Dog - House Soiling - Elimination Problems

Why is my dog soiling the house?

There are numerous reasons why a dog might soil the house with urine and/or faeces. Determining the specific reason is essential for developing an effective treatment programme. Dogs that soil the home continuously or intermittently from the time they were first obtained may not have been properly house-trained. Following the steps in our house-training handout Puppy - getting started will help resolve this problem.

Dogs that have been previously house-trained, may begin to soil the home for medical reasons or for behavioural reasons. Assuming medical causes can be ruled out (see below), some of the behavioural causes can be: a change in owner schedule, a change in housing or any change in the dog’s home that might lead to anxiety. For example, if you leave your dog alone for longer than your dog is used to, or significantly change the daily schedule or routine, your dog may begin to house-soil. Dogs that are exhibiting an increase in anxiety may begin to eliminate in the home, due primarily to a loss of control when anxious and not due to spite. Dogs that exhibit separation anxiety may soil the home, and require an intensive behavioural treatment programme. There is a separate handouts on Separation related anxiety.

You might need professional assistance to identify, exactly what is going on, but below is some advice that may help you identify some of the more common reasons for house soiling. Some are relatively straightforward to treat but others may require professional intervention.

Why am I finding urine on upright objects?

Dogs may deposit urine on upright objects as a form of marking behaviour. The behaviour is a form of communication and is designed to leave a message for other dogs. It is most likely to occur on or near unfamiliar odours or marks left by other dogs. The volume of urine is usually small. The problem is much more common in intact males, but some neutered males and spayed females will mark. Male hormone levels, other dogs entering the property, moving to a new household, novel odours (such as when getting new furniture) or increased stress may all be potential triggers for the onset of urine marking.

Why does my dog urinate when he meets new people or when I come home?

This behaviour can be triggered by a high level of arousal which leads to a loss of bladder control. This is only seen in very young puppies where control over the bladder is not yet fully developed. In adult dogs urination during greeting is a form of communication and is associated with appeasement.

Appeasement related urination can occur when a person approaches, reaches out towards, stands over, or attempts to physically punish a dog. The dog not only urinates but may show other signs of appeasement such as ears back, retraction of lips, avoidance of eye contact, and cowering. Although this problem can be seen in dogs of any age it is most commonly seen in puppies and young dogs. Owner intervention in the form of verbal reprimands or punishment, only serve to aggravate the problem by making the dog perceive the situation to be threatening and therefore he is more intensely motivated to appease the person, which leads to further urination.

What medical problems could cause my dog to house-soil?

There are numerous medical problems that could cause or contribute to house-soiling, and these become increasingly common as your dog ages. They include problems that cause:

• An increased frequency of urination such as bladder infections, bladder stones or crystals, or bladder tumours.
• A decrease in control or mobility such as neurological deterioration or arthritis.
• An increase in urine volume production such as kidney disease, liver disease, diabetes, or Cushing’s syndrome.
• An alteration in memory which leads to a loss of housetraining, such as cognitive dysfunction syndrome, a form of senility affecting dogs.

Certain drugs such as steroids or diseases may also cause a dog to drink more and therefore urinate more.

For dogs that defecate in the house, possible causes include any condition that

• Leads to more frequent defecation such as colitis.
• causes an increased volume of stool such as problems with absorption or lack of digestive enzymes.
• affects the dog’s mobility or control such as arthritis or neurological deterioration.
• produces memory deficits, such as cognitive dysfunction.

There are also significant anxiety disorders which can lead to house soiling that are likely to require professional intervention. Any dog without an obvious cause for the problem needs to be assessed by a veterinary surgeon as a matter of priority.

How can the cause of house-soiling be determined?

Following a physical examination and detailed medical history evaluation, further tests will often be required. For most cases a urinalysis (analysing hte urine) and general blood profile will also be needed, and additional tests such as radiographs (xrays) and contrast studies, may be needed based on the results. If there is any abnormality in elimination frequency or amount, stool colour/consistency or urine odour, more comprehensive laboratory tests may be necessary. Once medical problems have been ruled out, it will then be necessary to methodically work through the potential behavioural causes discussed in this leaflet. This will involve a detailed behavioural history.

My dog only eliminates when it is left alone, does he have separation anxiety?

There are many reasons why your dog may soil when left alone, so you should not assume that this is the cause. There is a separate handout available on the treatment and management of separation anxiety. To differentiate the more straightforward forms of house-soiling from separation anxiety, it would be useful for you to keep records of when the elimination occurs. Treatment of separation anxiety often requires professional support, as your dog may need medication to help him cope and aid the behavioural treatment. It should be noted that punishment at homecoming is not only useless for correcting this problem but serves to add to your dog’s anxiety on future occasions.

How can house soiling through lack of appropriate early learning be treated?

Training techniques for routine house-soiling problems are virtually identical to those needed to housetrain a new puppy. However, the process can be a lot more time consuming in an older dog since even if the dog is retrained to eliminate outdoors, indoor sites may continue to be used, since the odour, substrate (material), and learned habit may continue to attract the dog back to the location. In addition, dogs that eliminate indoors are in essence, performing a self rewarding behaviour since they relieve themselves and do not perceive that the area they have used is inappropriate.

