative disease that has no treatment, it is possible to slightly reverse the condition and even stop its progress if we perform mental stimulation exercises, we consult our veterinarian about the option of administer pharmacology and improve your well-being in general.
4. Predilection for a place in the house
It may happen that, due to an episode of diarrhea, our dog has an accident at home. It is totally normal and understandable. However, if after that episode he starts shitting always in the same place, this is no longer an accident. It may happen that our dog has a predilection for defecating somewhere in the house, such as on a carpet, a bathroom area or on the terrace. In addition, it is common for the dog to shit at home at night, with the intention of avoiding a possible fight.
In these cases, we must prevent access to the "place" where he relieves himself frequently, placing an object that prevents him from step. It will also be important to carry out a correct cleaning, in order to avoid the odor and the pheromones that it may leave in that area. To do this, it uses enzymatic products. It will also be important to re-educatethe dog, teaching the adult dog to defecate outside the house through positive reinforcement, that is, rewarding with prizes and with a voice whenever he does your needs on the street
5. Fear
Dogs can be afraid of a wide variety of stimuli: people, other dogs, objects, noises, darkness… It can occur at any time in their life, generally after a trauma or negative experience, but it can also be a genetic condition or appear after continued punishment
The expressions of fear can be very variable and we can find dogs that urinate on the feet of their owners, a dog that shits at home at night when they didn't do it before or dogs that are excessively upset after an event, then they defecate on themselves.
Fear is a behavior problem that is very complicated to deal with, but some basic advice to start with can be don't punish the dog, avoid access to fear-provoking stimuli, proper cleaning, use of synthetic pheromones, conduct behavior modification sessions to address fears, and positive interactions and calm.
6. Dialing
Although it is one of the less common forms of marking, it is important to remember that stool can also be considered marking. In these cases the dog usually poops on the walls of the house, leaving small or large traces of feces. Some of the recommendations before marking could be castration, the use of synthetic pheromones, correct hygiene and the re-education of the dog on the street.
How to prevent my dog from pooping in the house?
It is not always easy to know why a dog shits in the house if it did not do it before, therefore, if you have not found an obvious cause of this behavior, it is best togo to a veterinary ethologist so that they can offer you a diagnosis , whether it is due to a he alth problem or a problem with the behaviour.
If you cannot find this professional figure in your country, you can first go to a veterinarian for a general check-up and then go to a canine educator or trainer. Specialist evaluation can be key to treating this problem promptly and avoiding it becoming chronic
Below we are going to offer you some general tips to prevent the dog from continuing to relieve itself at home that you can apply before visiting the professional:
- To begin with, you must teach your adult dog to relieve himself on the street. Even if you already know how to do it, it doesn't hurt to follow the guidelines that we show you in the article to reinforce the behavior of defecating in the street and that you know that this is a desirable action to be taken.
- Prepare a fixed schedule for walks so that your dog does not have to defecate at home and knows when he is going to leave. Remember that a dog should enjoy at least 2 to 3 daily walks.
- Properly clean the home, using enzymatic products.
- Avoid punishing or scolding your dog, as this increases stress levels and does not favor the recovery of positive hygiene behavior.
- Assess the use of synthetic pheromones.
It should be noted that these guidelines are guidelines and generic, so each case may need specific and specific guidelines depending on the causes that have caused this behavior in the dog.
