If your dog has been pooping on the deck, this post will show you likely reasons why and what you can do about it.
So, why does my dog poop on the deck? Likely reasons why your dog poops on the deck are that it has learned that the behavior is rewarded, it has not been trained to poop elsewhere or that it does not get the chance to poop often enough.
There are actually a number of possible reasons why your dog poops on the deck and it could be due to a combination of them. However, there are some things you can consider to help figure out the main cause and there are some things you can do about it.
Why does my dog poop on the deck?
Below are likely reasons why your dog poops on the deck and what would make them more likely.
Encouraging the behavior
It could be the case that you have inadvertently encouraged the behavior by rewarding your dog when it poops on the deck. If you tend to give your dog things such as extra attention, when it poops on the deck, it will likely do it more in order to get more rewards. Even if you punish the dog, it is still a form of attention. Instead, it would help to encourage it to poop where you want it to by rewarding it whenever it does poop there and by hanging out with it there until it poops.
Not enough training
If you have not given your dog training, it won’t understand that it is not supposed to poop on the deck. If you have given your dog training, it could also be the case that there was an issue with the way you trained it.
It doesn’t get the chance to poop often enough
It could also be the case that your dog does know that it is meant to poop on the grass but it has not been getting the opportunity to poop on the grass often enough. This would be more likely if your dog does poop on the grass sometimes, but it does not when it does not have access to the grass.
Things to consider
Below are some things to consider to help figure out the main cause.
If your dog has always pooped on the deck
If your dog has not always pooped on the deck, it would help to consider what else happened when your dog first started doing it.
If it started doing it when it had less access to the grass, it might be the case that it started pooping on the deck because it could not hold it in any longer.
Whereas, if it started doing it despite having access to the grass, it might be the case that it learned that it is ok to poop on the grass. In this case, it would help to go back to training it to poop on the grass again.
The timing of when your dog poops on the deck
If your dog does not always poop on the deck, it would help to consider what is different when it does do it. For example, if it tends to do it when it does not have access to the grass, it might be the case that it cannot hold it in any longer.
How to stop my dog pooping on the deck?
Below are some options you have when dealing with the behavior.
Limit its access to the deck
If possible, the first option would be to try to limit your dog’s access to the deck when possible and to try to only allow it to have access to the deck area after it has already pooped. Doing this should also help to teach it that pooping on the grass is rewarded.
Reward it when it poops where you want it to
It would also help to reward your dog when it does poop where you want it to so that it learns where it is supposed to poop. One way to get it to poop where you want it to would be to wait until it has not pooped in a while and to take it to the grass, wait for it to poop and then reward it when it does poop there.
Actually go out with it to the grass
Often you will find that the dog does not poop where you want it to if you just let it stay out there. In that case, it often helps to actually go outside with it and to wait for it to poop.
Why does my dog poop on the balcony?
Likely reasons why your dog poops on the balcony are that it has to wait too long to poop where you want it to, it has not been trained to poop elsewhere or there was an issue with the training it got. It could also be due to things such as illness, old age or inadvertently encouraging the behavior.
Instead, it would help to try to limit its access to the balcony and to wait for it to poop where you want it to then reward it when it poops there.
Why does my dog poop on the patio instead of grass?
It is likely that your dog poops on the patio instead of the grass because it thinks that it is ok to poop on the patio. Instead, it would help to reward it when it poops on the grass and to avoid rewarding it when it does not.
Why does my dog poop on concrete?
The reason why your dog poops on the concrete is likely to be that it thinks it is ok for it to do so. Instead, it would help to try to encourage it to go onto the grass when it is about to poop and to reward it for doing so.