Dog Defecating and Urinating Indoors
Answered by: Kerry Hackett
Question from: Jennifer Cole
Posted on: October 30, 2006

Can you recommend a natural remedy to stop a dog from going to the bathroom inside the house? We were hoping we could rub something on our concrete floors to discourage her. Our aging American Eskimo (who we believe is suffering from doggie alzheimers) started defecating inside about 1 yr ago. She recently began urinating as well. She has a doggie door to go in and out of and seems to have little trouble using it. Even if we let her out the door she will go outside, run around, but then come inside to go to the bathroom. If we catch her and reprimand her then she just seems lost.

You haven’t mentioned that your dog is incontinent (unable to control her eliminatory organs) so I will assume this is a behavioural issue. In a case such as this it is often useful to look at the world through the eyes of your dog. Did something change in her life a year ago when this behaviour began? Things like a new baby, another pet, a change of residence, a change of neighbours, a new person in the house, new furniture, new paint, new stresses (like a new job or relationship for her caretaker), less time for love, less exercise, etc., etc. can all have an impact on your dog. She is definitely trying to send you a message; rather than stop the action it might be useful to figure out what she is trying to say. In the meantime, you could also look at the use of Bach Flower Remedies such as Walnut and Chestnut Bud. These are available at most health food shops as may be used as follows: two drops of each essence in a 50 ml brown or blue dropper bottle, filled with springwater. Give your dog one dropperful twice a day in food. Flower essences can also be absorbed transdermally by massaging some of the diluted essence into the dog’s skin (inside ear flap or stomach if the fur is thin).

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