• The key to effective housetraining is constant supervision.
• Prevent access to indoor elimination sites. Mildly startle your dog, with a loud noise such as clapping your hands if he is eliminating in an inappropriate location. This should effectively interrupt the behaviour and allow you time to take him to a more appropriate location.
• Redirect your dog to appropriate areas at times when elimination is necessary.   See handout on Puppy - getting started.
• Reinforce the acceptable behaviour with lavish praise or food rewards when your dog eliminates in the designated area. Your dog should go for a walk after it has eliminated if this is around the normal exercise time.
• If a word signal, such as get busy or hurry up, is given during each act of elimination, your dog can learn to associate the word with the action. This will enable you to go on to teach your dog to eliminate on command.
• If you have trouble keeping your dog in sight in the home, leave a long indoor lead attached to your dog, and fasten it to your belt. This lead can also be used to interupt any elimination or pre-elimination behaviours (such as sniffing, circling or squatting) and to direct your dog to the appropriate area without delay.
• Whenever you are not available to supervise, your dog should be housed in either a confinement area where it does not eliminate (such as a crate or indoor pen), or in an area where elimination is allowed (such as a secure dog run outdoors). If there are long periods of time when you cannot supervise your dog you can leave him in an indoor location which you are prepared for him to eliminate in, such as papered pen or room. However, it is important to realise that this will lead to a lengthening of the training process as you will need to ultimately break the association with an indoor location and with paper as a suitable substrate.
• Your dog should not be allowed access to indoor sites where he has previously eliminated unless you are there to supervise. Access to these areas can be denied by closing doors or putting up baby gates.
• Odours that might attract your dog back to the area can be reduced or removed with commercial odour eliminators. Be certain to use a sufficient amount of the odour eliminator to reach everywhere that the urine has soaked. This might require lifting carpets and cleaning the underlying boards etc. It may help to feed your dog in the cleaned area. An alternative to commercial products is to clean the area with a warm solution of a biological washing agent followed by surgical spirit as these products will break down the protein and fat components of the deposit respectively.
• Feeding schedules can be regulated to improve owner control over the timing of elimination. After your dog eats, he will usually needs to eliminate in 15-30 minutes. Dogs fed ad lib or by free access usually need to relieve themselves at a variety of times throughout the day, whereas dogs that eat one or two scheduled meals each day void in a more predictable manner. It may therefore help to move your dog onto a scheduled meal regime. Feeding a low-residue diet may also be of benefit because your dog will have less urgency to defecate and produces less stool.
• If your dog has reduced control due to its physical health scheduling changes may need to be made in consultation with your vet. You may be able to arrange more frequent trips to the elimination area but if not you may need to install a dog door, or provide a papered area that your dog can conveniently use. Alternatively, a dog walker or dog crèche may be an option as a means of providing more consistent supervision and more opportunities to eliminate appropriately.
• Depending on the cause medical intervention may be warranted. For age related cognitive dysfunction therapeutic or dietary intervention may be an essential complement to retraining techniques, and a variety of drugs and dietary supplements are available with proven beneficial effects.
• Never punish your dog verbally or physically whilst or after eliminating in an inappropriate place as this is likely to increase his anxiety, and can lead to further problems.

The dog that eliminates in its crate or indoor pen poses special problems and is likely to require specialist treatment.

How can appeasement related urination be treated?

For appeasement related urination, it is important that you and all visitors interact with your pet in a less threatening manner.

• It is important to establish the level of perceived threat (it may not be real to you but it is to your dog) which evokes the response and use this as a bench-mark from which to work. It may take lots of exposures during training to correct the problem, so you will need to be patient. During greetings, you and your guests should refrain from eye contact and verbal or physical contact. Greetings should be very low key and words spoken in a low, calm tone.
• Your dog should be allowed to approach you to greet rather than the reverse. When greeting a very submissive dog, you may initially need to completely ignore it at traditional greeting times, even to the extent of avoiding eye contact.
• You should avoid the tendency to reach over your dog to pat him as this sort of looming over an animal can often be perceived as a threatening gesture. The tendency to elicit appeasement responses can be reduced by kneeling down and speaking softly, rather than standing over your dog; petting the chest instead of the head (although avoiding any physical contact is advised when initially dealing with appeasement related urination) and avoiding eye contact.
• Physical punishment and even the mildest verbal reprimands must be avoided. In fact, owners who attempt to punish their pet for urinating during greeting will make things worse, since this intensifies the perception of threat and encourages appeasing behaviour.
• Counter-conditioning can be very helpful in controlling submissive urination. To do this, your dog is taught to perform a behaviour that is not compatible with urinating, such as sitting for food or retrieving a toy when it greets someone. If your dog anticipates food or ball playing at each greeting, it is less likely to eliminate since it is in a state of positive, rather than negative, expectation. An important aspect of treating appeasement related urination in response to the arrival of visitors, is repeated presentations of the stimulus so that your dog learns the correct response. If visitors come only infrequently, your dog does not have the opportunity to learn a new behaviour. By scheduling visitors to come, visit briefly and then leave by another door and re-enter, your dog may learn to be less concerned about their arrival. Each time the person returns they are more familiar and less likely to be perceived as a threat. This allows your dog to 'practice' the good behaviour and allows you to reinforce the appropriate response.
• The use of drugs to increase bladder sphincter tone might also be considered as an adjunct to behaviour therapy for refractory (unresponsive) cases. Careful medical evaluation of the dog is essential in such cases.

How can marking be treated?

• Neutering will eliminate male marking behaviour in over 50% of dogs and reduce it in 85% of male dogs. It is also recommended for female dogs that mark during oestrus (seasons).
• Confining your dog so that it is unable to watch other dogs through windows in the home may be helpful.
• Urine residue must be removed from around doors, windows or other areas where stray dogs have been marking.
• New upright objects that are brought into the home should not be placed on the floor until your dog is familiar with them.
• During the treatment process, you must closely supervise your dog. When he cannot be supervised, it should be confined to his crate or bedroom area, away from areas that have been previously marked.

If anxiety is an underlying factor in the marking behaviour, then treatment of the anxiety with desensitisation and counter-conditioning may be helpful.