My dog refuses to poop outside, what can I do?

It’s not fun having to go and clean up your dog’s poop.

It’s even less fun when you’re cleaning up his poop inside your house.

So why won’t your dog poop outside? There are lots of reasons why this could be the case.

In this article, we’ll go over the possible reasons and what you can do to get your dog to do his business outside.

Why does my dog refuse to poop outside?

Potty training your dog is one of the most important things you need to do with him. It’s also likely one of the first things you’ll focus on when he’s still a puppy.

But if your dog won’t do his business outside, that can bring a whole host of problems. Your dog could even wind up with health issue from refusing to poop outside. There’s also the mess that you’ll need to clean up!

So what can you do? Luckily, there are a few things you can try to encourage your dog to poop outside. But before we get into that, let’s talk about why your dog won’t poop outside in the first place.

If your dog refuses to poop outside, the cause is often that he’s too nervous, anxious, or excited to go. Rain or grass may feel uncomfortable to them, or pooping itself may be painful. To help him, its best to create a routine and remove sources of stress.

Also, don’t forget to check out these related articles:

• How to Stop a Dog from Eating Poop, Home Remedy
• Why Do Dogs Roll in Poop or Dead Animals?
• Why Does My Dog Sit and Spin in Circles?

It’s too exciting outdoors to go potty!

One reason why your dog might be struggling to do his business outside is that it’s just too exciting!

There’s a lot going on outside. There are so many sights and smells and sounds that could be distracting your dog. Your dog has super sensitive hearing and smell, so it’s easy for those senses to become overstimulated.

If there’s too much going on outside, then this can make it too distracting for him to focus on doing his business.

This might seem like an impossible problem to solve, but there are ways to go about it. Creating a routine around his potty time, for instance, can help. More on that later.

Your old dog refuses to poop outside? He may be in pain

Is your dog a senior? If he used to poop outside with no problem but now he’s struggling, then the reason could be that he’s in pain.

As dogs get older, their bodies stop working as well as they used to. The same thing happens to us humans over time.

The changes in your dog’s body because of his aging could be causing him pain when he tries to go potty. You should pay close attention to him for any other signs of discomfort or pain.

If you notice that he’s acting skittish, he doesn’t like being touched, or he’s whining or crying a lot, those are signs he might need a trip to the vet.

He’s nervous or anxious

Does your dog seem nervous when he goes outside?

If there’s something that’s causing your dog stress, then he’s not going to want to stay outside. Instead, he’ll probably want to get back into the house as quickly as possible.—

There are a lot of things that could be causing anxiety for your dog when he goes out into the yard. You should work with your dog to try and find the source of the anxiety so you can deal with it head-on.

Wondering if stress is the problem? Here are 9 signs your dog is stressed.

Your dog won’t poop outside in rain because it’s uncomfortable

The weather could have a lot to do with how easily your dog poops outside. Some dogs can do their business outside no matter what the weather is with no issue.

Other dogs, however, are a little more sensitive.

Pay attention to when your dog refuses to poop outside. Is it usually when it’s raining? Or perhaps your dog won’t poop when it’s snowing!

The feeling of their rain or snow could be making your dog too uncomfortable to poop outside.

Your routine has changed

Dogs are routine-based animals. They thrive when they know what they can expect and when.

If your routine changes, then your dog might be more stressed out and confused by what’s going on around him.

Changes in routine might make your dog feel less comfortable pooping outside. Consider your life recently. Have you made any major changes to your or your dog’s routine?

That could be why he’s refusing to do his business where he should!

It smells or feels wrong outdoors

Some dogs tend to be a little more sensitive than others. Your dog might not like the feeling of the surface he’s pooping on.

Some dogs don’t like the feeling of grass, or simply aren’t used to it. This can be a particularly common problem for rescue dogs who might be used to pooping on concrete.

If the area where your dog is supposed to do his business doesn’t already smell like poop, this can make it feel even less inviting. The good news is that there are ways to help convince your dog that it’s okay to poop there.

What can I do when my dog refuses to poop outside?

It’s frustrating to deal with a dog who won’t do his business outside. You’re probably pretty tired of cleaning up poop inside the house, or stressing because your dog won’t do his business at all.

If you’re looking for some tips to help your dog poop outside, you’ve come to the right place. Here are a few tips you can use.

Observe what he does

You’re going to have a hard to knowing what kind of help your dog needs if you don’t know what the problem is in the first place.

This is why you should make sure to observe your dog. Pay attention to whether it’s only in certain conditions that he won’t poop outside, or if he refuses to do it entirely.

If you find that it’s only sometimes, pay attention to what conditions there are that could be making him too uncomfortable to poop outside.

Create a routine

One way you can help your dog feel more comfortable in almost any situation is to set him up with a solid routine.

If you don’t already have a routine in place for your dog, take this as your sign to start one. A good routine will help your dog feel more comfortable. Plus, he’ll know that when he goes outside around the same time, it’s time to poop.

No two routines are going to look alike, to experiment a little and see what works for you and your dog.

If you’re looking for some help setting up your routine, here’s the best morning routine with a dog before work.

Use a leash

Your dog’s leash is an important tool. It allows you to guide him and maintain a little extra control over any given situation with him.

If your dog is struggling to poop outside, one thing you can try is keeping him on a leash. Bring him outside on it and see if he does his business.

If he doesn’t, bring him back in but keep the leash attached. You don’t want to give him the chance to wander away and poop inside the house.

Give him another twenty minutes or so and then take him back outside to poop. Keep doing this until he’s done his business. Make sure you give him a reward when he finally does.

