Why does my dog poop at 3am

Dog Waking You Up at Night To Poop? 10 Possible Explanations! (2024)

Is your dog waking up to poop? Its actually not that uncommon, though its quite annoying!

Either your dog will try and wake you up so they can go potty or you wake up early in the morning only to be greeted with a pile of poop. Neither is an appealing scenario.

Why is my dog waking me up at night to poop? A dog may wake you at night to poop because of an upset stomach, eating too late at night, anxiety, a poor diet, old age, not given the chance to eliminate before bed, an inconsistent daily routine or a medical issue. Young puppies may also need to go at night as their systems are not yet mature.

If your puppy or adult dog is waking up during the night to go to the bathroom, before you can break the habit, you need to determine the cause.

Thats exactly what well discuss in the following.

10 Reasons Why Your Dog Needs To Poop During the Night

There are a few reasons why your pooch might be pooping during the night. The best way to remedy that is to understand the underlying cause of this habit.

1. Upset Stomach

An upset stomach happens to dogs for various reasons, like eating too much dog food or having a food allergy.

They could have eaten something from outside that has made them sick. A virus could also lead to upset tummies that need relief during the night.

2. Eating Evening Meal Too Late

Eating meals too late in the evening, whether you forgot to feed on time or your pup always has access to food, can result in dogs wanting to relieve themselves at night.

Overfeeding your dog is another reason for a dog waking up to poop.

3. Anxiety

Stress, fear, and anxiety can take both a physical and mental toll on your dog.

This can be due to any major change, such as a new home or a new pet. Separation anxiety can also be another factor.

Dogs experiencing bouts of anxiety could be the reason why they need to go during the night.

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4. Poor-Quality Diet

A dog pooping at night could be a result of gastrointestinal problems due to cheap dog food think low-cost dog food with high contents of corn and wheat.

This high-fiber but low-quality dog food increases your dogs stool volume. Hence, he might need to defecate more often or even at night.

5. Old Age

As dogs get older, they tend to have health changes, and that can include being able to hold their bowels and bladder for a shorter amount of time.

Senior dogs will likely have less control over when and where they go than when they are in their younger dog years.

6. Young Puppies Need To Go Often

If your dog is still a puppy, then expect him to not be able to hold his bladder and bowels as long as an adult dog.

Puppies need to relieve themselves often, and that could be the reason why your pup has to poop at night.

7. Not Taken Outside Before Bed

According to most vets, dogs have their bowel movements around 15 to 30 minutes after a meal.

So, feeding them dinner just before bedtime and forgetting to take them outside will likely result in late-night pooping.

8. Not Given Sufficient Time To Go

Sometimes you are in a hurry and dont want to wait 20 minutes while your dog finds just the right spot to go.

Perhaps you send him outside to the back yard and dont make sure he goes before letting him back inside.

Various similar scenarios are all too common, especially during the winter time when its miserable outside. but not giving them enough time to get it all out before bedtime can lead to pooping accidents at night.

9. Medical Issue

Dogs with medical issues or an illness might have less control over their pooping than normal. Parasites are a very common issue in dogs that can cause sudden poop problems.

Bacteria and viruses can also cause gastrointestinal symptoms.

Other medical problems that can cause your pup to experience urgency that can lead to nighttime accidents include:

• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
• Orthopedic conditions like arthritis
• Liver disease
• Diabetes
• Cancer
• Kidney stones

Generally, if your dog is pooping at night because of these issues, they are also likely to have accidents during the day.

10. Poor or Inconsistent Daily Routine

Without proper and consistent house training and a well-established daily routine, it may take some time for your pup to stop the habit of pooping at night.

If this is the reason for late-night pooping, it is easily corrected. Decide upon a schedule for trips outside, mealtimes, playtimes, walks, and bedtimes, and then stick to it.

Youll be amazed how quickly your dog adjusts and how much easier life is.

When To Be Concerned About Your Dog Pooping at Night

If late-night pooping has suddenly started without any discernable reason or if your dog is having sudden diarrhea, its time to head to the vet.

