Why has my dog decided to stop "going" outside?

[AlmiraGulch]

I'm having the hardest time getting my house broken dog to eliminate outside.  This has been going on for a few weeks now.  

 

She has a normal feeding routine that we have not deviated from.  We're not trying to get her to go at a new time or in a new place. 

 

For the past several weeks, we'll take her out and she just does not go.  Eventually, she'll just go in the house.  I'm talking urinating and defecating.  

 

Obviously I can't have that, so we've gone back to how we first house broke her. That is, we'll take her out to do her business, and if she doesn't after a short period of time we bring her back in and crate her.  Then we try again after a short time, and if she doesn't go, back in the crate.  

 

She has spent most of this weekend in her crate, because she just will not go, and I'm sick of her going on my floor.

 

I have no idea what to do!  She could be mildly constipated, so I thought maybe I'd add something (canned pumpkin?  coconut oil?) to her food, but I hate having her crated all the time.  That's not why we have this dog.  

 

Oh, and she has no signs of illness.  Her energy is the same, appetite is the same, everything the same.  When she does eventually go (IN MY HOUSE!!!!) the consistency (sorry!) is normal.

 

What could be going on?  What should I do?

 

 

[stephanier.1765]

I'd take her to the vet as a first step just to eliminate anything medical. If not that, they might have some solutions for you to try. Good luck! I know how trying this must be.

[Cammie]

We went through a weird time where my dog started refusing to go outside.  Really seemed scarred to go through the door.  This is an outside dog.  It was very strange.  Eventually, through talking to neighbors, we figured out that she probably got spooked my a monkey (or two or three) that came into the back yard.  Eventually everything returned to normal.  I would go for a medical check-up however.

[AlmiraGulch]

She was at the vet in May.  I mentioned it then but there was nothing medically wrong and they said it just happens sometimes.  Her breed really keeps them in puppy stage for up to 2 years, and they said it's not uncommon, but offered no suggestions on what to do.

 

 

[AlmiraGulch]

We went through a weird time where my dog started refusing to go outside.  Really seemed scarred to go through the door.  This is an outside dog.  It was very strange.  Eventually, through talking to neighbors, we figured out that she probably got spooked my a monkey (or two or three) that came into the back yard.  Eventually everything returned to normal.  I would go for a medical check-up however.

 

I'm certain we don't have monkeys in our yard in Georgia.   :lol:

 

Seriously, she isn't spooked or afraid.  She loves to be outside.  In fact, she tends to get distracted out there.  Sometimes she'll be just squatted down like she's going to do her business, and then a bee flits by and she gets distracted and forgets what she was going to do.

 

Can dogs have ADD?

[Alicia64]

I'd take her to the vet as a first step just to eliminate anything medical. If not that, they might have some solutions for you to try. Good luck! I know how trying this must be.

 

I agree. It's not normal for a house broken dog to go back to eliminating in the house. I'm betting it's money you don't want to spend, but it's so much better than having regret one day that there was a problem that didn't get attention.

 

Been there, done that. And I still have terrible guilt. . .

 

On the plus side it could be something very simple.

 

Also, I'd be careful giving human food. So many things that are fine for us are poisonous for dogs (although it looks like both of the foods you mentioned are fine).

 

But, yeah, I'd rule out medical before assuming it's behavioral.

 

Once medical is ruled out. . . I always liked a trick that I learned decades before crates became popular. Let dog eliminate on rags and then stake those rags low to the ground outside where he/she can smell it. He'll tend to want to go where the scent is.

 

Good luck -- poor both of you! :grouphug:

 

Alley

[Walking-Iris]

Has the puppy had any recent surgery? My 1 year old Lab had a phase of going in the house after the neutering operation. Also there could be allergies. Again my puppy has allergies and went through another phase of incontinence. You could have allergies that aren't found yet.

 

 

Also dogs tend to rely on their sense of smell. So if I were you I would get some strong enzyme cleaners and try to eliminate all smell from the area where the dog has gone. Even if you can't smell it, they can, and it may be that the puppy has just gotten into a bad habit.

 

Also you need to re train. If the dog squats to go inside, or where you don't want, you need to loudly ( gently, but loudly!!!) say NO and immediately take them outside. Even if the dog does manage to go inside still follow through with the NO and take them outside anyway. He needs to re-associate outside with his bodily functions.

 

If you just crate him all day, or clean up after him without any sort of behavior modification....he won't learn. Also it's a bad habit he doesn't like either. Dogs don't naturally like their mess where they sleep or eat.

