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There is nothing quite as unpleasant as coming home, opening the door, and being hit in the face with the smell of dog poop. If you have just got a new puppy, you probably expected a few accidents, and knew you would need to spend some time and effort housetraining your new charge, but what if you have just acquired an adult dog that is pooping in your house, or if your previously housetrained dog has suddenly started having accidents?
Before you start working on training your dog not to poop in the house, you should try to determine why it is happening. If you have just acquired an adult dog, especially if they are a rescue or shelter dog, they may never have been trained not to poop in the house and you will have to consider how to house train an adult dog who was never shown the ropes. Some small dogs are even trained to poop indoors, on puppy pads or newspapers. You will need to make a decision. Do you learn the ins and outs of paper training a dog? If you decide to change this, you will need to teach the dog a new bathroom habit and read up on how to train your dog to go outside.
Also, a new adult dog may be experiencing anxiety about the change in their surroundings or may be confused and may accidentally poop in the house. In these situations, you will need to make your expectations clear, take some precautions to minimize accidents, and invest some time training your dog not to poop in the house. There are reliable tips and rules on how to potty train a dog in a new home, including reducing their anxiety about the change and giving them plenty of opportunities to go outside.
It is also advisable to rule out a medical condition, especially if your previously housetrained dog starts having accidents. Medical reasons a dog may break housetraining and poop in the house include tummy troubles caused by parasites, food allergies or illness, cognitive impairment, and bowel disease. If your dog is experiencing a medical condition, treatment of that condition may eliminate pooping in the house.
The best way to teach a new dog, or revise the house pooping habits of an older dog, is to prevent the unwanted behavior and create a new habit. This will involve preventing your dog from accidentally pooping in the house, with careful supervision to intervene if your dog looks like they are going to relieve themselves on your carpet, using a crate, or tethering your dog, to reduce the likelihood they are going to poop in the house.
Also, giving frequent bathroom breaks outside helps establish that outside is for pooping and prevents accidents. Having a designated spot in your yard, where you can direct your dog to poop, can eliminate some of the confusion about where they should relieve themselves and can make training easier.
You may be wondering are potty pads good for dogs? In some cases, when rain and wind are raging outside and you have a dog who doesn't cope well with tumultuous weather, then yes, training your little pup to use potty pads will come in handy. However, they should never be a replacement for going outdoors and having the chance to explore, mark territory and meet the neighbors, all things that our canine friends love to do.
If you are training your dog not to poop in the house, you should carefully observe their feeding and defecating habits and schedule so you have a good idea of when your dog needs to go poop and can appropriately direct them. Keeping your dog in an area of the house where they never have accidents, or using a crate to confine them in the house so that they do not have the opportunity to make a mistake and reinforce their house pooping habit, will be required. Some owners use a tether method, which will require a lead and somewhere to tie your dog, such as hooks on a baseboard. Use caution tying your dog to furniture – if it moves, your dog could become frightened or injured.
Creating a designated bathroom space outside, to direct your dog to, can also help eliminate any confusion your dog is experiencing about where to go to the bathroom. Lots of treats to reward appropriate bathroom habits should be available. The best reward for a dog defecating in the appropriate spot is a walk or outside play time, so make sure you have the time to provide this reward to your dog. Be prepared for some accidents, and avoid punishing mistakes, as it is generally ineffective in preventing the behavior and can just confuse and frighten a dog that is already experiencing anxiety or confusion regarding appropriate bathroom habits. If you are unavailable for large stretches of time to let your dog outside, getting a dog walker, sitter, or neighbor to help you may be a good idea.
The Tether Training Method
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Most Recommended
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Introduce a tether
Put your dog on a short leash or tether no more than 6 feet long.
Tether your dog
When you are in the room with your dog, you can tether the dog to your waist or belt, or you can put hooks on baseboards or door jambs and tether your dog to those. Most dogs will not poop when in a confined area, and if they are tethered to you, you will immediately notice if they look like they are going to poop.
