It seems there are new things every day I need help with. Sorry for so many posts, I didn't even have this many questions when I had my babies lol. Our new issue he keeps pooping in the house. He is 13 weeks and he hasn't had any pee accidents for over a week and had never pooped in the house until about 4 days ago. He poops outside sometimes and we praise him but getting him to poop is a nightmare. He is not at all like everything says, he doesn't poop 30 min after eating let a lone an hour it's very random. He gets breakfast at 6:30am but doesn't poop until around 11:30 and it varies. We take him out there numerous times and wait and stand there for 15 plus minutes with him just venturing off getting distracted, if we put him on the leash he starts chewing the leash now, he wasn't doing that before, I don't know what to do. Last night we had him out knowing he needed to go 5 different times, kept trying every 10 min to no avail. He comes in lays on kitchen floor, two minutes later he gets up and walked a short distance and pooped, we clapped and said no and take him outside but this is the 4th time now. Why now? I don't get it. We praise him and everything but why is it so hard to get the puppy to poop?
I think it's just a case of keep taking him out every 30 minutes no matter what, it can take months to train and he is only 13 weeks just a baby. I wouldn't clapp and say "no" to him either you may end up scaring him and causing different issues just take him outside and praise him, give him treats when he does poo. You will get there x
I agree with Helen that clapping and telling him "no" isn't a good idea - you're likely to stop him wanting to poo at all in front of you, and that's when they start to go off and hide, plus not go to the loo when you take them outside. None of my puppies have had a regular schedule for pooing at that age - they just go when they need to and it's really just up to you to be vigilant. You might have thought he was trained before, but he wasn't really - you were just a combination of lucky and taking him out enough. Most pups aren't truly reliable until they are around six months of age. I found a small pen in the garden was the best thing for focussing my puppy's mind. When I thought she needed to go, I'd pop her in there and only let her out when she had gone or it was obvious she didn't need to.
Ok that's good to know, I read several articles that said to clap if you "catch" them in an accident and take them out immediately to let them know that wasn't ok, so I guess we wont do that. I knew he wasn't PT yet but it's just has been difficult getting him to go, I mean we'd been taking him out every 10 min and waiting and waiting and he'd just bit at us or run off and do other stuff, and for some reason a lot of the time 50 50 he will not go in the area we are trying to train him to go in, we have an area that we walk him too, and he goes out there fine and seems to know that's where he is suppose to go because he will run to that area to go pee and has to go poop, but with pooping he will start sniffing and walking fast but he will go outside of that area like not even close, we try to get him to come back to the area but do you think we should not do that for now let him go wherever since it is outside instead of correcting where he's going? I mean he wasn't having issues going in the potty area until recently, for some reason pooping in the grass is more appealing to him.
No, I think if you want him to go in a specific area, you should make it clear by using a pen. Both problems solved: 1. He won't be distracted by the rest of the garden and 2. He'll learn to go where you want him to. Yes, most dogs will prefer to toilet on grass. Carpet, too - that's why it's best to cover carpet and roll away rugs when you have puppies. It seems to prompt them into going.
Ditto all above. I found walking around helped get the works, well, working. I know, I've read too that poop outings are just for that, no playing or running or having fun. But all our outings WERE also for fun, a play, some hide and seek, a run around. Movement helps induce movement. Later, when they only need to go a few times a day it won't matter much anyway. As for only in one spot, I was not successful at that but it turns out "someone" else in the house didn't go to the spot when it was dark out. Do you keep that spot clean? My dogs all like a clean spot, a fresh spot. And none of them ever chose to go on a path where they would have walk. Behind the cedar hedge that borders our yard is a favourite for them and ok by me.
I don't see how we could do a pen in the area we want him to go though I just don't think he would go in it as our other do is out there too a lot of the time, wouldn't he think it's like his crate and not want to go?
You don't ask him to go in it - you put him in it. Whenever you go outside, you pick him up and pop him in the pen, wait for him to go and then let him out to much applause and adulation. His reward for going is playtime outside. This was Luna's:
Have you considered keeping him crated or at least in a puppy pen in the house when you aren't actively engaged with him? Does he go in his crate or just when he has free run of the kitchen?
He is in his crate during certain periods of the day, my husband and I both work from home so we are close to a good schedule for puppy in crate which is helping.