 

Also keep your yard or the area where you take him clean. Dogs won't go where there is a mess if they can help it. 

 

About human food...pumpkin is on the safe list, but don't give too much or the puppy could have diarrhea. Coconut oil is also on the safe list, it's good for their fur. But again rarely....not too much.

 

Sounds to me like you just need to retrain your dog and get him outside more often. Being crated won't help him learn. Also are you aware of his signals   he needs to go? You may want to train him to nose bump you, scratch at the door, even nose a bell. I had to retrain my pup because he didn't know how to tell us he needed to go, and we had passed the little puppy stage of me being on top of him. He can paw at the door, or nose bump.

 

Also reward reward reward. Every time he does go outside ....lots of love and praise, maybe even a treat. If he only gets negative attention when he goes in the house, it's better than no attention outside. Eventually you can get by with a simple "good boy"...but when training or retraining make it worth his while to do the right thing!!

 

 

[AlmiraGulch]

I agree. It's not normal for a house broken dog to go back to eliminating in the house. I'm betting it's money you don't want to spend, but it's so much better than having regret one day that there was a problem that didn't get attention.

 

Been there, done that. And I still have terrible guilt. . .

 

On the plus side it could be something very simple.

 

Also, I'd be careful giving human food. So many things that are fine for us are poisonous for dogs (although it looks like both of the foods you mentioned are fine).

 

But, yeah, I'd rule out medical before assuming it's behavioral.

 

Once medical is ruled out. . . I always liked a trick that I learned decades before crates became popular. Let dog eliminate on rags and then stake those rags low to the ground outside where he/she can smell it. He'll tend to want to go where the scent is.

 

Good luck -- poor both of you! :grouphug:

 

Alley

 

I never said anything about spending money, so no, that's not it at all.  I did say she had been to the vet and they checked and could find nothing wrong.  I actually thought maybe she'd eaten something she shouldn't have (like a remote control or something, like my other dog used to do) and maybe had some sort of obstruction, but that wasn't the case.

 

Speaking of scent, though, I wonder if she gets confused because I have two dogs, using the same relatively small area?  She does seem to sniff around for the right spot more than my other dog does, and lately when she does go outside it's sort of part way down the hill at the back of my yard, where the other one doesn't go.  If this is the case, I'm not sure what I can do because my yard is super tiny.....

[AK_Mom4]

We used the old towel trick to house break our pups.  They were initially confined to my (easy-to-clean) laundry room and all messes were cleaned up with a couple of old towels.  We washed the towels, but didn't use the enzyme stuff, so there was still a smell to attract the dogs.  The clean up towels were stored right next to the door outside, so when the pups started sniffing around the towels, we would quickly put them outside and throw down one of the old towels in the area we wanted them to pee in the yard.  Worked like magic and after a couple of times, they were doing all their business outside where we wanted.

 

I think you could get your dog going again using the same technique - rub an old towel in dog urine and put it down where you want the dog to go.  Smell is pretty powerful for dogs - combine it with praise and a treat for peeing where you want and you should be able to get the dog turned around fairly quickly.

[AlmiraGulch]

Has the puppy had any recent surgery? My 1 year old Lab had a phase of going in the house after the neutering operation. Also there could be allergies. Again my puppy has allergies and went through another phase of incontinence. You could have allergies that aren't found yet.

 

Are you talking about food allergies or environmental?  I haven't changed foods or anything.  

 

 

Also dogs tend to rely on their sense of smell. So if I were you I would get some strong enzyme cleaners and try to eliminate all smell from the area where the dog has gone. Even if you can't smell it, they can, and it may be that the puppy has just gotten into a bad habit.

 

I do this.  I use Nature's Miracle.  A lot.  

 

Also you need to re train. If the dog squats to go inside, or where you don't want, you need to loudly ( gently, but loudly!!!) say NO and immediately take them outside. Even if the dog does manage to go inside still follow through with the NO and take them outside anyway. He needs to re-associate outside with his bodily functions.

 

I'm trying to retrain.  That's why we crate her and then take her back out.  It's not hours later; rather, it's about 10 -15 minutes, then out.  If she does go outside, we praise her immediately.  

 

If you just crate him all day, or clean up after him without any sort of behavior modification....he won't learn. Also it's a bad habit he doesn't like either. Dogs don't naturally like their mess where they sleep or eat.