Provide bathroom opportunities
Regularly take your dog outside, or if you seem them sniffing around indicating they might need to go, head to a designated poop area outside.
Reward with walk
If your dog does not defecate, go back inside. If they do, give them a treat, and take them for a walk on a long leash. Reward them in an enclosed area with off-lead time if possible.
Continue
Repeat for several days, until your dog has established that pooping is rewarded outside and they have not had the opportunity to poop inside, eliminating that habit.
The Crate Training Method
Effective
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Effective
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Provide crate
When you are not home or when you are not directly available to supervise your dog, confine your dog to a crate. The crate should be the right size for your dog to be comfortable, have soft bedding, and be stocked with a sturdy toy or chew toy to keep your dog happy.
Take directly out
Let your dog out every few hours and take them directly outside to a designated bathroom spot in the yard. Give your dog a command to poop.
Reward with walk
Wait for your dog to poop. If they do, reward them with a treat and take them for a walk.
Confine to prevent accidents
If your dog does not relieve themselves, take them back into their crate but do not use a punishing tone as you direct them.
Decrease crate confinement
Repeat for several days, gradually let your dog out of their crate for longer periods while still carefully supervising them. If they look like they are about to poop, take them immediately to the bathroom spot. After several days, your dog should have learned where the bathroom spot in the yard is.
The Reduce Anxiety Method
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Least Recommended
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Set up place and schedule
Make sure your dog has lots of bathroom breaks; call in a dog sitter or neighbor if necessary, if you are away from the house for more than a few hours. Create an outdoor bathroom space for consistency and to eliminate confusion.
Reduce anxiety
Give your dog lots of exercise and play, to reduce anxiety, and increase socialization opportunities. Provide lots of new experiences.
Reinforce appropriate behavior
Take your dog frequently to their bathroom spot outside. When they use it, give them a treat and take them for a walk.
Don't create anxiety
If an anxious dog poops in the house, never punish them. Not only is it unlikely that your dog will associate punishment with pooping if there is any time lag, but it will only serve to make an anxious or confused dog more afraid and confused. If you catch your dog eliminating in the house calmly but firmly say, “outside” and take them to the bathroom spot.
Be consistent
Be consistent and patient over several days. Direct your dog to one spot for eliminating. Calm, consistent, clear direction and interaction on your part will counteract anxiety and clear up confusion, so that your dog will learn not to poop in the house.
Written by Laurie Haggart
Veterinary reviewed by:
Published: 11/06/2017, edited: 01/08/2021
Training Questions and Answers
Stop barking at people in our yard
Jan. 28, 2024
K-9's Owner
I have two dogs, both 4 years old. They have been house trained and are walked often. When we are at home (day or night) we have no problems and they even know how to ring a bell to go outside for potty. However as soon as we leave the house, which can be for 5 mins or a few hours, We come home to mess. We think it is mostly Millie as the evidence leads to her ( she does a scratch thing after popping). This is only even when we leave the house and cannot figure out how to stop it. She’s never been crated and I know she’d freak out if we tried that so anything else to help?
Oct. 30, 2023
Millie's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello, Check out the Surprise method from the article I have linked below. https://wagwalking.com/training/like-a-crate I would also go watch her closely when you take outside to go potty. Often a dog will hold their poop and wait until things are calm and no one is around to go - which often happens when people leave and at night. Make sure she is actually pooping when taken potty outside, then use the crate to prevent her from being able to wait until you leave to create a new habit. Any anxiety with the crate can be worked through if she does struggle with the crate. Please feel free to seek advice on crate training and how to address her reactions to the crate if she doesn't adjust well. Use the surprise method to ease her into it. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Nov. 29, 2023
Hi, I have two other dogs and a dog door however Oscar will poop in the house a few times a week. Today it was right beside me. he can go in and out when he pleases and knows how to pee and poop outside and will get praise. he gets walked daily and has lots of playtime with the golden retriever and another dachshund sister. He just seems stubborn but he is happy and healthy. Any ideas?
