# Puppy won't poop outside



## Mizbhyvn74 (Nov 18, 2011)

As some of you might know, about 2 weeks ago we adopted about a 3 month old puppy. I started crate training him from advice here and friends and it seemed to be going well. So well in fact, that since I am home most of the week I have been able to keep him out of the crate during the day, unless I am super busy and can't watch him. 

At first he would go his full business outside. But the last week, he will go out to pee, even at times let us know by pawing at the door to go out. He goes out, pees quickly and then immediately wants back into the house. It has been warm, so I have not found any reason why he can't stay outside for at least 5 minutes, if not more to poop. Instead of pooping he scratches incessantly and cries and whines at the door. Then, before I figured him out, he will be in the house sometimes no longer then 5 minutes and I catch him trying to poop on the carpet. 

What the heck is going on? Why won't he just stay out long enough to go fully?


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## DustyCrockett (Sep 24, 2011)

He poops when he feels the need to poop, which won't be nearly so frequently as urination. Of course he should stay outside when you want him to, but personally I don't see a reason not to let him in when he's ready. His senses are still developing, and it won't be long before the outside world gets a whole lot more interesting to him.

If you feed on a regular schedule, his BM's should be fairly regular also, usually (not always) shortly after eating. When you catch him, I guess you interrupt, rush him outside to finish, and reward him generously? Just a thought -- try crating him for 10 or 15 minutes after he comes in then taking him out again.


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## Mizbhyvn74 (Nov 18, 2011)

DustyCrockett said:


> He poops when he feels the need to poop, which won't be nearly so frequently as urination. Of course he should stay outside when you want him to, but personally I don't see a reason not to let him in when he's ready. His senses are still developing, and it won't be long before the outside world gets a whole lot more interesting to him.


This is what I mean though, if he doesn't stay out to poop in the morning when we all first get up, then he most definitely poops very soon after coming in. He seems to be afraid of the outdoors. My parents (who live out in the county) claim it's because he's an inside dog. I beg to differ. We took him out to their house yesterday, and my Mom has hardwood floors and refused to have the dog indoors. So he spent a little time outside, but he didn't hyperventilate at the door there like he does here. He sat at the door quietly and then my Mom took him to the garage with my Dad and he happily sat in there for the duration of our visit. 

I've learned very quickly that he has to poop in the mornings and if he's not left outside long enough, he most definitely poops in the house. It's happened so many times now that it's pretty easy to guess what's going to happen. 




> If you feed on a regular schedule, his BM's should be fairly regular also, usually (not always) shortly after eating. When you catch him, I guess you interrupt, rush him outside to finish, and reward him generously? Just a thought -- try crating him for 10 or 15 minutes after he comes in then taking him out again.


I have taken to putting out two small cup fulls of food out in the morning, and when that's gone I don't put anymore out until the evening, usually when we are making supper. Usually he has a bit left over from both, but I have not bothered taking any out after his initial eating. 

He also has bad gas, very stinky. I thought at first it was because of the treats, so I stopped the treats, but it's still happening. And it's not just from the back end, he does seems to burp a lot as well. I think it might be due to the Kibbles and Bits dog food that my husband bought. I am contemplating taking the unopened bag to the SPCA as a donation and spending some quality time looking for a good dog food. 

All this I am sure will contribute to his bowl movements. lol It's just the fact that I've learned that if he doesn't go on his first potty outside in the morning, then I am spending time scrubbing it off the carpet.


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## DustyCrockett (Sep 24, 2011)

I think when they pass gas a lot (without having eaten anything unusual), it means they need a different food. Don't change foods suddenly though, he'll get diarrhea; mix the new with the old, starting with a little and increasing the proportion over a few days. You could crate him for 15 minutes or so after eating, before putting him outside, or stay out there and play with him for awhile if you like, until he poops.

I doubt he's afraid to be outside, more likely just not interested in it yet, it's way more fun to be inside with the family. Dogs are social creatures, and he's still a baby. In about 2 weeks, he'll want to spend some time wandering around the yard, discovering what all that stuff smells like.


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## Mizbhyvn74 (Nov 18, 2011)

He did great at my parents, after he warmed up to their dog. She's about 1.5-2 and very rambunctious. He didn't want to have much to do with her at first, then after he went into the garage he warmed up to her and by the time we left they were playing together. He does love his walks, sniffs at things and seems to genuinely like it. There is just such a dramatic difference between him at my parents and him here at home, while outside. 

Will try what you suggested, and see how things go. Thanks! BTW can you or anyone else recommend a good quality dog food that won't drain my wallet?


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

The thing with quality foods is, you usually have to feed LESS of them, since they have quality ingredients and less fillers. Inexpensive, non-quality foods usually have more fillers, so it requires more food to get the right amount of actual nutrients. So, the increase in cost usually isn't as bad as people think, since you have to use less food with each feeding.
We have fed Canidae All Life Stages, which worked well for us, and we are currently using Blue Buffalo.

I would really recommend NOT free feeding, but following recommendations on the bag (basically, or even just a bit less). Put down 1/2 of the recommended amount in the morning. If he doesn't eat it in 15 minutes, pick it up. Then, do the same in the evening. It will make it so much easier if you have two set feeding times, and take the food away after that. If he's able to eat whenever he likes (as long as there is food left in the bowl), it will be much harder to estimate when he has to poop.

One thing that might help is to keep a journal. Write down when you feed, and when he poops/pees, etc. That way, you can come to some conclusions, like, perhaps if you feed him at 7 am, you may find that he usually has to poop by 7:20 or so. That way, you know when to expect it, and can work a bit harder at keeping him outside. It's different for each dog, the amount of time that goes by after eating, before pooping. Our boy, about 15 minutes, our girl, sometimes 30-40 minutes....


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## Red Fraggle (Nov 23, 2011)

Are you just letting him out or going out with him? If you're letting him out, he's not staying outside to poop because he's lonely and because he's not house-trained yet. If you go out with him for a while, play with him, take him for a walk, stay out and keep him company until he decides he needs to poop, the praise him like crazy when he does, he should catch on before long. Once he's older and fully trained, you should be able to let him out and trust him to do his business, but right now, he needs you with him to reinforce his good behaviour when he does poop.

As far as food goes, take your dog to a pet-food store and ask them to recommend a quality food for him. What people don't always realize when they try to save money by buying cheap food at the grocery store is that it is so full of fillers that your dog will eat MUCH MORE of it, costing you just as much as buying a more expensive, healthier food. Then, to boot, having your dog on a lower quality food could result in an unhealthy dog and more vet bills. You can get a mid-range food if you want something a little cheaper than the top-top-top of the line stuff if you like. Also, if you have a costco in your area, Kirkland is a 4/5 star food at a very reasonable price. A wealth of info on dog food can be found here: http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/

Just stay away from buying your kibbles and the grocery store. Most of what you can find there is ranked as a 1 or 2 star food and not likely to provide optimal nutrition for any dog. Kibbles and Bits specifically, is the nutritional equivalent of feeding your kids nothing but hot dogs and kraft dinner.


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