 

We do say "NO!" and take her out if we catch her in the act.  She doesn't go in her crate, ever.  Also, when I say she has been crated all day, I mean for 15 or so minutes at a time.  We just keep crating her for short periods because she won't go in there, then take her out, then back in the crate for 15 or so minutes at a time until she finally goes.  She's just taking hours before she goes.  If we don't crate her, she goes on the floor, eventually, if she doesn't happen to be outside when she decides to let loose.

 

Also keep your yard or the area where you take him clean. Dogs won't go where there is a mess if they can help it. 

 

We typically pick up once a day.  Maybe I need to try doing it every time they go.  It's a pain, but it might be worth a shot to see if it makes a difference.  

 

About human food...pumpkin is on the safe list, but don't give too much or the puppy could have diarrhea. Coconut oil is also on the safe list, it's good for their fur. But again rarely....not too much.

 

I do know it's safe.  I just wonder if it will even be effective. I don't want to do more harm than good, kwim?

 

Sounds to me like you just need to retrain your dog and get him outside more often. Being crated won't help him learn. Also are you aware of his signals   he needs to go? You may want to train him to nose bump you, scratch at the door, even nose a bell. I had to retrain my pup because he didn't know how to tell us he needed to go, and we had passed the little puppy stage of me being on top of him. He can paw at the door, or nose bump.

 

We take her out a lot.  I mean, a whole lot.  See the above posts about how often.  I don't think I was clear about the methodology in my original post.   She really doesn't have any "I have to go" signal.  That's the problem.  My other dog clearly does, but she doesn't show me a thing.   Actually, she does sometimes go over by the door, and then I think she has to go out and I take her,  but sometimes she just goes by the door and we take her out and she does nothing, so I don't know if it's coincidence.  I thought about getting a bell for the door handle and training her to bump that, but then I'm afraid she'll just bump it all the time and it might become meaningless.  It's worth a shot, though.  

 

Also reward reward reward. Every time he does go outside ....lots of love and praise, maybe even a treat. If he only gets negative attention when he goes in the house, it's better than no attention outside. Eventually you can get by with a simple "good boy"...but when training or retraining make it worth his while to do the right thing!!

 

We'd stopped this, but now we've restarted recently.  Not as soon as I noticed there was an issue, but over the last few days.  I'm hoping this makes a difference.  It worked to train her initially.  She was actually quite easy to house break and was completely trained for months and months.   It just seems like she has forgotten or something.  It's so frustrating!  

 

Thanks for the advice!  I just wish I knew what caused her to revert all of a sudden. There has to be some reason, and I want to avoid it if I can.

[Alicia64]

I never said anything about spending money, so no, that's not it at all.  I did say she had been to the vet and they checked and could find nothing wrong.  I actually thought maybe she'd eaten something she shouldn't have (like a remote control or something, like my other dog used to do) and maybe had some sort of obstruction, but that wasn't the case.

 

Speaking of scent, though, I wonder if she gets confused because I have two dogs, using the same relatively small area?  She does seem to sniff around for the right spot more than my other dog does, and lately when she does go outside it's sort of part way down the hill at the back of my yard, where the other one doesn't go.  If this is the case, I'm not sure what I can do because my yard is super tiny.....

 

Sorry! I just assumed you didn't want to spend the bucks at the vet! That's me! I finally found a vet that doesn't charge me coming and going like my last one did. (Stupid me: the vet was in a pricey part of town.)

 

Given the tiny yard, I would stake a "scent rag" (for lack of a better term) in a specific corner and take her directly to it. By leash if necessary. Remember dogs can smell your other dog's elimination, the squirrel's elimination from last week, a baby squirrel's elimination from last night, a raccoon's trek through the yard early in the a.m. -- their sniffers are unbelievable. (Why they're used for bomb detection.)

 

Re: backyard. Yes, I pooper-scoop every single time it happens so that the kids have a clean yard.

 

But, the second thing I'd do to get the dog out of the crate is to take her on a walk around the block and let her do her business out there. We always tie "poop bags" to the leash to make it easy to remember to bring the bags. We do a combo w/ our dog. We walk him and let him use the backyard.

 

It may also be an "alpha" issue -- just guessing -- where the other dog is the alpha and she doesn't feel comfortable covering his scent. ??? Could there be next door dogs that are scaring her? Again, just thoughts.

 

After a burger had been in our backyard our Lab wouldn't go outside, but he got over it.

