You’re trying to prepare a nice meal for yourself and your family, but then the worst happens: your dog pooped in the kitchen again! Why does your dog keep pooping in the kitchen? Is your dog mad at you if they’re pooping in the kitchen? What smells will stop your dog from pooping in the kitchen?

Today, we’re going to answer all of these questions about this disgusting problem for you. And most importantly, we’ll get to the information you’re really interested in: how to stop your dog pooping in the kitchen once and for all! Soon, you’ll be able to cook and eat without worry! Keep reading for our article “Dog Won’t Stop Pooping in Kitchen? Here’s How to Stop It!”

Why Does My Dog Keep Pooping in the Kitchen?

Your dog keeps pooping in the kitchen due to anxiety. This stress can make it difficult for dogs to control their bowels, so if they can’t get outside the kitchen makes a nice alternative as it has a nice, hard surface to go on (which many dogs prefer) and also smells like you (which comforts them).

You may have also unintentionally rewarded your dog with food before when they had just gone somewhere in the kitchen, which positively reinforced the behavior and now they’ve made it into a  habit.

Medical issues are less likely, but still something you should consider. If your dog is experiencing IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) due to things like a diet lacking in fiber, then two symptoms of this would be constipation and diarrhea. Intestinal worms could also be possible, which would show through bloody diarrhea, due to an inflammation of the intestinal walls.

Older dogs that are experiencing cognitive dysfunction may have trouble holding it in. If you’ve noticed your dog seeming confused, then this is also a potential cause for why your dog is pooping in the kitchen. But if this is the case with your dog, then you will likely find them going all over the house and not just in the kitchen.

If you feel a medical issue is possible, then take your dog to the vet for a check-up.

But as we stated earlier, anxiety is the most likely cause, with improper housetraining (inadvertently rewarding your dog pooping in the kitchen) being second. In either of these cases, you need to start addressing things through behavioral training.

A failure to do so will lead to your dog tacitly getting the impression that going potty in the kitchen is okay, and you’ll soon find them doing it elsewhere too. Your dog will be pooping in your bedroom, pooping in your home office, and probably even pooping on your clean laundry (remember, your smell comforts them while they go and your clothes would fit the bill perfectly).

Obviously, you don’t want any of these things happening, so you need to begin working on correcting their behavior right away. Skip to the last section now where we’ll give you the steps you should be following.

Is My Dog Mad at Me if They’re Pooping in the Kitchen?

Your dog is not mad at you if they’re pooping in the kitchen. Dogs do not engage in revenge pooping, nor do they do so for attention. Anxiety is the most likely explanation. Your dog chooses your kitchen to poop in because it has a nice, hard surface to go on (which many dogs enjoy), and has the added benefit of smelling like you, which eases their stress.

Medical issues such as irritable bowel syndrome, intestinal worms, and cognitive dysfunction are all also possible, though much less likely. If your dog is experiencing diarrhea, has a bloody stool, or is an older dog and going in other areas of the house as well (and generally seeming confused at times), take them to the vet for a check-up.

What Smells Keep a Dog From Pooping in the Kitchen?

Vinegar is a smell that will keep a dog from pooping in the kitchen. Make a 50/50 mixture of distilled white vinegar and water in a spray bottle, then apply it around your kitchen floor. The mixture will dry in about an hour and its smell will go away, but your dog has a very acute sense of smell and will continue to be able to detect it and should be deterred.

It’s important to note that the reason why your dog is pooping in the kitchen will remain; it will just begin showing itself in different areas. While your kitchen might become a poop-free zone, they’ll probably just start going elsewhere in the house, so you’ll still need to address what is causing the problem at its root.

How to Stop Your Dog From Pooping in the Kitchen

To stop your dog from pooping in the kitchen:

1. If you catch them just after they’ve gone, immediately give a calm but firm “no” or “stop.”
2. Do not yell or get angry. Your dog is most likely doing this due to anxiety, and this type of reaction will only make their problem worse.
3. Put them into time-out in their crate or a closed-off room with no toys for 10 minutes.
4. Learn their pooping schedule as best you’re able.
5. Take them outside on the leash at this time, and wait for them to go.
6. When they poop outside, immediately give them pets, praise, and a small treat.
7. Make a 50/50 mix of water and distilled white vinegar in a spray bottle.
8. Apply it around your kitchen. Vinegar is safe for nearly all hard-surface floors, including wood, composite, tile, and laminate.
9. It will dry in about 1 hour. The smell will go away for you, but your dog will still sense it and will be deterred.
10. Make sure that anyone else in the home is also following these steps.
11. Be patient and consistent.

This should get your dog to stop pooping in the kitchen, but you’ll still need to address the underlying issue which is causing all of this in the first place, which is their anxiety. A failure to do so will just lead to them finding other inappropriate spots in the house to poop, and their suffering (anxiety and stress) will also continue.

For us to properly get to the root of their problem and address it, we need to talk about what makes dogs function. I’m sure you’ve probably heard before that dogs are pack animals and that in every pack there is a pack leader.

But when your dog gets stressed out and you can’t ease these feelings for them, and then they respond by pooping in your kitchen or misbehaving in other ways, they are clearly telling you that they don’t respect you in this role.

If they did, your dog would stay calm at all times knowing that you’ve got everything handled for the two of you, even when you’re not home. They would not poop in the kitchen or anywhere else that they’re not supposed to be going. They would stop all other anxiety-related misbehavior. And they would obey your commands at all times, and do so happily.

Once you’ve proven to your dog that you’re not just their pack leader — but a capable, worthy one who must be respected — you’ll be able to make all of these things a reality.

You’ll win because you’ll be able to cook and use your kitchen without stepping in anything. Any awful smells in there will be a bad recipe’s fault. But your dog will win too because you’ll have lifted all of the stress and anxiety they’re currently suffering from 24/7 right off of their little shoulders.

So it’s a win-win for absolutely everyone in the house. Sounds great, doesn’t it?

“Of course, so how do I do any of this then?”

You should watch an excellent free video series by a renowned trainer named Dan which is on this exact subject: how to be your dog’s pack leader. In the series, he explains everything you’ll need to know in ways that are very easy to follow and teach to your own dog, and he gets immediately to the point so that you can start seeing these important changes in your dog in no time.

Start watching Dan’s free training series now by clicking here. And don’t stress or get worried, because no, you’re not going to have to yell or be mean to your four-legged little friend. Dan never uses those types of methods. Not just because loving teaching techniques are the right thing to do, but also because they’re the fastest way to achieve permanent changes in your dog’s behavior.

I’m sure you’re ready to get some cooking done without worrying about finding your dog’s little surprises, so I’ll let you get started now. Good luck with everything, and thank you for reading our article “Dog Won’t Stop Pooping in Kitchen? Here’s How to Stop It.”