I don't know if my dog is sick or if it's a behavioural thing, can someone please help?

Question

My dog keeps taking shits in the kitchen at night, I let them out before they go to bed and the next morning and I've cut down on the amount they are fed each day and I punish them when I see one in the morning because they have the chance to go out the night before, it's a new thing they're doing, it's every single night now, only other time I was greeted with it was when they were sick and had accidents which I'm fine with, how can I stop them from keep doing it?

Answer 1

Take the dog to the vet. I had a young dog many years ago who kept pooping in her crate, not because she was crated too long. A dog trainer suggested I have her checked for worms, she was right the dog had worms.

Answer 2

Your dog is not sick and it's not a behavioral thing.

It is pointless just LETING a dog out for a pee. Dogs don't know that it's their last chance for a pee or poo before bedtime. You must TAKE your dog out and stay OUT with it until it performs. You must wander around your garden/yard and let your dog sniff around, then go overboard with praise when it pees or poos, and give it a treat. You should also set your alarm and get up during the night and TAKE it out again.

Eventually your dog will be able to hold on until the morning.

Beware, a dog wakes up early and needs a pee.

After a dog has urinated or defecated in the house, obviously you will clean this up. Perhaps you think that you have got rid of the smell and your friends will possibly confirm this, however your dog will still be aware of a smell. Your dog thinks that your house is a lavatory/toilet; dogs have a much greater sense of smell than we have.

There is a washing machine powder called Ariel get the BIOLOGICAL version Or get some special cleaning solution from the pet shop and clean your floor with this. You must also re-clean the cage,(if you have one) the floor under the cage and the blankets. When you are sure that you have cleaned every part of the floor that your dog has pooed or peed on do the following.



If your dog urinates on the floors or carpets that you have cleaned, you have not cleaned them enough and you will need to do them again. NEVER EVER USE PINE DISINFECTANT OR BLEACH BECAUSE THIS ENCOURAGES A DOG TO URINATE,

Answer 3

Nope, No free medical advice from me. Don't know your dog, or what is normal for your dog, however if I may suggest, and if you're concerned begin by calling your vet for advice, phone calls are free in most areas, and follow the vets advice, especially whenever there are any changes in behavior, and/or possible indications of illness.



Or bring them in to be examined as you're required to do by law as needed in a timely fashion. Failure to supply vet care is a felony, punishable by fines/jail time.



Once medically cleared, provide sufficient daily walk elimination times outside, supervise constantly when indoors, correct immediately when caught in the act, not punish and/or after the fact, which doesn't teach them a darn thing. No need to cut or change the diet unless vet recommended or prescribed, due to a specific illness.



Try taking them outside, not letting them outside, stay outside until they've completely eliminated, praise profusely once they have eliminated before bringing them inside.



Minimally all dogs should be walked, 3-4 times daily 30-40 minutes each time or until they've eliminated. A refresher course in house breaking maybe in order, along with more frequent walk/elimination times outside, once medically cleared, not cutting back on how much food/water is taken in, unless vet recommended.



Adult dogs that are fed properly, not free fed, on a set schedule, twice daily, am/pm, split in equal amounts into those two meals, no human foods, scraps or over treating a set amount according to body condition activity, water should be available free choice 24/7 however, generally have one bowel movement for each meal, plus one. Your job to provide to supply the sufficient daily walk/elimination times outside, not their job to let you know when they need to eliminate.

Answer 4

Well done! You have proved you can be consistant and train , problem is you are oblivious that it is YOUR behaviour you need to change and train a good behaviour not a bad one, 100% your training is why it is happening EVERY day.



So you ' I let them out before they go to bed' so while you sit in the house,so you have no clue if they have been to the toilet or not, get your dog on a lead and take them for a walk, walking will encourage a bowel movement or at least go and stand outside with the dog/s so you KNOW they have toileted.

