# My french bulldog will only pee outside but not poop...no backyard



## Skav (Jul 24, 2011)

Hi there,

I have a french bulldog. She's a rescue dog that I was given by my mother who is into the bulldog scene. 

Anyway, she is three years old and was put into "care" when her owner died of older age. 

I put wet pads down for her during the night so she can go to the toilet but that's been hit and miss. Some days she does her poops and wee's on the pads, other days she will do them on the floor.

I have no back yard so I have to take her out to my front to let her do her business. I have had her for a week and she has never done a poop outside once. She is getting better with her wees outside, however and rarely wees in my place throughout the day now.

She has been riding her bottom on the floor a lot which suggests that she has problems with her anal glands so I am taking her to the vet tomorrow. She is also licking her paws, so maybe her nails are long. I'll ask the vet about that, too.

I live on a busy road, and she can be easily distracted by what is going on around her, but she will still eventually do her wees. 

Does anybody have a suggestion in regards to pooping? 

I have read many different opinions. Some have said to make her smell the poop, take the wet pads away, take the poop outside or just ignore what she has done and continue to take her outside and hope that she improves with it.

What shall I really do?

I have a cat, too, but the dog had lived with a cat before and she's no bother with that.

Any help is appreciated, thanks!


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## ChaosIsAWeim (Feb 12, 2011)

I know this will sound strange and crazy but trust me it works. Light a match, blow it out, and stick it up the frenchie's butt, give it some time and the dog should go, or you could wet the match and stick it up the butt, I have heard of both methods and seen both done. 

Praise the dog when she poops. 

I would take her to the vet first to make sure there is nothing medically wrong, which there shouldn't be if she poops indoors, she is just stubborn like my frenchie used to be (trained to a litter pan because she was born during winter and there were heavy snow storms at the time).


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## Skav (Jul 24, 2011)

Thanks for the tip! I have just done some research on this and many say that it should not be used as a training technique and that it should only really be used if the dog has physical trouble going to the toilet. I don't know if that would be suitable for my situation. 

Also, what about during the night? Shall I take the pads away in the hope that she eventually learns to hold it? She was house broken with her previous owner.


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## Skav (Jul 24, 2011)

My dog actually went poopy outside the same day that I wrote my first post during the night, so that's good. But she has only done it that once since. She's holding it until I go to bed and doing it in the hall throughout the night.

I have been told to bring her meal time forward to mid-day, so I have just fed her. I cannot see her holding it for 11 or 12 hours or so. We'll see what happens!


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## lisahi (Jun 19, 2011)

When a dog poops he/she is in a vulnerable position. If there's a lot of ruckus around and the dog doesn't feel secure, the dog may decide to wait.

My puppy has kind of the same problem, but I believe it's more of a distraction issue. She gets distracted very easily and has the attention span of a flea. I've seen her start to poop outside, hear a noise and then not go for another few hours. As I type this she is at home having not pooped since 6:30 in the morning. She was just too distracted with butterflies and cars and leaves and smells and birds and people to do anything more than pee when I took her outside.

A suggestion is to do what I still need to start doing--giving high value treats to your dog when she finally *does* poop outside. I'm talking warm hot dog or boiled chicken pieces or whatever food she likes best. For my puppy, her regular training treats don't work outside. I need to find something she can't resist.


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

My advice would be to potty train her as if she was a puppy. You've had her about a week, she's in a new environment, with new sights, sounds, smells, people, etc. Plus, there's really know way of knowing what her previous owner did when the dog needed to potty. So, the best thing, IMO, would be to start from the beginning with potty training. That way, you are teaching her what YOU'D like her to do in her new home.

So, take her out as often as you can. Even if she doesn't actually HAVE to go at the time, you're still laying a foundation, saying the magic potty words, etc. Plus the more often you take her out, the more likely it is that you'll have her out when she actually needs to go! 
Give her lots of praise, and a high value treat when she does go.

You also might try picking up her poop (when she goes in the house) and taking it outside, so she can smell it next time you take her out to go.

And, I think, do away with the pads. If you're worried that she'll need to go during the night, set your alarm for around 1-2 am and take her out. IMO (and I did use pads with my first puppy) the pads can make the dog think it's ok to go pee/poop on anything remotely pad like, like door mats, throw rugs, bath mats, whatever.


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## Skav (Jul 24, 2011)

Thanks!

My mother suggested crate training so I'm going to get one of those.

I did away with the pads a couple of days ago. She has pooped every night since then but there was one night when she didn't urinate, which was good. I'm taking her out often. She's doing very well with her pees. I just have to sort out the poops. I will try the treat thing.


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