It is a Every dog owner's nightmare: You wake up in the morning and realize that your four-legged friend is yours Bedroom soiled with urine or even feces has.
But the animals can't really do anything about it: Scolding or even punishing people is therefore not appropriate. Instead, the aim is to get to the bottom of the exact cause and then work on the problem.
You can find out what these are in this article: I'll tell you the 11 most common physical and psychological causes for behavior. You will also find 8 solution tips, which have helped many dog owners a lot in combating the problem.
11 common causes for the dog to go into the apartment at night
1. Not optimal daily routine
In many cases, the dog goes into the apartment at night because something didn't go well during the day. For example, it is possible that the Evening walk This happened rather early: If the animal then drank something, the bladder would fill up again.
Especially if the dog sleeps alone, he is rather helpless afterwards: If the owner does not notice his cries for help, at some point he will no longer be able to do anything other than go into the apartment.
This can also be done hot days happen: If the dog drinks excessively at night to regulate his body temperature, it is also possible that he has to relieve himself unscheduled.
2. Fear & stress
Dogs tend to forget their good training when they are under Fear or stress suffer. Then they multiply Stress hormones such as cortisol or adrenaline released. They suppress feelings of fear, but also block control over certain bodily functions.
That means: The dog then doesn't care whether something is hygienic or not. He then urinates without regard to the apartment or his human caregivers.
Typical fears that dogs have at night are: eerie shadows in the dark, the absence of the sleeping owner (Separation stress), more suddenly Noise, e.g. due to a celebration or fireworks display in the neighborhood, or other dogs, that are perceived by the four-legged friend.
3. dementia
Especially if your dog is older, it may also be that he is suffering from dementia. The “Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome” (CDS), As the technical term goes, it occurs particularly around the age of 8. The symptoms are similar to those of human Alzheimer's disease.
Checklist: Does my dog have dementia?
- Can you observe personality changes (e.g. noticeably more nervous than usual for no reason)?
- Does the dog seem as if it no longer recognizes familiar people (owner, friends, family members, neighbors)?
- Does your four-legged friend suddenly bark at things or people for no reason whatsoever?
- Is the day-night rhythm disturbed (dog turns night into day)?
- Is your four-legged friend suddenly no longer house trained?
- Does the animal suddenly have more appetite and is suddenly begging again?
- Does the dog suddenly find it difficult to learn (e.g. tricks)?
Source: Federal Association for Animal Health.
Affected dogs are often in an advanced stage completely helpless and disoriented. They then sleep during the day and turn night into day. They also forget about hygiene, and sick four-legged friends no longer let them know that they “have to” but instead go straight into the apartment.
Canine dementia is incurable. With species-appropriate support, veterinary treatment and, above all, a lot of love and understanding, it is possible to enable the senior to live a dignified life for a longer period of time despite illness.
4. Urinary tract infections
Urinary tract infections are also a reason why many dogs cannot sleep at night. It is almost always caused by bacteria, and if left untreated it often results in cystitis Cystitis.
Veterinarian Dr. Henning Wilts explains what you can do to prevent a bladder infection in your dog. Source: Henning Wilts Veterinarian / https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYMB5-IjPG8 .
This cause is typically caused by small amounts of urine that are dark in color and can be quite smelly. Such an infection is for the dog very painful, It can also become chronic and/or affect other organs such as the kidneys.
Furthermore, you can also gender-specific factors play a role: Inflammations of the uterus manifest themselves, among other things, through uncontrolled urine output and purulent discharge, Prostate inflammation also lead to temporary incontinence.
5. Gastrointestinal problems
If a dog, on the other hand, be at night big business» carried out in the apartment, this is usually the case Gastrointestinal problems. Diarrhea is typical, which can be caused by various causes, e.g Upset stomach, intestinal inflammation, food intolerances, parasites or Toxins.
There often highly contagious germs, worms or other microorganisms are excreted, you should be very careful and careful when cleaning in the morning.
6. Joint problems
Incontinence at night can also have other physical reasons: especially if your four-legged friend is older, it can also be one degenerative disease of the joints be behind it.
In particular, they are widespread Arthritis, osteoarthritis and hip dysplasia. Affected dogs often suffer from great pain and are therefore no longer able to get up in time and tell their owner that they need to get out quickly.
