How to stop a dog from pooping in house

Having a puppy around is rewarding, but it can often seem like a full-time job. Puppies are prone to accidents in your home, and you’ll have to put some time and effort into getting them to associate being outdoors with relieving themselves. Easier said than done, right?

Below, we’re going to go over everything you need to know to get your pooch to stop having accidents in your house. With some patience and persistence, your home will be accident-free in no time at all! Let’s get started.

The 7 Tricks to Stop Your Dog Peeing & Pooping in the House:

The first thing you’ll want to do is make sure your dog is healthy. Many puppies are naturally prone to accidents. However, if your dog has been potty trained in the past and recently started relieving themselves in the house, consult a vet to make sure there are no health issues behind the problem, especially if your dog is older.

For most dogs, accidents will only occur during puppyhood, so as long as you’ve confirmed your pup is healthy and isn’t suffering from parasites or infection, the tips below will help you get your furry friend housebroken in no time.

Dogs instinctively don’t pee or poop where they sleep, but they don’t automatically know that the rest of the house is off-limits.

It will take them some time to understand, so be patient and understanding with them until they do. It can be frustrating to have to clean up urine or feces every other day, but eventually, your dog will learn, and you’ll just have to support them until they’re accident-free.

Additionally, no matter how frustrating housebreaking can be, never punish your dog for accidents or raise your voice, and never try to rub your dog’s face in their mess. Doing so is cruel and unsanitary, and it won’t do anything but train your dog to fear you.

Most puppies will respond well to a routine of eating, drinking, and going outside to go potty. Establish a feeding schedule that can remain the same every day, and take your dog out to a specific spot where you want them to go to the bathroom once every hour or two.

Since your pup knows not to go where they sleep, take your dog out of their crate in the morning, immediately bring them to the potty spot outside, and wait until they go. This routine will help solidify this place in your yard as their dedicated bathroom. Do the same thing immediately before bed every night.

It’s okay if your puppy doesn’t go during one of these outings — the point is to establish over time that this is the place for them to do their business.

Puppies respond well to classical conditioning, which involves associating a specific trigger — often a noise — with an action. To establish this kind of association, hang a bell or something that makes noise from your doorknob, and ring it every time you bring your pup out for their scheduled bathroom time.

This schedule will help your pooch associate the bell ringing with going outside to pee or poop, and eventually, they will start tapping the bell to let you know they need to go out.

While you should never punish your dog for an accident, you should offer rewards for going in their potty spot. Whenever your pup relieves themselves outside, provide a small treat and some praise.

Many breeds respond very well to praise, and nearly all dogs will quickly associate treats with a job well done. Eventually, you can stop giving them treats, and the behavior will stick regardless.

• You might also like: 10 Best Pee Pads for Puppies – Our Reviews & Top Picks

If you’ve ever seen dogs sniff the ground carefully when on a walk and then urinate on a particular spot, you’ll know how important this tip is. Dogs naturally go where there is evidence of having gone before, and sometimes relieving themselves inside is just a way of re-marking their territory.

Whenever your pooch has an accident inside, clean it very thoroughly to get any scents out of your carpet or off of your floor. Removing the smell will reduce the chance of your pup thinking your floors are their dedicated bathroom.

One of the most important things to help establish your yard as the bathroom is to interrupt your dog’s accidents whenever possible and allow them to finish relieving themselves outside. To do this, you’ll need to observe your puppy carefully for signs that they may be looking for a spot on your floor to go. Scoop them up as soon as you see an accident in progress and take them to their outside bathroom.

By doing this calmly and gently, you’ll be helping establish for your dog that your yard is the place for urinating and defecating. Don’t forget to reward them if they do finish their business outside!

Wrapping Up

Housebreaking your dog can be trying and frustrating, but don’t forget that your dog will learn, and all they need from you is consistency, patience, and a little understanding. Follow these tips above, and your pooch will be a regular outdoor bathroom goer in no time at all. We hope you’ve learned how to stop your dog from peeing or pooping in your house!

