A new dog in the neighborhood may pose a threat to your dog's territorial security. There may be changes in the dynamics between your dog and another household pet. For example, an aging pet may lose its position of dominance when a younger dog challenges its social status. Either dog may express anxiety and reassert territorial claims by urinating or defecating in your home. Loss of house training habits sometimes reflects an owner's stress.
Dogs are sensitive to owners moods.
Your dog may react to your tension and withdrawal by reasserting territorial claims with deposits of urine or stool. This very act, often in what we consider an objectionable location, is an immediate emotional relief for a pet. It may even void in a place that is strongly associated with you. Your bed or clothing, for example, may become targets. When you are distracted with family and work, you may be unable to devote much attention to your dog.