Why is my dog soiling the house?
A dog might urinate or defecate inside the house for several reasons. In almost all cases, the cause can be determined with a little detective work. Once the reasons are clear, an appropriate and effective treatment strategy can be designed. There are four main causes of house soiling.
1. Incomplete house-training or house-training lapse. Most dogs prefer to be clean, but they do not necessarily understand your preferences for where they should eliminate.
- It can take time for a dog to be fully house-trained. Your dog may consistently eliminate when you bring them outdoors, but may not understand that they sometimes must wait for outdoor access.
- If your dog has soiled indoors from the time you adopted them, even intermittently, they are likely not fully house-trained.
- A healthy and fully house-trained dog might eliminate indoors in certain circumstances. For instance, a dog with a full bladder may experience a true urgency to eliminate.
2. Underlying physical illness. House soiling may be a sign of a physical illness.
- Dogs that experience pain during elimination may be reluctant to finish, so they may need more frequent access to their outdoor elimination location.
- Dogs with illnesses that cause increased urine volume may experience urgency that can lead to house soiling.
- Dogs that have frequent bouts of diarrhea may experience urgency that can lead to house soiling.
- Physical changes in the brain, including changes associated with aging, can affect a dog’s memory and cause them to forget some of their previously learned behaviors, including house-training.
3. Underlying behavioral illness. Behavioral illnesses related to fear, anxiety, or frustration can cause house soiling.
- If your dog is frightened by something while outside the house, or if they anticipate being frightened, they may be too distracted to eliminate.
- If your dog is frightened while indoors, they may have a flight or fight response and may eliminate while attempting to escape the perceived danger.
4. Communication or marking behavior: It is normal for dogs to mark surfaces with urine or feces. Urine and feces carry messages that dogs can easily decipher, mainly in the form of pheromones (chemical signals). Dogs routinely check for “pee mail” as they explore the environment.
- Even fully house-trained dogs may leave urine or feces to communicate.
- Intact dogs may be more likely to mark to communicate their sexual status.
- Dogs feeling anxiety or frustration may mark, such as when there are stressful social interactions in the home.
If your dog is house soiling, particularly if the behavior has started suddenly, it is important to ask your veterinarian to check for a physical illness. Your veterinarian may recommend you consult a veterinary behaviorist to determine the motivation for the behavior and to create an effective treatment plan.
What physical conditions could cause my dog to house soil?
A wide range of illnesses can affect a dog’s house-training. Here are some examples.
- Diseases or medications that cause dogs to drink more water and urinate more. For example:
- Kidney or liver disease
- Infection
- Diabetes mellitus
- Diabetes insipidus
- Cushing’s disease
- Corticosteroids (prednisone)
- Conditions that cause an increase in the frequency or quantity of stool. For example:
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Food hypersensitivity
- Maldigestion or malabsorption
- Intestinal parasites
- High-fiber diet
- Conditions that cause discomfort during urination or defecation. For example:
- Cystitis
- Urinary calculi (stones)
- Colitis
- Orthopedic or neurologic pain
- Central nervous system abnormalities or disease. For example:
- Brain inflammation or infection
- Age-related cognitive decline
- Infection or inflammation
- Inadequate sphincter control (urinary or fecal incontinence)
How can I treat incomplete house-training?
If your dog is physically and behaviorally healthy but continues to eliminate indoors, it is best to restart training as though your dog were a young puppy. They will need careful supervision so they do not have an opportunity to posture and eliminate indoors.
Establish a designated elimination area. Bring your dog to an acceptable elimination location in anticipation of their need to eliminate. Whether the area is indoors (e.g., piddle pad) or outdoors, it is helpful to establish a designated elimination area. If the area is outdoors, guide the dog there before playing with them.
Supervise closely. You must supervise your dog so you can be sure they have eliminated. If they do not eliminate promptly, bring them back inside and keep them in sight until you are ready to take them out again. If your dog is comfortable and there is no urgency, it can be helpful to keep them on a leash beside you, or train them to rest on a settle mat until you are ready to take them out again. This training can help the dog learn that sometimes they need to wait a little while before accessing the bathroom.
If your dog starts to posture to eliminate, you may be able to distract them with a novel sound and then hurry them outside to an appropriate elimination spot. Do not try to frighten or scold your dog.- If your dog has already eliminated indoors, do not interact — just clean up quietly, ideally with your dog out of the room. Do not scold or otherwise punish your dog — they will become confused and possibly frightened. They may even look “guilty.” In fact, a dog’s “guilty look” most likely indicates they feel worried, not guilty.
Plan ahead when you cannot supervise. For times when you cannot supervise, it is best to confine your dog to an area that will not be damaged if they soil. If you plan to leave your dog for a long period of time, have a pet sitter come to let the dog out rather than risk the dog experiencing an urgency to eliminate. Alternatively, you can train your dog to use a potty pad inside.
Learn your dog’s elimination pattern. A healthy adult dog can usually hold urine for about 3 to 4 hours if they are not active. Active dogs often need to urinate more frequently. Most dogs defecate 1 to 3 times daily, and often do so shortly after eating a meal. Once you know your dog’s physiologic tendencies, you can plan outings that satisfy their needs. With practice and consistent training, your dog is likely to adjust to your schedule.
Keep a training journal. During training, It is helpful to keep a journal to track progress. Note the number of urinations and defecations per day, as well as changes in health and diet. You may discover a pattern that reveals an underlying physical or behavioral illness.
