Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!
Become a member today!
Members-only pricing and offers, personalized care notifications, Vital Care points back on every purchase and more!
Already a member? Sign in
Become a credit card member today!
Earn 2X Pals Rewards points at Petco
when you use Petco Pay!
APPLY NOW
Learn More About Petco Pay Benefits

Puppy pees/poops inside & eats it. How to potty train 3-month old?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Female | unspayed | 3 months and 13 days old | 44 lbs

How do you potty train 3 and half months old puppy? We have a crate, we trained her with that by having schedule. But we want her to be outside the crate for the day time. We still take her out every hour. But she just still randomly pees and poops (then eats it) inside. She can hold pee for up to 7 hours. She just doesn't know she can't do it inside. Should I go back to crate schedule?

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Lindsey Edwards MVB, BSc, IVCA

Veterinarian

Published on November 1st, 2017

I would recommend going back to the crate and then allowing her around the house, in a leash and only under direct supervision after she comes back in from going toilet and try to slowly extend her range, one room at a time for 30-60mins until she has no more accidents and looks to go out. Do not allow free run of the entire house as she will take time to learn her boundaries

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Angel Alvarado, LVT
Licensed Veterinary Technician
Published on January 8th, 2019
At her age, she is still going to have accidents. Most puppies need to go out first thing in the morning and just before bedtime. During the day, she will need to go out about 20-30 minutes after meals or play and after she naps. Watch for signs that she needs to go out. This may include whining, circling or sniffing about.
If she is crated, the general guideline is to crate her for no longer than 1 hour per month of age plus 1 hour before letting her out for relief. This means she should not be crated for more than 4 hours without a potty break.
To feed her, you can use the guidelines on the bag of food. Divide the total amount into 3-5 feedings throughout the day.
3Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Jenny, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on December 20th, 2017
She is young to be trained but the best thing to do is keep her in a kennel while you are gone. Make sure she does not have enough room to owe and lay down somewhere else or she will. While at home feed her twice a day. Try about an hour before you leave so she can eat then go to the bathroom before you leave. Feed her at least 2 hours before bed. Make sure you take her out regularly while you are home so she understands concepts.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Smart Picks for Smart Questions

Related Questions

Training & Behavior

Why does my 3-month puppy poop inside after peeing outside now?

Your puppy is young to be fully house broken, so be patient. If he is busy playing when outside they sometimes forget to poop until they come back in and relax. I recommend you bring him back in, out him in his crate for 5-10 minutes then take him out again to poop. Take him to the same area to pee and poop and reward him with a treat when he goes outside. Please leave him in his crate if you can't watch him so he doesn't learn to poop in the house. Most dogs are not fully housebroken until they are four months or older. Good luck and have fun with Wolfie.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

My 4-month-old puppy poops inside. How can I stop this habit?

Housebreaking puppies can be tough, especially the little guys. With Leo, what I recommend is that when you take him outsid, you go out with him, use a leash if he can’t stay focused and give him 5 minutes to go. Keep saying, Go Potty! or whatever command you want. If he goes, tell him, Yes! And give him treats outside immediately. It’s important to mark that behavior you want. Now, if Leo doesn’t go. Bring him back in and do one of the following- put him in the crate for a bit, carry him around, or leave him on his leash and hold onto him. The trick is to not let him out of your sight or have him in a crate. This is important! Then wait a 5-10 minutes and take him out again. Repeat until he goes. If he stays to go inside, clap your hands, say NO. and take him right out. Reward him profusely when he does go outside. The key is not to let him have an accident inside by watching him like a hawk!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Training & Behavior

What are the best tips for quickly potty training a 3-month-old puppy?

Keep in mind that no method is full proof, and it can takes weeks to months to fully potty train a puppy. It requires time and patience, and I can give you my recommended method for potty training a puppy. Start by keeping your puppy on a regular feeding schedule, and taking away her food between meals. Take her out to potty first thing every morning, and once every 30 minutes to an hour. Always make sure she goes out after meals, first thing when she wakes up from a nap, last thing before bedtime at night, and right before you leave the house. Take her to the same spot each time to go potty. Her scent there will encourage her to go. Stay with her outside each time she goes to potty, at least until she is fully house trained. When she goes outside, praise her and give her a treat. You might want to consider crate training as part of her house training. It allows you to keep an eye on her for signs that she has to go potty, and will teach her to hold it until you put her outdoors. The crate needs to be big enough for her to stand up, turn around, and lie down, but it should not be big enough for her to go potty in.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Training & Behavior

How to stop my 9-month-old puppy from having indoor accidents?

Potty training is tough. Just stay consistent! Use a pet enzymatic cleaner to clean up any accidents in the house. Start noting when the accidents are occurring to see if there is a timeline. If you are gone, she should be in her kennel. Make sure to take her outside 30 minutes after eating. When she goes outside, give her a special treat. When she has an accident, tell her "no" firmly and clean it up without giving her extra attention.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Training & Behavior

How to train a puppy to stop sitting or walking in its own poop?

That is something that she should outgrow. The best thing is to take her outside frequently so she learns to eliminate outside and then pick up the feces after she goes. If she is eliminating in her crate then she probably needs to go out more often.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Training & Behavior

My 3-month-old puppy has potty accidents and chews furniture. What to do?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Jax. Dogs do not gain physical control over urination and defecation until 4-5 months of age. So at 3 months of age, he should not be expected to be potty trained yet. Continue to be consistent with him and praise him when he goes outside. He will have more accidents, but you want him to learn the routine. This way when his body is physically able, he will know to go outside. Puppies can be destructive so he needs to be carefully supervised when out of his crate. Redirect him to something positive such as a toy if he goes near the couch. Then reward him for playing with his toys. I hope this information helps!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Training & Behavior

How to stop my dog from pooping in her crate after being trained?

It sounds like Eli isn't fully potty trained yet. I recommend using the basics. 1) have a set daily schedule. As soon as you wake up take her out, as soon as she's done eating, as soon as she's done playing, and before she goes to bed. 2) meal feeding- this helps determine when she needs to potty. What goes in will push the stool out usually within 15-30 minutes. 3) Use a lot of praise when Eli goes potty outside. Lastly, I recommend making the space within her crate smaller, either by buying a smaller crate or blocking off the back end so she only has enough space to stand up and turn around. If she has enough room to poop in one corner and sleep in another, she will have a hard time separating her bathroom from her den. Good luck and kisses to Eli!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Share