House-trained dog won't go to the bathroom outside after moving
Relocating often causes house-trained dogs to refuse to eliminate outside, leading them to relieve themselves indoors instead—even during the night or immediately after being placed on the grass. This sudden regression leaves owners exhausted, worried, and unsure how to get their pets back on a normal outdoor routine.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- This comes up 48.1× more often in r/dogs than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1keeping them on short leashesDid this help you?
- 2putting them on longer leasesDid this help you?
- 3taking them out separatelyDid this help you?
- 4taking them out togetherDid this help you?
- 5standing on one spotDid this help you?
- 6walking them aroundDid this help you?
- 7having different people try to take them outDid this help you?
- 8keeping bedroom doors closedDid this help you?
- 9crating when leavingDid this help you?
- 10trying a quick walk around the block instead of standing in the yardDid this help you?
- 11restricting water an hour before bedDid this help you?
- 12Initially training on pee pads and later transitioning to a real grass patch on the balconyDid this help you?
- 13Taking the dog outside every 5 or 6 hours manuallyDid this help you?
- 14Looking into coir sheets in a box as an emergency indoor or balcony solutionDid this help you?
- 15Constantly cleaning up after the dogDid this help you?
- 16Keeping the dog on a leash when around and crating when unattendedDid this help you?
- 17Using belly bands or diapers insideDid this help you?
- 18Sectioning off an easy-clean area or using a doggie fenced corral with pee padsDid this help you?
- 19Keeping the dog crated or tethered to prevent accidentsDid this help you?
- 20Placing pee pads near doors or in problem spotsDid this help you?
- 21Waiting for the adjustment period to pass and letting the dog decompressDid this help you?
- 22Scheduling a veterinarian checkup to rule out medical issues like a UTIDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Since then she has had to pee every 20 minutes like clockwork or she has an accident unless she’s crated.”source ↗
“I’m just wondering if other people had similar experiences and what helped them.”source ↗
“We rescued a small dog from the shelter about 12 years ago and he hates going outside, refuses to use the bathroom outside.”source ↗
“We can leave him outside in our fenced in yard shift an hour and he will come back inside and go to the bathroom inside.”source ↗
“We are at the end of our ropes with this.”source ↗
“We really have no idea what to do besides constantly clean up after him.”source ↗
“I can't get either to go to the bathroom outside...”source ↗
“I'm kind of at my wits' end. 😬”source ↗
“I just don't know what to do at this point.”source ↗
“I'm just looking for suggestions or wondering if anyone else has ever dealt with this, because right now I'm exhausted and worried over it.”source ↗
“ever since he has been doing his business indoors while everyone is asleep.”source ↗
“everytime I take him before everyone goes to bed, he doesn’t want to go, I physically move him onto the grass to do his business but he still won’t no matter how long I wait”source ↗
“So naturally he goes does his business inside the house.. I’m not sure what to do.”source ↗
“I have recently shifted from a house with a garden to an apartment and have a large dog. Earlier he had the liberty to pee or poop whenever he wanted.”source ↗
“Now since shifting I am taking him out every 5/6 hours. I still want to have an emergency solution that I can install in my balcony for when it is raining heavy or for 2/3am emergencies.”source ↗
“Okay! We’re trying to be chill, I just have the anxiety that something was overlooked like underlying kidney issues or a UTI…overthinking as usual for me.”source ↗
“lmao I went through this exact same nightmare with my rescue last year. First two weeks were hell, she'd pee literally every fifteen minutes because she was terrified of everything.”source ↗
“Recently, I started taking him downstairs to teach him to potty outside. Even when I take him out right after a crate nap, when I know he needs to pee, he often refuses and holds it. Sometimes he eventually pees (maybe 50% of the time), but other times he gets overstimulated by the busy environment, gets zoomies, and won’t go until we return home.”source ↗
“Has anyone successfully transitioned a puppy from balcony grass/pee pads to outdoor pottying?”source ↗
“Should I stop allowing the balcony grass altogether, or continue using it while teaching him outside? How long should I wait outside before giving up? And is 5 months still a normal age to be struggling with this?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 6How do I get my puppy to go outside in the rain?
- 4Why does my dog pee inside right after a walk?
- 10Why does my puppy pee indoors right when I come home?
- 9How to stop my dog from eating his own poo
- 6Why does my dog carry water in their mouth and spill it everywhere?
- 4How to move with a puppy without stressing them out