This dog had an accident one night, maybe it didn't have time to toilet, maybe it was unwell...who knows and as you didn't take it for a vet check at the first 'event'.

So that first morning you came down and punished the dog/s for toileting, as far as the dog is concerned for no reason as you never punish a dog that you don't SEE doing a bad behaviour EVER. so in the dogs mind you arrive and the dog/s get punished, that builds anxiety as even if the dog has not toileted they KNOW as soon as you open that door you will punish them, so they listen for sounds of you getting up, anxiety builds and they toilet on the floor because of the anxiety of the coming punishment.



YOUR behaviour needs to change, you need to walk the dog/s before bedtime or at least stand outside with them until you know they have all toileted. The first morning you know you will come down to toilet on the floor ( because YOU trained it) you say NOTHING, you don't look at the dog/s, you don't talk to the dog/s, you make no disgusting faces or any sounds, you just open the door and let them out and while they are out you clear up and then go out and greet the dog/s, walk them, do as you would normally do BUT THE TOILETING ON THE FLOOR IS GONE AND COMPLTELY FORGOTTEN....... a week or more of doing that and you will have trained them to know you are not a punisher, they do not need to be anxious( fearful of you) when they hear you coming down.

Answer 5

Soooo, according to YOU.....dogs are programmable robots. They cannot possibly develop any parasites or other digestive upsets - like giardia, coccidia, or IBS. And we are supposed to figure out what is going on - with absolutely NO additional information.



Well, that won't be happening. Dogs are NOT robots any more than people are. Things can change in the digestive tract especially as dogs age or if they develop worms or some other problem causing loose stools and an URGE TO GO....... more often. And regardless of what heartworm prevention your dog or dogs might be on that "might" include a dewormer - it DOES NOT MEAN your dog cannot develop any tapeworms.



As we have said (ad nauseum) ANY TIME you see a sudden change in behavior - you NEED to see your vet, to rule OUT any medical issue. Until or unless you INVOLVE your vet, you cannot KNOW whether the dog is sick, or not. We certainly can't. We do not do "MIND melds" with poster's dogs.



Punishing the dog AFTER the FACT (not CAUGHT in the ACT of actual pooping) WILL NOT HELP. REPEAT: punishing the dog AFTER THE FACT - WILL NOT HELP!



You cannot train a dog NOT CAUGHT in the act, of wrong doing. The dog WILL NOT have any IDEA what is going on. Regardless of what you think..... this is going to be true.

(Or...... P.S. the "punishment" would have worked).



You do not even KNOW whether it is behavioral or not, and it certainly can't help (ESPECIALLY if it is due to an illness or digestive issue) - the dog has NO CONTROL OVER! With holding FOOD is also ridiculous!



And you are a first rate @-hole for thinking otherwise. So now, your dogs simply FEAR or DREAD the SIGHT OF YOU in the AM. if the vet finds no health issue in either dog, then assume one has developed a type of separation anxiety over being housed in a far flung part of the house overnight or is afraid of the OTHER dog. You ALSO cannot FIX separation anxiety through PUNISHMENT. Hopefully, your vet will EXPLAIN that TO YOU.



Go see your vet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 6

you can't punish a dog after he has done a bad thing. they would be confused. when I walked my dogs in the morning that is when they did their business.

Answer 7

Agree with making sure you feed them? (one or more dogs?) early enough for the last meal to be digested - with every possibility of them emptying before bed and not during the night. Don't cut back .... and adults are usually best fed two smaller meals a day rather than one big meal. Mine have always been fed at around 7 am and again by 4.30 pm.



I think it may be that they (I'm assuming this IS more than one) may be disturbed by somebody/something during the night, wakeup and have a need to empty. Or perhaps starting to feel chilly overnight?



Best would be for now, to get up by round 3 am and let them out. You obviously have to stop this habit. But you ONLY punish IN THE ACT. They won't know what the heck is the matter if you try it after the event.

Answer 8

Change their feeding time.....