Aug. 31, 2023
Oscar's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hi, I suggest going back to the basics with him for a couple of months and act as if he isn't potty trained at all to stop all accidents from happening so that he will develop a habit of holding it consistently while in the house and wanting to keep your home clean. After a couple of months if he has been completely accident free, very gradually give him more freedom. I highly recommend crate training pup and temporarily pup should always be either tethered to you with a hands free leash or in the crate while learning, unless you know he has just peed AND pooped and you have eyes on him 100%.. Check out the Crate Training method from the article linked below. Make sure that the crate doesn't have anything absorbent in it - including a soft bed or towel. Check out www.primopads.com if you need a non-absorbent bed for him. Make sure the crate is only big enough for him to turn around, lie down and stand up, and not so big that he can potty in one end and stand in the opposite end to avoid it. Dogs have a natural desire to keep a confined space clean so it needs to be the right size to encourage that natural desire. Use a cleaner that contains enzymes to clean any previous or current accidents - only enzymes will remove the smell and remaining smells encourage the dog to potty in the same location again later. The method I have linked below was written for younger puppies, since your dog is older you can adjust the times and take him potty less frequently. I suggest taking him potty every 2.5- 3 hours when you are home. After 1.5 hours (or less if he has an accident sooner) of freedom out of the crate, return him to the crate while his bladder is filling back up again until it has been 3 hours since his last potty trip. When you have to go off he should be able to hold his bladder in the crate for 5-8 hours - less at first while he is getting used to it and longer once he is accustomed to the crate. Only have him wait that long when you are not home though, take him out about every 3 hours while home. If he hasn't gone poop yet during that half of the day, he needs to be tethered to you or returned to the crate, then taken back outside again in 30-45 minutes if you know he likely needs to go, less frequently if he likely doesn't need to poop. Pooping outside equals more freedom. Less freedom now means more freedom later in life. Crate Training method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-german-shepherd-puppy-to-poop-outside If he is not already used to a crate, expect crying at first. When he cries and you know he doesn't need to go potty yet, ignore the crying. Most dogs will adjust if you are consistent. You can give him a food stuffed hollow chew toy to help him adjust and sprinkle treats into the crate during times of quietness to further encourage quietness. Work on teaching "Quiet" by using the Quiet method from the article linked below. Tell him "Quiet" when he barks and cries. If he gets quiet and stays quiet, you can sprinkle a few pieces of dog food into the crate through the wires calmly, then leave again. Quiet method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark If needed you can also have him wear a doggie diaper to initially discourage the pooping - this doesn't discourage all dogs but many will try not to soil the doggie diaper if you are attentive, take them out frequently and they avoid having an accident in the diaper through careful schedule management - much like being in a crate. You also need to make sure he is actually pooping while outside by going out with him, and don't depend on him to go out on his own without watching him and insisting he finish fully going. Finally, the floor needs to be cleaned thoroughly with a cleaner that contains enzymes - only enzymes will fully remove the smell to the extend a dog's nose can smell - so the dog isn't encouraged through scent to poop in that spot in the future. Clean future accidents with this cleaner also, and avoid using cleaners that contain ammonia in the area - because ammonia smells like urine to a dog and can encourage pottying there too. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Sept. 14, 2023
Every time he is left alone he poops/pees in house. He does not do this when someone is home. He can be left for an hour and does this. He goes outside often and shouldn't have this problem. He is a smart, good dog I just can't seem to get him house broke. I have another dog that is 11 years old and does not do this.
Aug. 14, 2023
Scott's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello, He needs to be crate trained and crated while you are away to build the habit of holding it even when someone isn't there. After six months of crating and having zero accidents while you are away, then the crate can gradually be phased out if he continues to do well, often by leaving him home alone for just short periods at first, like ten minutes, then increasing those times by 5-10 minutes slowly until he has successfully kept things clean out of the crate for the full amount of time you tend to leave the home for. Introducing a crate: https://wagwalking.com/training/like-a-crate Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Aug. 25, 2023