How to Train Your Older Dog to Not Poop in the House

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Introduction
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.
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Defining Tasks
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.
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Getting Started
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.
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The Tether Training Method
Most Recommended
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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.
By Laurie Haggart
Published: 11/06/2017, edited: 01/08/2021
Training Questions and Answers
Ozzy
Jack Russell
10
Question
0 found helpful
0 found helpful
Ozzy has been with me for a little over 2 years now. I did not have any trouble with him pooping in the house until recently. The past 5 days, he has been consistently pooping in the house, even after I take him outside. Typically within 30 minutes of being outside. I did move recently, but that was a month ago and this behavior just started a few days ago.
May 4, 2023
Ozzy's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1133 Dog owners recommended
Hello, At his age, with his history of being potty trained, I recommend a trip to your vet. Sudden and consistent issues with potty training in an older dog can be a sign of a medical issue. I am not a vet, so I recommend speaking with your vet about it. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
May 5, 2023
Porter
Mix
Thirteen Years
Question
0 found helpful
0 found helpful
Good Day, My almost 14 year old boxer mix, had been making mistakes (pooping) in the house. I thought it was the food I got for him which was a high protein diet (didn't realize that is what I gripped). He normal is in a vet prescription diet (Science Diet d/d food sensitivities) but within the last few months I haven't been able to get it through our vet or on the website so I had no choice to change it and I found something very similar Pure Balance Health Skin & Coat this has all the same ingredients. Any suggestion?
Nov. 9, 2022
Porter's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1133 Dog owners recommended
Hello, I am not a vet so cannot give medical advice as far as his diet; I will say, that as a pet owner myself who dealt with a dog with food sensitivities I did find for us a second dog food with the same ingredients that my dog could also tolerate, and I was able to use that food when the primary one wasn't available. If it's ingredients that are an issue for him, like an allergy or sensitivity, my opinion would be that that could work well. If it's something else, like an inability to digest a higher amount of protein or fats, then I would think ratios or fat, protein, carbs, and other nutrients also need to be considered with the pure balance to make sure that those meet his nutritional needs as well. If you go to the medical article section of the wag blog, there are also articles with vet advice written by vets (I am a trainer). Training wise, work on getting his digestive system under control foremost. As you do so, I would create an area of your home that can be used as a giant exercise pen, like a mud room gated off, kitchen area gated off, ect...Somewhere easy to clean. Get him used to being confined in that area when you can't supervise him by following the Surprise method from the article I have linked below, except instead of a crate when the article mentions crate, that will be your confined area where he is. Surprise method: https://wagwalking.com/training/like-a-crate Keep him close to you so you can catch accidents when you are home. You can also set up a disposable real grass pad, or put four together with plastic tarp under it, in that area you will be confining him to when you can't supervise. I would use that temporarily, if it will take more than a day or two to get his digestive system back to normal. If the pooping is due to a form of incontinence due to his age, then I would speak with your vet about that to see if anything can be done, and if nothing can be done medically, then teach him to use the disposable grass pad in that confined area whenever you can't supervise him, since he may not have enough warning himself to be able to ask you to take him outside and will need to remain close to a potty when his bowels aren't empty and close to you. Disposable grass pad brands: www.freshpatch.com www.doggielawn.com www.porchpotty.com Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Nov. 10, 2022