Why is my dog so picky about where she chooses to poop outside?

Unfortunately, getting your dog to the use the bathroom in one very specific spot is not gong to be easy if it has run of a large area. Generally speaking, dogs natural behavior is to sniff and search for a spot that they see as suitable to mark their territory. They seldom utilize the same spot multiple times unless they see a reason to do so. That being said, if you can provide some sort of reward for your dog for using the spot that you had in mind, this might up your chances for success with Coco. The other option would be confining Coco to a smaller area until she is using the spot that you'd prefer. Once she is using this spot with some regularity, try expanding her freedom in small amounts day by day. Hope this makes sense.

Since Molly cannot talk, we will never know. Dogs are individuals and can be quirky just like humans. I recommend to go outside with her every time she potties to make sure that she uses the bathroom appropriately and so you don’t have a mess to clean up. If the stool appears abnormal or she appears to have problems with incontinence, I recommend to have Molly examined by her veterinarian. Best of luck.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It sounds like either a preference or a timing thing. Preference- Some dogs prefer sidewalks or roads and will wait until you get to that kind of surface to do their business. Timing- you’d be surprised at how predictable a dog’s potty schedule can be. When I lived in an apartment, my dog would go potty exactly 8 minutes into our walk- regardless of where we were. So if you’d prefer he go on the grass, try changing up your walk pattern so that you’re on the grass at his usual “time”. Best of luck to you and Cooper!

The two most common reasons for this problem are either a medical problem or a behavioral problem. I would recommend starting with having your veterinarian check a fecal sample on Chloe. My dog starting having accidents like you describe when she was around a year old, and we found a microscopic intestinal parasite. Once we treated it, her accidents stopped. The other possibility is that Chloe is holding her stool on a walk because she wants the walk to continue. If that is the case, then I would try to find a location with a large number of dog smells to encourage her to go in that location. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It's very common for males to urinate quickly when they're taken outside, since they have a higher behavioral drive to urine mark on things. Females are often more picky about finding a spot! :) To help with this problem, I would recommend carrying treats in your pocket so that you can reward your female dog immediately as soon as she pees outside - once she learns that this will earn a treat, she should be much more motivated to pee quickly when you take her out. This is how we normally teach puppies to potty on cue outside, but it works equally well for adult dogs.

I'm sorry to hear that you're having this problem with Soska. This is a common issue for dogs who have been punished for having housetraining accidents - they become afraid to pee or poop in front of the owner, which then makes it extremely difficult to teach them where to go. I would recommend going back to basics with Soska and starting over with her housetraining as if she were a puppy. This means taking her out frequently for potty breaks, and rewarding with praise and a treat as soon as she poops outside. Inside, she needs to be supervised at all times to prevent any opportunity for accidents. You may need to be very patient at first, since if she is afraid to "go" in front of you, it will take her a long time to trust you again. See our article on housetraining for more information on how to teach her where to potty: https://www.petcoach.co/article/7-rules-for-effective-housetraining

Some dogs just keep moving when they eliminate feces. The only reason I can see for that is that they are sort of disgusted with their own feces and therefore "run away from it" in order to not step in it. It also can just be a habit. Moving also helps loosen the stool so it can come out easier. It is nothing to worry about.