Also, if this behavior is accompanied by any health symptoms or changes in behavior, its wise to have him checked by a vet.

How To Break the Habit

Now that you know the possible causes of your dogs nighttime pooping habit, here are some tips on how to bring your dogs potty schedule back to normal.

• Establish Good Daily Routine Introduce a strict feeding/exercise/bathroom, and resist giving any nighttime snacks.

• Have Vet Rule Out Medical Issues Its always best to err on the side of caution, and finding any issues early can lead to a faster recovery.

• Feed a High-Quality Diet Dry dog food should have at least 22% crude protein, and consider adding digestive boosters to help regulate their system.

• Take Dog Out After Each Meal and Before Bed A walk after each meal, especially after dinner, and before bedtime is often enough to resolve the issue.

• Consider Crate Training It will take some patience and time, but dogs wont likely go where they enjoy sleeping.

Related Question:

Why Is My Dog Scared To Poop at Night?

One common cause of dogs getting scared to go potty outside at night is loud noises.

A previous frightening experience after dark could also make a dog hesitant to venture outdoors at night, even if he really needs to go.

Conclusion

You know your dog better than anyone else. Take the time to thoroughly evaluate your dogs behavior and carefully consider his daily routine.

Chances are youll be able to quickly pinpoint the reason behind your dog waking up to poop so that you can take action to correct the issue.

Last update on 2024-04-26 at 01:43 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Dog Wakes Up in the Middle of the Night to Poop

Is Your Dog Waking Up in the Middle of the Night to Poop? Heres What You Should Know

The journey a dog takes through their life can follow many roads.

More and more, they are being considered a close member of our families, and are enjoying the benefits that come along with it.

As they age, they will experience health problems associated with getting older, and many will want to provide them the same level of care as they would for a human family member.

One common problem is a seemingly constant need to go to the bathroom.

Whether its the middle of the day or night, when a dogs bowels are out of control it can have a noticeable impact on the household.

Of course, this problem can occur at any age and is common for a family to experience at least once in the dogs life.

So, we decided to find out what can we do to help support families who are facing this challenge.

What do you do if your dog is waking up in the middle of the night to poop?

When your dog is waking up in the middle of the night to poop the first step is to figure out why. Your dog may need more outside time, a smaller space at night, or more time spent on house-training. It could also be due to an age-related or medical problem. For behavioral issues, easy changes to your routine or household can help solve the problem.

Reasons Your Dog Wakes Up at Night to Poop

Behavioral Issues

Any dogs can have issues with bowel movements.

If your dog is woken up in the middle of the night, he or she might suddenly feel the need to go to the bathroom.

It could be that your dog has eaten something that is causing problems with their stomach, or perhaps they just ate dinner too late at night.

Once your dog is actually awake, he or she will need relief either by soiling in the house or being taken outside.

If you have just gotten a new dog, anxiety and separation issues can occur.

It will take time for your dog to get used to your house and family, so there could be a bit of an adjustment period before night-time bathroom breaks are eradicated.

As your dog becomes comfortable and learns to trust you, accidents at night time will decrease.

Sometimes, house-training is the issue.

You might be working on training a new puppy or need to go back to basics with your dog.

You can expect some accidents to occur while you are training your dog, but these should decrease as your dog learns the expectations of your household and how to ask you how to go outside when he or she needs to go.

In a study published by the Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association, house-soiling cases brought to the veterinary practice at Cornell University were analyzed to find the causes and effects of the treatment plans (source).

In the 70 cases studied, the lack of being fully potty-trained was the most prevalent cause of dogs going to the bathroom in the house (84% of total cases), with separation anxiety being the most common underlying cause (39% of total cases).

There is a good chance that your own dog is pooping in the house for one of the reasons discussed in this study, too.

However, if you cannot find the cause or solution to your dogs soiling issue on your own, you should consider the possibility that it might be a medical issue and contact a veterinarian.