 

Alley

[KidsHappen]

My dog is doing the exact same thing right now and I have no idea why. 

[AlmiraGulch]

I think you may be onto something about the her smelling all the other animals out there.  She's always leashed (my yard isn't fenced) when I take her out, but it seems like it's hard for her to find just the right spot for her own poo.  Much more so than my other dog, who is as regular as they come.

 

Maybe walking to get her to go is a good alternative, too.  We have a ton of dogs in our neighborhood and even have dog poop stations (with bags and cans to drop them in ) all over the place.  The exercise would probably help get things moving, too.  It's worth a shot.

[Alicia64]

 

 

Maybe walking to get her to go is a good alternative, too.  We have a ton of dogs in our neighborhood and even have dog poop stations (with bags and cans to drop them in ) all over the place.  The exercise would probably help get things moving, too.  It's worth a shot.

 

It's often the only thing that works for my dog. If we take him in the back he stares at us hoping we'll throw his balls. So it becomes a "stare down."

 

We can't leave him out there alone because our fence is only 4 feet high and he could easily scale it.

 

Good luck!

 

Alley

[Alicia64]

I'd really recommend watch this really interesting 60 Minutes on dog's noses. The trainer really spells it out:

 

http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/sniffing-for-bombs-meet-americas-most-elite-dogs-50145334/

[AlmiraGulch]

I just took her for a walk, and about 1/2 mile in she did her business.  It was normal, so now I don't think she's constipated.

 

I guess that's just what we're going to have to try  for a bit.  That, and picking up the poop in the yard as soon as they go, rather than waiting til the end of the day or the next morning.  

 

We'll see....

[Alicia64]

I just took her for a walk, and about 1/2 mile in she did her business.  It was normal, so now I don't think she's constipated.

 

I guess that's just what we're going to have to try  for a bit.  That, and picking up the poop in the yard as soon as they go, rather than waiting til the end of the day or the next morning.  

 

We'll see....

 

Hey! That's great. I bet the more you do this, the more quickly she'll "use the facilities." I'm curious: what kind of dog do you have? I hope you'll watch the 60 Minutes I sent. It's really interesting and details a dog's sniffing ability.

 

Alley

[AlmiraGulch]

This one is 1/2 shar-pei, half bulldog.

 

And I will definitely watch it. Thanks!

[wintermom]

We encountered this with our German Shepherd puppy at 4 - 6 months last year. He would play and get distracted outside, then come inside and go do his business. It was helpful if I was outside with him on leash and made sure he went before coming inside. If he didn't go, I'd either crate him or keep him close to me on-leash. It took a couple weeks of doing this before he was more reliable. You can also keep track of when he usually does pee and poo, and bring him outside and make sure he does it before free play.

 

We foster guide dog puppies, and we train them to do their business on command (which isn't hard to do at all). It makes it easier to control when and where they go, but it does take more energy on my part. My current lab puppy is quicker doing his thing than the Shepherd was, and it works better to keep him on-leash to get him to do his business before letting him play/wander in the yard. It's well worth the effort, as he is very reliable now at 5 months.

 

 

 

 

[AlmiraGulch]

 

We foster guide dog puppies, and we train them to do their business on command (which isn't hard to do at all). It makes it easier to control when and where they go, but it does take more energy on my part. My current lab puppy is quicker doing his thing than the Shepherd was, and it works better to keep him on-leash to get him to do his business before letting him play/wander in the yard. It's well worth the effort, as he is very reliable now at 5 months.

 

She was trained to go on command, as long as we stayed on schedule.  For months.  Then all of a sudden for no reason, this.  It's strange.

 

My other dog still goes on command.  

[Walking-Iris]

Thanks for the advice!  I just wish I knew what caused her to revert all of a sudden. There has to be some reason, and I want to avoid it if I can.

Nah...there doesn't have to be a reason. It happens. The allergies I mention just because I have that experience with an allergic dog (both environmental/food and chemical allergies....he had an allergic reaction to the meds that were supposed to relieve his allergic hives from the food allergy.... :glare: ...sigh) So other than the very common and normal retraining I had to do when he was younger, we also have had incontinence at times from allergies. There's purposely going, and then there's "just can't control it" going...I was able to tell the difference. Also a young puppy can hold it only so long...if his signals weren't noticed, he'll eventually have no other option. He'll be able to hold it longer as he gets older. 

 

How old is your puppy?

