How do you stop a 1 year old puppy from pooping in the house?

[Rusty Heap]

Meet Benjamin.

Ben Jamin'


rescue dog I've had about a week. Only a year old so we're working on Come, Sit, Stay, and walking on a leash.

Don't know if he's just marking his territory in the house, I walk him outside every couple hours.


Do you literally rub their nose in it and say BAD BOY, then what.......? I praise him very well when he does poop or pee outside.

[Chocaholic]

Crate training. Period.

[asphaltgambler]

1st and foremost: regulate their water and food same time every day. When they're done, pull both bowls up. Give them @10 - 15 mins and take them outside for a pee / poop walk.

They will associate eating, then go out to do their business. Dogs thrive on a regular schedule.

[Rusty Heap]

I'd never crate a dog of mine, I think that's cruel and solitary prison confinement for them........


I figure give the rescue dog a chance, he was in the shelter for a month before I adopted him, so I've been bonding and personal imprinting with him the last week.

[Chocaholic]

Hey, you asked how to keep him from pooping in the house. I answered. It works and only takes a few days generally. If you’d rather clean poop off your carpet, no problem. For dogs that don’t figure it out naturally, it works.

[Zeke]

You answered and you got his reply. I've never heard of crate training. Figure.

[Chocaholic]

Originally Posted by Zeke

You answered and you got his reply. I've never heard of crate training. Figure.

There’s probably a lot you haven’t heard of. They are den animals, it is not cruel. It’s a thing…at least per the humane society and the AKC:

https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/crate-training-101

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/how-to-crate-train-your-dog-in-9-easy-steps/

[p911dad]

+1 on regular routine. We have a now 3 year old Havanese female that still has occasional accidents. She eats at 7am and 5pm and goes out immediately to do her business. Sometimes she will just sniff around and take time but normally it takes a few minutes and done. She always gets a tiny Milk Bone as a reward We have a ribbon with 3 little bells on the back door as a signal if she needs to go and that works too. it took a while to train her.

[craigster59]

I was lucky. My Lab pooped once in the house and that was it. He can be left alone for hours and will just "hold it".

That said I know many who "crate train". Dogs are animals that love to have their own "den" and feel safe and comfortable in there. They also don't "poop where they sleep" so it helps to get them used to a schedule where they are let out in the AM to do their business.

[vash]

I think routine is the key. helps if you are retired and can eyeball the dog for a while. or if the dog is a puppy. control the food and water. and after drinking and eating, go outside.

I know one thing..pushing the dogs face into the poop doenst work whatsoever. dogs dont think about actions and reactions like we do. he will just think you are a dick.

older animal. I think a crate is a viable option. dogs love crates..well, not separation riddled dogs. if the dog has sep-probs..all bets are off.

[fintstone]

Originally Posted by Chocaholic

Crate training. Period.

This. Dogs do not like to poop or pee where they sleep...and get the idea quickly.

They also think that they should always go where they have before. So, if they do go inside...you have to do a very good job of eliminating the odor (their senses are much better than yours). You can buy a spray especially for this.

Also, give them food predictably and take them out about 45 min to an hour after they eat (predictably)...and whenever they come out of the cage. I also give mine a treat (small dog biscuit) whenever we come in after she goes outside.

My dog is perfectly housebroken, but still goes in her crate at night or when we are not home. She has since a puppy. They thrive on routine...and even though they may not want to go in a crate, many feel much calmer and safer in one if they are used to it, have their favorite blanket, etc.

[john70t]

Originally Posted by Rusty Heap

Do you literally rub their nose in it and say BAD BOY, NO then what.......? I praise him very well when he does poop or pee outside. YES

Watch "The Dog Whisperer" tv show.

Negative reinforcement doesn't work with dogs, unless it's during the act and only a slight correction they understand.
Period.
In fact hitting or making the dog scared of you will make it more aggressive. It will reduce all your influence and power as the Alpha dog/human. Your house. Your rules. Be consistent but not negative. Dogs are incredibly sensitive and want to please. They never poop out of anger like cats will.

If you show the dog the poop an hour later, it will simply not understand. "Oh yeah that's poop. So what? What are you trying to say?". They simply don't get the idea of "Oh that's MY poop and it's BAD". Because pooping is never a bad thing. Syntax error.

In the wolf pack they are allowed to poop in their territory but won't ever poop in their den. Unfortunately the inside of the house is still being considered their outside territory. That needs to be re-set. Crating is actually beneficial when you are away. It's a safe place for them to rest.

Dogs are programmable and only have a 5 second attention span. But they do have 5 year patience. They go for what works for them and will do that forever. Some are food motivated and some are praise motivated (high squeeky voice). Most are both.