Consult your veterinarian. If your dog is experiencing a house-training lapse, be sure that your veterinarian checks for a physical illness that might be creating an urgency to eliminate.
Why does my dog still eliminate indoors even though their physical condition resolved?
Dogs can easily be conditioned to eliminate in new locations. This tendency can be helpful for people who move from a rural area to a city where their dogs must learn to eliminate on concrete instead of grass. Dogs learn quickly because they experience immediate relief when they eliminate. The feeling of emptying a full bladder feels good and serves as a reward.
Your dog felt relief when they eliminated indoors on your carpet while they were ill. Now that they feel better, they may need to be retrained to use the elimination area of your choice. You will need to begin house-training from the start, as described in the previous section. Be sure to supervise your dog carefully and provide plenty of access to the outdoors. Depending on your dog’s health status, they may need more frequent access to an appropriate elimination area.
How can I treat house soiling related to a behavioral illness?
It is important to identify and treat primary behavioral conditions that contribute to house soiling. For example, if your dog is frightened of certain noises, treatment might include desensitization to reduce the fear. Additionally, you could create a sheltered elimination area where they will not encounter the fear triggers or train them to use an indoor potty station.
Other behavioral conditions that can lead to house soiling include distress related to being left alone and frustration related to potential intruders (territorial behavior). House soiling may resolve once the underlying behavioral illnesses have been treated, as is the case with physical illnesses.
It is important that you do not punish your dog if you come home to urine or feces on the floor. Just clean quietly. Once the reason for the behavior is determined, you can begin appropriate treatment.
How can I treat house soiling related to marking?
Supervision is an important tool for the prevention and management of marking. Male dogs typically lift a leg to mark high on a vertical surface. Female dogs may squat or shift their body into a slight leg lift. If you notice your dog posturing to mark indoors, you may be able to use a novel noise to interrupt the behavior. Do not attempt to frighten your dog, just interrupt and then supervise to be sure the emotion that triggered the behavior has passed.
Although marking often represents normal communication or normal sexual behavior, it may also reflect underlying anxiety, frustration, or social conflict. It is important to consult a veterinary behaviorist who can identify and address the causes of your dog’s marking behavior. In some cases, medication or surgical intervention (desexing) may be advised.
Belly bands are commercially available and, though not typically considered to be an effective behavior treatment, they are useful for protecting valuable property that could be damaged by urine. Most dogs continue to assume the marking posture even with the band attached. Thus, even if your dog is wearing a band, it is still important to supervise and interrupt him if he postures to mark. If you do use a belly band, check at least twice daily to be sure it is clean and dry or your dog will be uncomfortable and could develop a serious skin infection.
Why does my dog urinate when greeting people?
Greetings are highly emotional times for dogs. Some dogs are slightly uneasy and exhibit a range of appeasing postures, sometimes called submissive postures, during greetings. They may turn their body into a “U” shape, lower their body into a crouch, lift their lips into a grin, or pull their ears back. They may also urinate. This is often called “submissive urination.”
Other dogs are very excited about meeting people. They may leap into the air or spin in circles. They may also urinate. This is referred to as “excitement-related urination”.
Neither submissive nor excitement-related urination is done deliberately. The dog has little or no conscious control over their behavior. Treatment involves addressing the emotion related to the social interaction. Submissive and excitement-related urination are most common in very young, socially inexperienced dogs. To prevent the behavior from occurring or escalating, it is important to manage the greeting. There are a few ways you can manage greetings.
Advise people that they should be calm and quiet when greeting your dog. Ask them to use a calm, neutral voice. Boisterous greetings and outstretched arms can be overwhelming and can trigger emotional conflict or fear. Limit interactions to short, one-handed pets, since hugs and two-handed pets can be intimidating.
Ask people to avoid reaching for or coaxing your pet to interact. They should wait patiently for your dog to approach them.
- Try standing with your dog a few steps away from the person for a few minutes. Give your dog a few treats.
- Then give the new person a treat and let your dog approach them for some treats.
- If your dog knows how to sit, the person can ask for a sit, but only if your dog is calm and focused on the food.
- Call your dog back, treat, and repeat.
- After a few repetitions, your dog will begin to approach people and sit quietly, waiting for a treat.
Give your dog time to get calm. When guests arrive, invite them to come in and sit for a few minutes while you keep your dog on leash at the other side of the room. Feed your dog treats and help them settle. When they are calm, you can release them to visit the guest. Your guest may give your dog treats for sitting calmly.
What is canine cognitive dysfunction?
As dogs age, they develop changes in their brain and can experience a gradual decline in their cognitive function. Hallmarks of cognitive decline include disorientation and a loss of previously learned behaviors. Some dogs cannot find their way to the door, while others forget to signal their need to eliminate. Dogs may go outdoors and forget to eliminate, only to eliminate shortly after they re-enter the house.
It is important to be patient with your senior dog. You may be able to create a safe, comfortable, easily cleaned confinement area with piddle pads or washable matting. Though age-related cognitive changes cannot be reversed, your veterinarian can prescribe treatments to support brain health.
What is the best way to clean urine or fecal deposits?
Dogs are often attracted to previously soiled spots. To eliminate as much of the odor as possible, it is best to use a commercially available product that contains enzymes to degrade the urine or feces (e.g., Urine Away™).