In the morning you can see the unsavory result: the dog has not relieved himself outside, but on his sleeping place or on the floor.
7. frustration & boredom
However, it may also be the case that the dog actually has its bodily functions under control, but still decides to do its “business” in the apartment.
The four-legged friend often feels misunderstood or bored: Maybe he wants to be very close to you at night, but it is also possible that he is annoyed that you have denied him something.
In general, dogs of all ages can behave like this. However, they often are younger animals or newly adopted four-legged friends, who behave like that. They are either still in their hormonal years or have not yet been able to establish an optimal relationship with their owner.
8. Territorial behavior
Dogs place a lot of value on their own territory. This Territorial behavior It's completely normal when you're out and about: every male and some female dogs mark their territory on many trees and corners.
This is actually not the case at home. But there are exceptions: If the Four-legged friend sees his “own kingdom” in danger, he can also mark the apartment with urine.
This is particularly common when several animals live in the apartment Ranking not (yet) clarified is. At night, a neighbor's dog can also unsettle your protégé. In general, others can too changes, e.g. a baby or a new life partner, contribute to this behavior.
9. Metabolic disorders
Also Diseases of the metabolic organs make it difficult for the dog to stay house trained. Suffer like liver, kidney and Pancreatic failure often result in chronic inflammation, which also affects the urinary tract.
Also diabetes is often placed in this spectrum. Affected dogs often have damaged nerves in the urinary tract, which means the bladder no longer closes properly. Since diabetic animals also drink more, they often cannot stop eating at night.
Closely related to metabolic disorders hormonal diseases. Incontinence is often caused by a lack of estrogen in female animals and Cushing's syndrome, in which the stress hormone cortisol is released uncontrollably.
10. Castration consequences
Bitches in particular suffer after castration often with incontinence: This is due to the changed hormone secretion after the procedure weakened connective tissue, As a result, the bladder muscle no longer closes as tightly as it used to.
This often happens gradually: Some four-legged friends act like that only incontinent years after the castration operation. The urine is usually excreted in droplets without the dog being able to do anything about it.
This episode occurs all day long. It becomes a problem at night when the animal tends to walk back and forth restlessly. Then in the morning you can often find traces of urine all over the room.
11. Poor hygiene
Furthermore, unwanted deficiencies can also occur hygiene You are responsible for ensuring that the dog pees in the apartment at night. Four-legged friends have an extremely strong sense of smell and therefore quickly detect even the smallest aromas.
Should Urine residue – e.g. because of a “previous” accident or a puppy in the house, some animals think that it is okay to go back into the apartment. This can also affect areas that have actually already been (superficially) cleaned.
Dog is no longer house trained: Other causes
There is still many more reasons which can lead to incontinence in dogs. However, these usually do not only occur at night, but are more of a general problem. Examples of this include:
- Tumors (bladder cancer)
- Urinary stones
- Malposition of the ureters
- Nervous diseases.
Dog goes into the apartment at night: 8 things you can do
So you see: If the dog goes into the apartment at night, you can very different reasons play a role. Some are psychological in nature, while others have physical causes that the four-legged friend can really do nothing about.
In all cases, however, the following applies: Scolding may give you some relief in the short term, but it's not a real solution. Instead you should go with much love work to ensure that the problem does not occur again in the future. Depending on the cause, you may be particularly affected by the following 8 tips help.
1. Sufficient exercise before going to bed
The first thing you can do to combat nighttime unpleasantness is a better exercise before bed.
Ideally, this is timed so that the Dog really works out and be at the same time carry out small and large “business”. can. In order for this to be successful, it is advisable to keep a few points in mind:
- The dog should not be walked too early
- Ideally, he has eaten his last meal early
- The dog walking route is long enough to use up energy
- The walk has few stress factors such as dominant conspecifics on the way
- You have enough time so that your four-legged friend can pursue his needs without being rushed.
Many causes such as stress, digestive problems, a full bladder when going to bed or restlessness at night can often be avoided in advance.
2. Minimize nighttime stressors
Dogs' nighttime behavior can often be greatly improved by: stress factors, that can cause him problems, minimize as much as possible.
What exactly these are depends entirely on the individual case. Here it is important to critically question your own everyday life in order to…