Start by putting it on a leash, pick up the poop and placing it outside. Show him. "Oh look at that! There is the correct place to go. Now Daddy is so proud of good dog!" Treats and praise. That is where good dogs get their good reward. "Oh goody. I will wait next time so I can get my reward." Do that every single time with something really yummy until it sinks in and is permanent.

You must kill all the inside poop smell with Lysol/etc, or the next time it will instinctual think the old location is the correct place to go again.

[john70t]

(That's good looking pup btw)

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by john70t

(That's good looking pup btw)

100%. Nice job, Rusty.

All dogs are different but none repond to negative reinforcement, at least none of my many have, without issues.

We had to resort to crate training for one rescue. We did it over the weekend when we were both home. It worked in a day...just pay attention, have the crate in the common area and reward, reward, reward.

Dottie crate trained me

[Roswell]

Check out youtube. There are some great trainers/videos.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by Chocaholic

There’s probably a lot you haven’t heard of. They are den animals, it is not cruel. It’s a thing…at least per the humane society and the AKC:

https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/crate-training-101

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/how-to-crate-train-your-dog-in-9-easy-steps/

Originally Posted by Rusty Heap

I'd never crate a dog of mine, I think that's cruel and solitary prison confinement for them........


I figure give the rescue dog a chance, he was in the shelter for a month before I adopted him, so I've been bonding and personal imprinting with him the last week.

I'm going with this, sorry. I used to visit 100 homes a year and work 1 to 4 days in at least half of them. I've seen as much of humanity as a social worker. Yet I don't know jack siht, right?

I can count the number of crates I've seen on my hands. I wish I could say that about dog runs. That alone makes me want to rip out fences.

[Rusty Heap]

I've got 5 acres so lots of room to run and play, though I'm still keeping him on a 25' retractable leash as he does have his 1 year old puppy moments running FAST and lunging.

After 7 days of ownership, the command Sit is starting to sink in, especially with a treat in your hands.

I rescued him for only $175 from a local shelter, microchipped, shots, and they cut his balls off. he's about 50 pounds.


He is working out FANTASTIC. and the first adolescent pup I've had in 40+ years. oh boy can he be a bundle of energy!

[rwest]

Maybe a coincidence, maybe your fault for bringing it up Rusty...

...my paralyzed foster dog just had a major case of diarrhea twice in the house and of course one of them was in the wall to floor crack, so fun trying to dig it out.

Not his fault and not trainable as he has no feeling in the rear. He usually poops on our walk due to the pressure on his guts from the wheelchair harness and usually they are firm.

I gave him heartworm and flea and tick pills last night, so my bet is they upset his stomach.

Good luck on your training.

[john70t]

A couple random training things:
-Humans always enter through doors first as The Alpha Pack Leader Decider.
Dogs do not rush doors but wait until it's okay.
It's a canine group psychology thing. But will save you a lot of angst later on trying to swim upstream. Every single day.

-When you leave, don't say goodbye or hype them up.
Just walk out the door like it's nothing.
They will remain comfortable in that same state of mind for the next 8 hours.
Dogs with separation anxiety will claw through walls and doors trying to get back to their owner.

-Leaving a stinky sock or shirt in the cage will keep your smell (you) with them for the rest of the day. Like you are still there.
Essential for when boarding a dog.

-Dogs are supposed to walk behind humans. Alpha Pack Leader goes first.
I personally ignore this because um Beagle brain.
They will wear themselves out sniffing everything, over running for miles, which the human boss will usually lose, and then human lose pack leader status.

-The pack needs a strong set of consistent rules.
If the pack doesn't have that, a beta dog is required to step up and fill that role.
And it doesn't want or know how to.
An insecure dog is nervous aggressive and more apt to bite.

-Don't ever let them continuously pull on the leash. Give a quick sharp jerk but only when needed.
With bigger dogs the 'finger clamping' style will actually prevent neck damage.

-Walk them around the perimeter about 50ft back and severely yank them from going further.
These are the boundaries of their established turf and the safe place for them to play.
Human and dog both establish and agree on it.
Actually the Human decides it. Actually collective Humans do. So the dog remains safe.

-Don't ever use your dog's name to correct or scold them.
A loud "HEY" works best.
Whistles. Shock collars. Whatever. They don't connect that to your bond together.
But never use their good boy name.

-When you feed him, walk him immediately.
That is natural.
Always fresh water every day. They are cold water snobs..

[rdimarco]

Check out cattledogpublishing.com. Dr. Sophia Yin has excellent training resources utilized by many professionals & veterinarians. Many helpful articles are posted on the site.