Make him feel safe

If your dog isn’t comfortable or doesn’t feel safe, he’s not going to want to do his business. So what can you do?

There are lots of great ways to help your dog feel more comfortable. Establishing a good routine is one of the best ways.

If there’s anything in your yard that could be stressing your dog out, removing those stressors may also be helpful.

Rewarding your dog whenever he does go outside and using positive reinforcement dog training can also do a lot to help.

For more information on frightened dogs, here’s how to get a scared dog to trust you—12 tricks and tips.

Train a “poop” cue

Another thing you can work on with your dog is training a “poop” cue.

To do this, the first thing you need to focus on is establishing a routine. Then, whenever your dog poops, give him a reward right away. This will give your dog positive associations with doing his business outside.

Once your dog is pooping consistently outside, start giving him a command whenever he does his business. The command can be anything that tells your dog it’s time to do his business.

With work and consistency, your dog will learn to poop outside when you tell him to.

Dress up for bad weather

Does your dog dislike having to do his business in bad weather? You need to equip him for it.

After all, you wouldn’t go out in the rain or snow without proper gear, would you?

You should consider investing in things like dog boots and a jacket so that he can feel more comfortable when he has to go outside to do his business.

Once he’s got the proper equipment, he should start feeling more comfortable going outside in bad weather.

Speaking of bad weather, do you and your dog enjoy hiking and camping? If you want to make sure you’re ready no matter what the weather is, here is the best gear for hiking with dogs.

Take a poop walk

If your dog refuses to poop outside in the yard, then you might want to try taking him for a walk instead.

It’s too easy for your dog to avoid pooping in the yard by just asking to come inside too quickly. But if you’re on a walk, your dog can’t do that!

Physically moving around might also help get your dog’s bowels moving a little faster. You don’t necessarily have to go for a long walk. Just until he does his business!

Encourage your dog to poop outside with smell cues

Dogs have super sensitive noses. Because they’re so sensitive, some dogs can be a little picky about the way things smell.

Generally, dogs will prefer to do their business in the same place every time. So when he’s pooping inside the house, he’s encouraging himself to keep doing that by keeping the smell there.

You can teach your dog that there are far better places to poop by taking advantage of this sense of smell. Try taking some of his poop and burying it in the spot in the yard where you want him to do his business.

If your dog refuses to poop outside in the winter, then you can try getting rid of the snow where he usually poops so he can still smell the ground and know that this is where he should go.

Dog won’t poop outside FAQ

Now you know why your dog refuses or is hesitant to poop outside, and what you can do to help him feel more comfortable with it.

But you may still have some questions. If you’re looking for some more answers, here’s a little more information.

How long do I have to stay outside for my puppy to poop?

As helpful as it would be, there’s no timer you can set to tell you when your puppy is going to poop when you take him outside.

Sometimes your puppy may poop right away. Other times you may be going inside and outside with him a few times until he does.

There are a few tricks you can use to make sure your puppy poops outside. One of them is to come up with a routine.

The other thing you can do is take him outside right after he’s eaten. A puppy’s body processes food pretty fast, so if he’s just eaten it won’t be long before he needs to go outside.

My dog won’t poop outside at night, what can I do?

Does your dog seem hesitant to go and do his business at night? There might be something going on outside that’s making him nervous.

You can try using some of the above tips to help him feel more comfortable pooping at night. Things like having a routine and teaching a poop cue will be especially helpful.

You may also want to try taking your dog outside to poop earlier when you know that he’ll be more comfortable pooping.

How long after eating does a dog poop?

When your dog starts eating, the hormones that make his digestive system work notify his colon. Within about 30 minutes, depending on the dog, he’ll need to go outside.

If your dog is a puppy, then he might need to go out and do his business even sooner.

The total number of times that a dog is going to poop in a day will depend on the dog as an individual. Also, some dogs will need to go outside right after eating while others can wait for a couple of hours.

The more time you spend with your dog, the more you’ll get to know his habits. Pay attention to how soon after eating your dog needs to go outside and build a routine around that.

Do dogs revenge poop?

Does it seem like your dog is trying to get back at you by pooping where or when he knows he shouldn’t?

You might be wondering if he’s revenge pooping.

While humans experience emotions like revenge, dog emotions are a little different. They don’t have a drive for vengeance like we sometimes do.

Usually when dogs do things like this, it’s either out of anxiety or a need for attention. Your dog might be pooping because he sees it as the only way to get your focus. Spending time regularly with your dog can help prevent this.

For other dogs, pooping inappropriately is an anxiety response. Easing your dog’s anxiety and building his confidence can help.

What do I do after my dog poops in the house?

If your dog poops in the house, it’s important to follow the right steps to prevent it from happening again.

Don’t punish your dog, since that will only make him more anxious. If you catch him in the act of pooping or immediately after, try taking him outside to show him where he’s supposed to do his business.

Clean the area where he’s pooped thoroughly so the smell doesn’t encourage him to poop there again.

Then make sure you figure out the reason why he pooped in the house so you can work on preventing it in the future.

My dog won’t poop outside but will pee, what’s up with that?

Peeing is probably a lot easier for your dog. Squatting to poop puts him in a more vulnerable position for longer than lifting a leg.

Your dog’s natural instincts might make him feel nervous about being in this position.

You can use the tips we went over to help your dog feel safer pooping in the yard.

Conclusion

If your dog won’t poop outside, that’s probably pretty frustrating for you. Luckily, once you’ve figure out why he’s not pooping, you’ll know what steps to take to help him feel more comfortable.