How can I stop my dog from pooping in the house?

Question

I have a black lab/dane mix he is 6 years old. And has never done this before (except when he was a puppy). But I will take him outside, walk around for about 10 minutes, he will pee then we will get back inside and a few minutes later I will find poop on the floor. I think when he live with my parents, they just let him out the back door for about 20 minutes and that was it. But now he lives with me and i have to walk them outside since I live in an apartment. I don't know how to get him to stop. He will look straight at you and drop it, If we say NO and "try" to drag him to the door he just keeps going then he runs around the apartment and steps all in it. It's getting really annoying, and he knows he did something bad cause after he does he goes in his kennel, and also steps in the poop.

He has a lead (thats the only way I can control him because of his size) and I can't take him off it because he wont listen if I call him back. And he has a bit of history with being aggressive so him being off the lead and out of my control is out of the question.

Answer 1

When you clean up the poop make sure you take it outside immediately, and him too. Do not , I can't stress this part enough, yell and get mad a firm no, you go potty outside" is good but if you yell they get confused and don't get the message, same as with small kids. Put the poop on the ground where you want him to go and make sure he's sees it and say go potty outside, good boy! If you leave poop in the house they will smell it and have a hard time getting the message, it is difficult to train a dog when you have dirty diapers in the house too. Dogs will poop usually 1.5-3.00 hours after they eat. A strict schedule may be necessary to get him back on track. Keep him on a leash in the house when it's time for him to go poop and grab it as soon as he looks like he needs to go and get him outside. A lot of praise and a treat given to him while he is still outside may work good too. good luck! don't give up ! Also Natures Miracle is a good product for cleaning up after pets, it's a natural enzyme.

Answer 2

Hey Piggy lover

This is a dog and not a pig we are talking about right? ;-)

Tough situation, here is the short answer. We all, including myself, make mistakes when it comes to training our dogs, We sometimes overlook the nuances of our dogs feelings, they feed off of the input that WE feed them and we don't even realize it, I've done it plenty myself!

I said all that to say this. My guess is that the change in location has got him screwed up for starters, Then (like any of us would) he gets scolded for going potty in the house, be HE see's it as being scolded for going POTTY period. the distinction between the two seems simple enough to us, but we don't think like a dog.

My guess is that he's a little gun shy of going potty in front of you, even outside! So try this. Get a long lead, (20' training lead if you have the room) and put him on that when you take him out. Tell him to go potty so that he knows that he is out there to do a job, and then let him wander off from you a bit turn your back and pay no attention to him. Hopefully he will poop. When he does, praise him like no other! Then send me $50 if it works..LOL..kidding of course..did I say this was a short answer??

Good luck to you
Smiles
The Dog Screamer~

Answer 3

Very simple though time consuming dog training.You have to place the dog in a room and close the door between the times u know the dog's gonna s**t.Cover the whole room with newspaper.The smaller the room ,the easier for u.This will give the dog no choice,but to **** on one of the newspapers :) Repeat this process for many times.The longer the more of a habit it'll be for ur doggy.Then the dog will feel like it has to s**t on a newspaper and it'll always start looking for one when it feels like doing number 2 .U place it outside and there u go:D I would like to hear from u when this method succeeds ? So here's my email which is also msn:[e-mail]

Answer 4

ok. here is the problem. You need to walk him longer than 10 mins and wait him out. its the only way. My dog used to do this, but we found out it was separation anxiety. We took care of that issue and he doesnt go in the house or his kennel anymore. We have a routine with him. I work 3rd shift, so soon as i get home at 8am. I take him outside to poop and pee. Then I walk him for 30 mins up and down a hill. I get him home, do some commands (training), feed him then take him out to poop again. Later that day we take him out again for a poop and pee and a walk.
He knows when you get frustrated. And its not that he knows he doing wrong, he senses that you are angry at that moment, but doesnt know what for, so he runs to his only safe place..his kennel. You need to be constantly calm. Sounds like you may not walk him enough. If he has aggression issues, those NEED addressing too. Because that is part of the problem. He doesnt see you as pack leader, or does not respect your apartment as his kennel/home. He doesnt do it out of spite or anything, but of course he isnt used to going on a leash. It'll take time but you have to make sure YOU make time for him to be able to stay outside long enough for him to poop. And make sure you reward him when he does poop outside. DO NOT rub his nose in it. it only makes aggression and things worse. If he poops, and you see him, scold him with a short AH AH. and CALMLY take him outside. its all about being CALM. if you are calm when he does this, he will be calm and not run around trying to get away from you, because you are mad at him. He will eventually understand and associate outside with poop and pee, not the apartment. and you also need to make sure you clean the spot he goes very well, so there is no odor or his will entice him to go again. Make sure he is calm before you walk out the door, you first him second. And you need to lead him to the place you want him to go. And stay and wait till he goes! Keep him on a schedule, no free feeding, and walk him for longer, reward him for doing good, and ignore the bad.

