Dog ownership is something that can bring you a lot of happiness, but it can also be quite annoying at times. If you’ve had pet dogs for long, then you likely already know how needy they can be.
Even so, dogs are great companions that will show you a lot of love if you take care of them right. It makes it harder to stay mad at them when they do weird things, such as poop on your bed.
If you came home to find that your dog pooped right on your bed recently, then you might be wondering why it would do that. It’s even possible that this is becoming a regular thing and is turning into more than a minor inconvenience.
Why would a dog choose to poop on your bed and what can be done about it? Read on to get all of the information so that you can figure out how to stop this from happening over and over again.
1 – Your Dog Isn’t Trained Well
Of course, one of the first things to consider is that your dog might not be trained well. Dogs don’t just magically understand that they’re supposed to take care of their business outside, and it’s going to be up to you to train the dog.
If your dog’s training hasn’t gone particularly well, then your dog might still poop or pee in the house from time to time. That could be the reason why your dog seems to poop on your bed when you aren’t around.
Some animals will behave better when their owners are right there, but they will act up when they’re away from home. If you’re coming home to dog poop on your bed, then it could be a sign that your dog just hasn’t been trained all that well yet.
Further training might help your dog to do better in the future, and you’ll likely have more luck with training if your dog is still a puppy. You can also seek out advice from professional dog trainers if you’re at your wit’s end.
2 – Nervousness
You’ve probably heard of people having bathroom accidents when they get nervous or stressed, and this can happen to dogs as well. Sometimes dogs will feel a lot of stress or anxiety due to certain things that are going on in the environment.
Has there been a change to your schedule lately or something else that has made your dog act differently than usual? When dogs miss their owners, they might get nervous, and sometimes they will choose to poop in a “safe” place.
Your bed is going to smell like you to your dog, and this might be why the dog chooses to poop there. It makes them feel comfortable, and they decide that this is a good idea when in a nervous state.
Knowing this, it’s possible that your dog might stop doing things like that if you solve whatever is making them feel nervous or anxious. Spend more time with your dog, give it time to adjust to your new schedule, and hopefully, everything will get back to normal soon enough.
3 – Fear
Fear can cause dogs to defecate in unusual places as well, and this could be what’s causing your dog to poop on your bed. There are a large number of different things that can scare dogs, and you might already know the types of stuff that scares your dog.
Some dogs are really afraid of storms, and loud noises such as thunder will make them bark or try to hide. Dogs will also usually be afraid of fireworks that might be used to celebrate special holidays.
If something is scaring your dog, then your dog might have an accident and just poop wherever they happen to be at the time. This could wind up being on your bed, and then you’re going to have to clean that up so that you can go to bed.
It’s definitely annoying when things like this happen, but it’s easier to be understanding when you know that your dog is afraid. Sometimes humans have similar reactions to things that make them fearful, and this might not be something that happens to your dog all the time.
4 – Health Issues
You might not be surprised to hear that health issues can cause dogs to want to poop or need to poop wherever they happen to be. Some dogs will become incontinent as they age, but others will feel strong urges to poop right away due to painful conditions.
Dogs can develop medical conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and they can also just get sick from time to time. If your dog doesn’t feel as if it can make it outside, then it might decide to just handle its business on your bed.
When dogs are advanced in age, it’s going to be more common for them to have issues making it outside. Some geriatric dogs will become completely incontinent and won’t be able to hold it in for long at all.
If you suspect that your dog has any medical issues, then you should schedule an appointment with a veterinarian. You should be taking your dog to see a veterinarian regularly anyway, but it’s good to have someone who can diagnose your dog with IBD or another condition if something is amiss.
You can work with your veterinarian to come up with a plan that will help your dog stay healthy and happy. Depending on what is going wrong, you might have to put up with more accidents inside the house than usual.
5 – Your Dog Doesn’t Want to Go Outdoors
Sometimes dogs will start pooping inside because there is a reason they wish to avoid going outdoors. There are many potential reasons why dogs won’t want to go outside, but the most common one is weather concerns.
If it’s raining outside or if there is snow on the ground, then your dog might not like walking around outside. Some dogs hate rainy weather and snowy weather, and this might cause them to poop inside on your bed instead of asking to go out.
There are also dogs who feel afraid of going outside because it makes them feel exposed. They think of the house as a safe spot, and it seems much safer to them to poop there than it does outside.
Not all dogs have issues such as this, but some of them will. It’s even possible that your dog could sense a predator outside that it is fearful of because they have far better senses than humans do.
6 – Marking Territory
Dogs will do weird things to try to mark territory, and there is a possibility that a dog pooping on your bed has to do with that. Those who own multiple dogs might be more likely to encounter issues such as this.
If you bring a new puppy into the house, then your old dog might get a bit jealous of all of the attention that it is getting. This could lead to the dog pooping on your bed in an effort to mark its territory.
Dogs also pee to mark their territory, and it’s probably more common for a dog to mark something by peeing. Some people see a dog pooping on a bed this way as an act of defiance or retaliation for being slighted, but that might be taking things a bit too far since dogs don’t have complex thoughts.
The basic thing to take away from this is that your dog could be pooping in your bed because it’s mad at you or because it wants to claim its territory. Either way, you’re going to want to do what you can to make the dog stop.
Sometimes just making an effort to pay more attention to the dog will make things better. Try not to show favoritism to one dog or the other if you can.
How to Fix This Issue
The best way to fix this issue is to train your dog not to go in the house. You can also try to solve whatever problems might be causing your dog to target your bed specifically.
If your dog is feeling neglected due to you working too much or doting over a puppy, then maybe you need to spend more time with it. It’s also possible that you might need to take the dog to see a veterinarian to check for any medical problems.
Most of the fixes to this issue are very simple, but it’s hard to guarantee that you won’t have problems again. You’ll just have to watch your dog and do your best to take care of things that you think are wrong.
If you love your dog, then this shouldn’t wind up being too huge of a deal. It’s definitely bothersome to have to wash your sheets after having the dog poop on them, but you should be able to move forward just fine.
Remember that your dog relies on you and it’s up to you to fix any problems that have popped up. Hopefully, there isn’t anything wrong with your dog medically, but it’s a good idea to get things checked out to be on the safe side.
I have two Associate’s degrees, one in Medical Assisting and the other in Computer Technician, and I am roughly five classes from a bachelor’s degree. Though I never ended up working in the medical field, I have five and a half years of experience in IT. I recently became a stay-at-home mom to my two young boys and also have two dogs and two cats. I grew up with pet dogs, cats, hamsters, budgies, cockatiels, and fish and also love horseback riding. In my spare time, I love to bake and read pretty much anything I can get my hands on.