Featured Image Credit: New Africa, Shutterstock

Needless to say, there are countless joys to owning a dog. Cleaning up their mess isn’t one of them. As a Dog Owner, you can spend what feels like a lifetime trying to stop your dog pooping in the wrong place. Of course, we dog lovers accept toilet training as an icky but crucial part of the Pet Ownership journey. It may not always be fun, and it doesn’t earn you the same doggy love as feeding them their favourite dog food. However, with enough patience from their humans, our furbabies can learn where to do their business.

Even so, our doggos’ toilet habits are not always a straightforward process. Some puppies struggle to learn where they should relieve themselves, while in other cases, fully-grown dogs can seem to forget. Whatever the case, have faith – a solution exists, and it’s within reach. Join us as we cover how to stop your dog pooping in the wrong place!

This little guy doesn’t realise he’s done anything wrong!

Before you can stop your dog pooping in the wrong place, you should know why it’s happening

There are many reasons why a pooch can fail to go where they’re supposed to. If you still have a puppy on your hands, and they seem to have forgotten last week’s training, don’t fret. Dog Training can be a “two steps forward, one step back” process, and there may be times when you fear your puppy is regressing. By sticking to their potty training plan, and rewarding the right behaviour, your puppy will master it sooner or later.

However, if you have an adult dog who’s started pooping where they shouldn’t, there could be a range of reasons. The first potential cause you’ll want to rule out is a medical problem; from digestive troubles to hip dysplasia, maladies can cause dogs to lose the will or capacity to control their bowels. To ensure your pooch isn’t grappling with a hidden illness or injury, play it safe and book a vet checkup.

Once you’ve ruled out medical issues, you can proceed to the next likely culprit: behavioural problems. In the case of boredom or separation anxiety, your furry friend may have started pooping indoors as a cry for help. For canine stress, they may feel a more frequent urge to expel, and want to do so in familiar locales.

Now that we’ve looked at the why, let’s explore how to stop your dog pooping in the wrong place

Bust your doggy’s boredom

If you leave your furry friend at home while you’re at work, they may struggle with boredom. As we highlighted above, boredom can lead our doggies to relieve themselves indoors. The most effective way to address this problem is by leaving your dogs with a committed carer; this can be a friend, a neighbour, or a Doggy Day Care provider. Failing that, make sure you leave your pupper plenty of chew toys and Kongs stuffed with peanut butter. This way, they’ll have something to occupy them over the long hours. Another hack is to play talkback radio while you’re out, which will expose your doggo to the sounds of voices. While it won’t be the same as human companionship, it sure beats stony silence.

Troubleshoot any causes of stress  

Has their indoor pooping begun recently? If so, it could be a response to some change in their environment. Perhaps your neighbours have just started renovations, or maybe you’ve welcomed a second pet into your home. In any event, you can begin to quench the stress by showing your dog that there’s nothing to fear. When the neighbours are renovating loudly, sit with your pup, speak in a soothing voice, and feed them treats. When the new pets struts into their space, use that same soothing voice, lavish your dog with praise, and intervene if things get rough. Regardless of the problem, if you turn it from a negative into a positive, your pupper’s stress will dissolve.

Create an indoor peeing and pooping corner for your pet

Sometimes, our fully-grown dogs can simply regress from their training. This can be a natural thing, and doesn’t always mean your pooch has a problem. If you’ve ruled out all of the above issues, they may simply be having a “puppy moment” in their lives. In this scenario, don’t worry – just pretend you’re dealing with a puppy. While you may prefer for them to relieve themselves outside, for now, simply focus on creating a toilet corner indoors. To this end, lay down some pee pads, and redirect your pupper every time they do their business – even if it means interrupting them. At first, this may lead to some accidents; after a while, though, they should start using their corner.

When they do, give them that puppy potty training treatment and shower them with praises and treats. Once they’ve comfortably set the trend of using their corner pads, you can slowly reintroduce them to outdoor toilets.

Comments

comments