Answer 5

You are not using your dog's crate correctly.
Crate training is by far the kindest, clearest, and quickest way to train your dog.
http://www.inch.com/~dogs/cratetraining.html

Follow the directions on the site I've linked to and *be consistent* - that is the key to successful house training. Good luck!
p.s. Dogs do not "know they've done something bad" - all they know is that poop in the house + you = they are in trouble. Your dog is giving you appeasement gestures to avoid punishment - NOT because he is "guilty" (this is a human concept). Be fair to your dog, crate him when he doesn't go potty outside, and then try again in a few minutes. Praise and reward him with treats when he does potty correctly!

Answer 6

As a dog trainer, I suggest usign a paper towel and taking the poop outside immediately afterwards, with your dog, and setting it where you want him to poop, making sure he sees when you put it. Leave it there, and walk him by that spot whenever you take him out.

Answer 7

It sounds like he hasn't learned to associate the outside with pooping. You are going to have to take longer than 10 minutes to let him poop. I found that using a "command" word like Quick Quick or Poop Poops makes my dog go quicker. When outside take him for a "walk" until he does go, when he poops outside, PRAISE LAVISHLY and reward with a treat, Do this consistently every time you take him outside, sooner or later he will associate outside and pooping. If he has accidents inside the house, DON'T punish him it will make him afraid to go. If you've taken him outside for 20 minutes and still nothing, then bring him inside and IMMEDIATELY crate him. He will not go in his crate. After 20 minutes take him outside and try again. If he goes PRAISE LAVISHLY and reward. My dog is house trained but I still praise her for pooping outside.

Consistency and putting the dog on a potty schedule is the key to proper house training.

My dogs schedule is: Up first thing in the morning, straight out to pee and poop (this is before my coffee) Then she gets fed, I get ready for work. An hour after she's eaten I take her back outside to pee and poop. Back in the house all day until we get home. As soon as someone gets home she's straight out to pee and poop, or straight to the dog park and she goes there, then last thing before going to bed. Dogs are good with routines, it takes the guess work out of when they have to go and they learn to hold it. Weekends are different because we are home to let them out during the day.

Here's some tips pulled from the internet:

Housetraining older dogs
You can use a modified puppy schedule to train an unhousetrained dog or one that's having housetraining problems. Start from the beginning just like a puppy, use a crate and put them on a schedule. An older dog can be expected to control itself for longer periods provided you take it outside at critical times — first thing in the morning, after meals and last thing at night. Until they're reliable, get them outside every three-to-four hours in between those times.

Adopted older dogs that have always had freedom may be unwilling to have a bowel movement when on a leash. You can either walk them longer or keep them confined until they really gotta go. Just like a puppy, don't give them the run of the house and keep them in a crate or small area if you can't supervise them. You can give them more freedom as they become more reliable

Good Luck, I know how frustrating it can be, don't give up :-)

Answer 8

do you let him off the lead when you take him out? when i got 2 of my german shepherds they did the same and i was only taking them out on the lead as i didnt want them to run away with them being new but as soon as i felt it was safe to let them off the lead they started doing their business outside and not in my home.

Answer 9

Take him out repeativly untill he poops. Then tell him "Good job" or "good boy", pet him, or something in that nature. Works all the time.

Answer 10

try getting a dog kennel, leave the dog there all day, but make sure you walk your dog also, and see if that works