Nobody likes to wake up in the middle of the night to a house that smells of dog poop. And if your dog is making a habit of having accidents at nighttime, you may ask yourself, “How do I stop my dog from pooping at night?”
First, are you feeding it early enough in the evening that it has time to poop before bed? Do you take your dog for a walk at night and give it time to do its business? If the answers to these questions are yes, consider taking your dog to the veterinarian to rule out any underlying health problems.
Read on if you want to learn more about stopping your dog from pooping or peeing in the middle of the night.
Adjust Its Eating Schedule
Your dog might be pooping at night because you are feeding it too late. Some dogs digest food quickly, while others take longer.
It’s vital to start paying attention to your dog’s pooping schedule. For example, if it typically takes three hours to poop after eating, start feeding your dog 3-4 hours before bedtime. That way, it will poop out its dinner before it goes to sleep, eliminating the need to wake up and poop at night.
Ensure It’s Not Eating Too Much
If your dog is eating more than it needs, it poops more. That can lead to it pooping in the middle of the night, even if it already pooped out part of its dinner before it went to sleep.
If your dog is overweight, that’s a sure sign of overeating. You can always ask a vet if you’re unsure how much to feed it.
Adjust Its Diet
Your dog might have a more challenging time digesting some foods. Some foods can lead to constipation, causing your dog to have bowel problems and not allowing it to poop before it goes to sleep. Other diets may lead to diarrhea and bloating, causing your dog to poop more often than usual.
If your dog has a watery stool, it might have too much moisture in its diet. On the other hand, if its stool is hard, like pebbles, it probably is eating a diet that is too dry. Experiment with different brands and types of dog foods, or ask a vet for recommendations.
Take It on a Nightly Walk
Taking your dog on a walk can relieve its anxiety and help it poop. You can even train your dog to poop during its nightly walk. That way, you won’t have to clean up any poop in the morning.
You’ll need to give your dog adequate time between dinner and its nightly walk. Again, that will vary from one dog to another.
To train your dog to poop during its walk, take some treats with you. Whenever it poops while outside, give it a treat. Don’t overdo it with the goodies at night, though. The whole purpose of taking it on a walk is to get it to stop pooping in the middle of the night. Feeding it too many snacks at night can have the opposite effect.
Allow It to Poop More During the Day
Most dogs poop two to four times a day. Puppies often poop a few times more than that. If your dog is not getting enough opportunities to poop during the day, it can end up pooping at night. Taking your dog on walks more often so it can poop outside may relieve the night pooping problem.
Train It to Poop in a Specific Place
When all else fails, you should train your dog to poop in a specific place at night. That way, your dog won’t end up pooping all over the floor. Give your dog a treat when it poops in its designated spot so it doesn’t dirty the floor.
Clean the area every day, so it’s clean at night. Also, close off the doors to the kitchen while you are still training your dog, so it doesn’t poop all over the house.
Take It to a Vet
Not everyone talks about this, but if your dog is pooping at night consistently, whether in its crate or around the house, it might have a medical issue. Various digestive and stomach issues, like colitis or inflammatory bowel disease, can give your dog stomach discomfort and make it hard for it to control its bowels.
A vet will be able to ensure your dog isn’t suffering from bowel diseases and give you a diet plan to relieve its issues if it is.
Why Is My Dog Peeing at Night?
If your dog is peeing at night, it might suffer from incontinence, especially if it pees in its bed while sleeping. If your dog gets up at night and pees around the house, you’ll need to train it not to do so.
Start by making sure your dog can pee before going to bed. That will make it less likely for it to pee during the night. You also need to train it to pee in a specific spot if it does develop the need to pee at night. Giving your dog too much to drink before bed can also lead to such problems.
Taking your dog to the vet is also a good idea, especially if the peeing issue develops suddenly. Your dog might suffer from a urinary tract infection or something else affecting its bladder.
Why Is My Dog Getting Up at Night?
Sometimes, dogs poop or pee at night because they are awake, even if they don’t have a strong urge to relieve themselves. There can be many types of sleep disorders dogs can suffer from, so it’s best to take your dog to a vet who can check it out.
As your dog ages, it is more likely to suffer from sleep issues. In addition, the older it gets, the more likely it is to develop inappropriate peeing habits.
Final Thoughts
It’s important not to get angry at your dog for pooping or peeing at night. Whether it has a medical condition, has a poor diet, or is untrained, it’s not your dog’s fault. You can usually remedy the situation quickly with proper changes and good diet habits.
