Causes of Dog Sudden House Soiling Problems

If you have owned a perfectly housebroken dog and suddenly it starts house soiling out of the blue, you must investigate on what may be going on. Ideally, the first step would be a veterinarian visit just to rule out any medical conditions known to cause elimination problems, such as urinary tract infections and bladder stones. Not necessarily do all dogs develop visible symptoms of problems when they develop a urinary tract infection or other bladder related problems especially in its initial stages.

A urinary tract infection indeed can cause some dogs to urinate in small quantities and in different locations. Sometimes, the act of urinating may be burn, and the dog may stop the flow only to finish up later somewhere else. Signs suggesting a UTI are squatting in different places, licking the genital area, bloody urine and discomfort. Antibiotics are used to treat this condition.

Older dogs (especially spayed females, may be prone to urinary incontinence, where their bladder sphincter tone becomes weakened, due to estrogen levels which drop after spaying. In this cases some urine leaks out and this often happens involuntarily, often while the dog sleeps. Phenylpropanolamine(PPP) and oral estrogen are quite effective in treating this condition.

Other potential causes are kidney issues, diabetes mellitus and diabetes, insipidus and other conditions or triggers know to cause increased drinking and therefore urination, such as the administration of prednisone.

So ideally, a fresh urine sample should be caught for a urinalysis to rule out a urinary tract infection and then other conditions may be considered by ruling them out one by one. If you are unable to collect a sample, your vet may collect it for you, but charges may apply..

A good place to start is to catch a fresh urine sample and have it analyzed by your veterinarian. Then once medical problems have been ruled out, behavioral issues can be considered.

If medical problems have been ruled, then you can start assuming that the sudden house soiling stems from a behavioral problem. Questions to ask are:

• Are there any recent changes? New home, new pet, new guests in your home? a new baby?
• Does your dog urinate when left alone?
• Does your dog appear stressed, more anxious, less confident?
• Is your dog marking or actually urinating?
• Is your dog in heat?

Dogs are pack animals and may have a hard time adjusting to a disruption in the household dynamics that may ultimately lead to confusion and anxiety. When dogs are stressed they often feel more compelled to urinate because their urine smell makes things smell like normal again. This has a calming effect on a dog. It's their way of manifesting their discomfort.

If the urination is due to stress punishment only confuses the dog. If you punish and your dog is stressed, this may further exacerbate the stress and the dog will feel more compelled to mark.

If your dog is marking out of territoriality, and you know exactly when this behavior takes place and you can anticipate it, shaking a can of coins right a second before he engages in urinating may be helpful if you can temporarily startle him and take him outside right afterwards praising him and offering treats after going. This should tell him that indoors urinating is a big no-no but it gives him a chance to succeed by showing him you want him to go outdoors, whether it is for marking purposes or simply a house-training problem.

You really need to be observant, because it takes one uncorrected instance of urine marking to bring him back to start. It may help to put a harness on him, snap the leash on and attach the leash to you around your waist so you can be there to catch him before he urine marks. Whistle or clap your hands to stop him and take him immediately outdoors. If you cannot keep an eye on him, invest in a belly band, this will not stop him from marking but will only prevent the urine from getting on your floor, therefore does not go to the root of the problem.

To break the marking cycle, you need to be a bit obsessive in cleaning the areas marked. Use a good product that contains enzymes which neutralizes odors (Nature's Miracle comes to mind). Investing in a urine light that detects urine marks on your carpet helps ensure you are cleaning all areas.

This is obviously a difficult problem to correct if your dog is urinating due to behavioral issues. If he has been around other intact males, this may be a learned behavior. It is not unusual for neutered males to mark as well