Medical Issues

If you are concerned that your dog has a medical issue that is causing him or her to poop in the middle of the night, taking your dog to the vet for an exam can help answer a lot of your questions.

Pooping at night could be caused by an infection or medication, or could be a sign of aging.

Dr.s Debra Horwitz and Gary Landsberg, veterinarians with the VCA Animal Hospitals recommend monitoring both your dogs eating and pooping habits to figure out if the accidents have a medical cause (source).

Here are some things to pay attention to:

Stool Frequency

If stool frequency has changed; whether stool consistency has changed (hard, soft, diarrhea, mucus or blood in the stool), whether your dog appears to have less control, whether the stool passing appears to be painful, whether stool volume has changed (constipation versus large amounts) or lacks awareness of its elimination.

Illness

Things like parasites, viral infections, inflammatory bowel disease, and joint issues can cause your dog to have accidents at night.

If your dog has recently had a medical procedure, especially spaying or neutering, pay close attention to their bowel movements.

He or she will be especially susceptible to infections right after a procedure.

The symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are similar to those in humans and your dog might just not be able to control where he or she poops.

Physical Limitations

Some dogs, especially older ones, suffer from joint and arthritis issues.

These issues can make it difficult to use the bathroom and your dog might be having more accidents in the house.

Additionally, canine Alzheimers (or cognitive dysfunction) can cause your dog to forget the house-training you worked on, or he or she might become disoriented and not know whether he or she is pooping inside or outside.

Serious Disease

Sometimes the problem can be more serious.

Things like bowel cancer, liver disease, kidney stones, and diabetes can all cause a dog to go to the bathroom inside your house.

Your best recourse is to visit your vet and have your dog examined to find the root cause.

Quick tip to potty train your dog in this guide here:

What You Can Do to Help Your Dog Stop Pooping in the House at Night

Whether your dog pooping in the house at night is caused by a behavioral or medical issue, the American Humane Organization has several tips for how to initially approach the issue.

First, they recommend not to rub your dogs nose in his or her mess because it will teach the dog to fear you, not to go to the bathroom outside.

Second, dogs dont instinctively know to go outside to go to the bathroom; they must be taught and the lessons must be reinforced.

Third, You must be patient. Regardless of whether you have a puppy or have recently adopted an adult, the dog will not automatically understand the routine in your house or know where the door is (source).

One thing you can do to help prevent pooping in the house is to change your dogs eating habits.

Maybe you are feeding your dog a late dinner, or too much or too little food.

If you are feeding your dog too late, then he or she might wake up in the middle of the night having to go to the bathroom.

Sticking to the recommended amount of dog food and limiting food intake to three hours before bedtime can help eliminate the pooping at night problem.

Additionally, adding nutrient boosters like eggs (including the shell!), and pumpkin seeds to your dogs diet can help with overall digestion and health.

Taking your dog for frequent walks for the purpose of both exercise and waste production can also help to solve the soiling issue.

The general movement of walking helps with digestion and bowel movements, and exercising your dog can tire him or her out so he or she sleeps through the night.

If the weather is not so great, a quick trip outdoors followed by a few games at night can also help to relieve and exhaust your dog.

Thinking about the space your dog occupies at night is also important.

If your dog has too much space to roam, he or she might become restless and need to go outside.

Keeping your dog in a crate at night is one way to limit the movement.

If this strategy does not work for you, putting your dog in a small space at night (bathroom, closet, etc.) can help with accidents at night.

Dogs are not likely to go to the bathroom in the area in which they sleep.

Final Thoughts

Just like the American Human Organization mentioned, staying calm when accidents happen should be a top priority for ensuring your dog stops pooping at night.

If you create a sense of fear, your dog might feel shame and try to hide where he or she goes to the bathroom.

Remember, these accidents can be caused by both behavioral and medical issues, neither of which can be solved through anger.

Even if you suspect your dog is going to the bathroom at night due to a behavior problem instead of a medical issue, taking your dog to the vet can help answer a lot of questions.

With his or her help, you will be able to figure out why your dog is pooping at night and how to stop it from happening in your house.