 

I had to do some re-training. When they are little, we pet owners expect they'll make a mess everywhere so we're vigilant about it, taking them out often, giving them a chance, and so on. Then when it seems they got it, we relax our vigilance, but now the puppy doesn't know how to let *you* know he needs to go out.  That's what happened with us anyway. 

 

The bell is one idea. I was positive my kids would play with it, making it meaningless, so I used a clicker. (I like the Karen Pryor kind)I would put small treats in my hand, standing near the door, extend my hand, and when he nose touched, click treat...again and again. Then I would add opening the door and going out after the nose touch and once outside in the yard a click treat. Eventually just a click and verbal praise.

 

I think you mentioned he doesn't know about how to signal to you. That's a big one. Also 15 minutes at a time doesn't seem like a lot of crate time, but if it's repeated all day, outside then crate, outside then crate....could be puppy isn't getting enough exercise playtime and so that could add to your "distraction while outside" behavior you noticed.

 

The other posters on to something about the scent from the other dogs possibly being a factor. Especially if they are bigger breeds? 

 

I haven't been able to train my puppy to go in a particular spot...yet. But I pick up fairly often. Again how old is the puppy? It should get better with age, they get more regular and such. Just like children.

[Alicia64]

This one is 1/2 shar-pei, half bulldog.

 

And I will definitely watch it. Thanks!

 

That must be one cute dog!!!

[Alicia64]

 

We foster guide dog puppies, and we train them to do their business on command (which isn't hard to do at all). It makes it easier to control when and where they go, but it does take more energy on my part. My current lab puppy is quicker doing his thing than the Shepherd was, and it works better to keep him on-leash to get him to do his business before letting him play/wander in the yard. It's well worth the effort, as he is very reliable now at 5 months.

 

Wintermom: Sorry to go off subject, but can you tell me how to teach a dog to go "on command?" I have a former Military Working Dog -- they adopted him out because of low prey drive.

 

I know he's really smart, but for the life of me, I can't get him to go on command. And the military teach their dogs somehow. They're taught, "Take a break!" And they go.

 

But my "no prey" GSD got zero training. Could you tell me how?

 

Alley

[AlmiraGulch]

That must be one cute dog!!!

[Walking-Iris]

Wintermom: Sorry to go off subject, but can you tell me how to teach a dog to go "on command?" I have a former Military Working Dog -- they adopted him out because of low prey drive.

 

I know he's really smart, but for the life of me, I can't get him to go on command. And the military teach their dogs somehow. They're taught, "Take a break!" And they go.

 

But my "no prey" GSD got zero training. Could you tell me how?

 

Alley

 

Yeah I'm curious too.

 

I take my Lab out when he wants to go, but over this past year we have had him, we've been able to get him in a predictable routine. We take him out at about the same times each day and he's come to expect that and not need to go out at other times. He's been able to go all night without needing to go out for several months now. I just approached it similar to how I would potty train a toddler...routine and waiting for some physiological maturity. We even have him on a predictable sleep/nap schedule. 

 

But the idea that I could just say a command word and he would go is odd to me.

[Catwoman]

What an adorable face!!!! :001_wub:

[AlmiraGulch]

She's sweet, but we call her our hippopotapuppy.  She's kind of ugly and adorable at the same time.

 

 

[Catwoman]

She's sweet, but we call her our hippopotapuppy. She's kind of ugly and adorable at the same time.

Yeah, but I'll bet you can't resist those big sweet eyes! :)

[AlmiraGulch]

Yeah, but I'll bet you can't resist those big sweet eyes! :)

 

True story.

[Alicia64]

Yeah, but I'll bet you can't resist those big sweet eyes! :)

 

I'm so glad I asked: she is SO cute!!!

[Sisyphus]

That dog is so dang cute!!!

 

No advice on the potty issue, but dang- your dog is darling!

[chocolatechip]

Is your yard fenced/is the weather extreme where you are? If it's fenced and outdoor conditions are good, could you just maybe have her outside for an extended period to kind of. . .err, force the issue? 

 

Sorry you are having trouble. Dogs can be so weird sometimes.

[AlmiraGulch]

Is your yard fenced/is the weather extreme where you are? If it's fenced and outdoor conditions are good, could you just maybe have her outside for an extended period to kind of. . .err, force the issue? 

 

Sorry you are having trouble. Dogs can be so weird sometimes.

 

Nope.  Not fenced.  Even if it were, I couldn't leave her outside.  Bully-peis can't tolerate extreme heat for extended periods of time.