Q: Our four-year-old Dachshund, Alice, has started to poo in the lounge in the middle of the night. She goes out into the garden before bedtime, so we can’t understand this new behaviour. Help please! We don’t discipline her as, when it is discovered, it is hours after the act.
A: I am glad to hear that you are not ‘disciplining’ Alice for this. Dogs should never be punished for toileting inside, especially after the fact, as they don’t make the connection to why they are being disciplined. This behaviour should just be ignored.
There could be a number of reasons for it. You will have to play detective here, and look at some of the following possibilities:
- a change to her food (however slight),
- a change to the time she receives her last meal (maybe she is getting fed at a later time, or treats or table scraps are being fed later in the evening),
- supplements,
- recent vaccinations or deworming treatments,
- stress or anxiety,
- a change to anything in the home environment or garden,
- a recent illness,
- spending less time with you, or
- any changes to the schedule that was in place before this started happening.
There are also some medical conditions that can cause an increase in bowel movements. Some intestinal disorders may cause a sense of urgency, with more frequent stools, making it hard for your dog to hold it in until morning.
Look at anything that has changed in her life, however insignificant it may seem to you, that coincided with this behaviour.
If you can find the reason it may be happening, then a solution can be looked at.
Dogs also have a natural instinct to relieve themselves where they have done it before, so use a solution of one-part white vinegar to three-parts water (or a product that doesn’t contain ammonia) to thoroughly clean the area.
Alyson Kingsley-Hall, behaviourist
