Why does my dog refuse to potty outside?
Puppies often fail to make the connection between going outside and eliminating, choosing instead to relieve themselves indoors despite spending hours outdoors. This makes it impossible to reward successful habits and leaves owners stuck cleaning up indoor accidents instead of making progress.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1taking the puppy outside on a leash and harness and waiting until they go
- 2using talking buttons to let the dog communicate their needs
- 3taking the dog outside multiple times an hour
- 4Leaving a pee pad in the tub or bathroom
- 5Rinsing the tub after an accident to keep down the smell
- 6Installing a dog door
- 7Using a mid-day dog walker
- 8Setting night alarms based on previous elimination patterns to manage middle-of-the-night bathroom breaks
- 9Tracking daily bathroom habits using apps or notepads to predict and identify the puppy's final bowel movement time
- 10monitoring urine volume and frequency to distinguish normal training accidents from potential UTIs
- 11maintaining consistency with house training routines
- 12Taking the puppy to a family house with a yard and grass
- 13Taking the puppy out first thing in the morning before they reach the pee pad
- 14Bringing a used pee pad outside to lay on the grass for scent association
- 15Spending all day outside in a park for the weekend
- 16Staying outside until the puppy pees or poos
- 17Carrying the puppy back out the moment she squats
- 18Tethering the puppy to oneself with a leash indoors
- 19putting them in a crate for 10-20 min, then take them out, then bring them back in and put them in the crate, until they pee
- 20ringing the bell and saying outside and potty every time they take the dog outside
- 21Taking the puppy out four times per day including long walks and short potty breaks
- 22Using a dedicated spot for the puppy to pee during potty breaks and going right back inside
- 23Carrying the dog to the pad every couple of hours and waiting with her
- 24Leaving a little of the dog's scent on a fresh pad to help her recognize it
- 25Switching from indoor pee pads to outdoor housebreaking
- 26Take puppies outside separately to reduce distractions and ensure they focus on eliminating.
- 27Limit interaction outdoors until the puppy finishes its business, then reward with praise and treats.
- 28walking the dog to different ends of the block
- 29waiting the dog out for a few days
- 30giving plenty of backyard opportunities between walks
- 31Taking the dog on walks where they will still happily potty
- 32Treating the yard for fire ants
- 33Waiting a while after a thunderstorm or fireworks
- 34Waiting outside longer with the puppy
- 35Finding a place with fewer distractions
- 36Rewarding and praising every time she goes outside
- 37Walking the puppy to help things move
- 38Giving the puppy time after voiding in case the tank is not empty
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Came home today and found out my dog peed in the bathtub while I was at work.”source ↗
“Guessing he just couldn’t hold it and picked the tub himself.”source ↗
“Mine did this once. She had an upset stomach in the middle of the night and pooped in my shower vs on the hardwood floor.”source ↗
“We work odd hours, and never know exactly how long we will be gone. Several years ago we had 2 dogs: one a rhodesia ridgeback/American Bulldog mix that was a genius, the other an unidentifiable mutt that was dumb as dirt... When we got home smart dog had pooped in the bathtub. Dumb dog pooped on the couch.”source ↗
“She still hasn't caught on and has only used it once when I believe she tripped on it.”source ↗
“We take her out every 20 minutes to pee and she holds it until she gets straight back in to the apartment! She’ll pee on clothes, floor, sofa, baby toys, mattress - anywhere and everywhere.”source ↗
“My poor doggy had an upset stomach a few weeks ago. We let her out several times during the night but one time we must have just not heard her woof in time.”source ↗
“She has yet to either grasp the subject or care about it. Dont exactly want to praise her for potting on my floor & she pretty much refuses to potty outside even when we spend literal hours outside playing.”source ↗
“My dog never has indoor accidents except for one time when we were gone for a long time. I guess she wasn’t able to hold it and pooped in the bathroom right in front of the toilet.”source ↗
“My dog is a 3 year old Bichon and I’ve had him for about 3 months now. A few days ago he stopped wanting to potty in our backyard and will run back up onto the deck and wait by the door to go inside.”source ↗
“after about 10 months-a year he just started refusing to go in the backyard!”source ↗
“he would genuinely hold his pee for 18 hours and after about a week I was worried he would get a UTI so I caved and started just walking him to the end of the block in the mornings and before bed”source ↗
“I’m a woman who lives near a busy street and I hate walking him alone at night!”source ↗
“I’m losing my mind and my sleep.”source ↗
“So not only do I stay up late trying to get him to go, but I have to rush outside every time he even whimpers!”source ↗
“I’m so lost. Anyone have magic tricks?”source ↗
“My little guy didn’t step foot on any outdoor surfaces until he was a little over four and a half months old. We live in a very urban area with little to no grassy areas around us.”source ↗
“After returning back to our home, he started getting better at peeing outside. He will only go on softer surfaces (dirt, grass). Completely refuses to go on concrete… 🥲”source ↗
“My dog periodically boycotts the yard. Usually it means fire ant hills have popped up somewhere and she’s gotten bit.”source ↗
“Has anyone set off fire works lately? My shih tzu wont go into the yard for a while after a thunderstorm or fireworks but will still happily go on a walk.”source ↗
“The issue came today when he peed possibly 3 times within 30 minutes. I thought this was unusual and wasn’t sure if there was a reason why he might’ve done this. Is there something I should be worried about or something that maybe caused this?”source ↗
“our 13-week Lab puppy has been really good at doing his business indoor (we don't have a garden and the balcony feels dangerous to me). Two days ago he could finally be out for his first walks (and he loves it) but he hasn't been able to pee or poo at all. He would literally hold it until we're home and do it on the pads.”source ↗
“We’ve tried this but each and every time, our puppy just pees in the crate instead. At that point, what do I even do?”source ↗
“She's getting the part about going to the back door pretty reliably, but she is not recognizing the bell at all.”source ↗
“Any tips for teaching a combo of two stubborn breeds to ring a potty bell?”source ↗
“They sometimes will cooperate but about 60% of the time, they do nothing, and then pee and or poop in the house within 2 minutes of coming back inside. Advice?!”source ↗
“So I have a 14 week old black labrador, my problem is that I cant get her to empty her bladder fully, she pees so frequently and doesnt empty and got a uti which im treating now”source ↗
“My little guy would get distracted mid pee and looked like he was finished, but I just kept him out and sure enough he would let the rest go.”source ↗
“Yeah she pees up to three times outside then will go inside sniff around and pee again.”source ↗
“Only problem is that he has started marking and won’t empty his bladder.”source ↗
“He is in fact so conservative that he probably pees 10-15 times during the 1 hour walks. A little bit here and a little bit there.”source ↗
“We have now been woken up very early since he won’t fully empty his bladder during the 10 pm break.”source ↗
“He also had a small accident today since he didn’t empty his bladder during the morning potty session.”source ↗
“She understands that she is supposed to pee on a pad, but sometimes she misses it and pees beside it.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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- 3When can I stop crating my puppy when I'm not home?
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