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

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

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | unneutered | 4 months and 8 days old | 3 lbs

When I take my 4 month old puppy outside, he pees but doesn't always poop, instead when we bring him back inside, he looks for a spot to poop inside, how can I break this habit?

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Andrea

Veterinarian

Published on March 11th, 2018

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!

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Makenzie Kurth, DVM
Veterinarian
I’m sorry to hear about Leo! Housetraininf can be a frustrating part of puppyhood. The trick here is repetition and patience. It sounds like Leo consistently goes poop after his pee/walk so this helps you with timing. I would take him out, let him pee and walk, and then extend the walk by 5-10 minutes. If he does his business outside, praise him quietly while he’s going, and more enthusiastically when he finishes. If he still won’t go outside (likely), come in as usual. As soon as he starts putting his nose to the ground, circling, etc. pick him up and go directly outside. Wait 5-10 minutes outside and try variations of walking or staying in a small area. You may have to do this many times in a row until he finally gets the idea poops outside. Be as diligent as possible but if iou happen to catch him pooping inside, carry him immediately outside and praise him lavishly -even if most or all of the poop ended up in your home. If you didn’t catch him in the act, scolding will not do anything and may in fact make him scared to poop in front of you -which is definitely the opposite of what you want.

All this is admittedly annoying, but generally works well within a few days to weeks. Hang in there and hope this helps! Best of luck to you and Leo!
0Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA
Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer
Published on January 29th, 2018
I see that Leo is only about three months old. It's completely normal that he isn't signaling you to go outside yet - he's still just a baby, and likely doesn't even realize he needs to go in time to let you know. For now, you should be taking him out every 20-30 minutes for potty breaks (or even more often, if he's still having accidents), and rewarding him for using the bathroom outside.

As he gets older and starts to develop a preference for doing his business outside, he will start to let you know when he needs to go - most dogs do this by whining, barking at the door, or standing and staring at you intently. I would not expect to see this until Leo is at least 8-10 months old, or even older in some cases - so for now, just be patient and give him lots of potty breaks.

Here is some additional info on potty training for puppies, if you need some other tips: https://www.petcoach.co/article/7-rules-for-effective-housetraining/0
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

Training & Behavior

Help! My Lab puppy poops everywhere. How do I teach him to go outside?

Choose one area outside and use that for elimination. Do not leave Coco unsupervised indoors. He should be crated or on a leash attached to your hip. Monitor for his cues that he needs to go out. This may include circling, whining or sniffing about. Take him outside immediately to the chosen area and wait. No walks, no playing, just wait. Once he does his business, praise and reward him. You can also use attractant sprays to get hom to go in the chosen spot. Be consistent. At his age though, expect "accidents".

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Training & Behavior

Why does my dog pee outside but always poop inside on furniture?

You may need to spend more time with him outside. Wait him out, and when he does go poop outside, give him lots of praise and give him a treat. You may also want to consider crate training him. Get him a crate that is big enough for him to stand up and turn around in. Make it comfortable, in a nice quiet place, with his blankets and toys. If he's stubborn and won't go outside, put him in his crate and close it. If he cries, give him a few minutes to settle down, but if he persists, he may be letting you know he needs to go potty. By giving him just enough room, but not too much, your giving him a 'den' so to speak. Dogs are very reluctant to soil the place where they sleep, so by confining him, you're presenting him with a choice; ask to go out and get the job done, or possible make a mess and have to be stuck with it for a little while. When he has gone potty, put him in his crate but don't shut it. The presence of his blankets and a toy will reinforce to him that the crate is a nice place that is all his own.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Training & Behavior

Help! How do I stop my puppy from peeing and pooping indoors?

Potty training your dog or puppy can sometimes be a challenging task. However, with the steps below and a a lot of patience, you can have your dog potty trained quickly! Keeping a schedule, focusing on times when your dog needs to go, keeping the area clean, and stopping accidents before they happen will make the potty training process much easier. The steps are; Keep a routine- Most dogs will need to go out about 5-15 minutes after activities such as eating and drinking, playing, or waking up from a nap Know your dog's body: puppies, the rule of thumb is that they can hold their bladder at most 1 hour per month of age. This means a 2-month old puppy can hold his potty for a maximum of 2 hours. This is just a general rule and smaller dogs or those with bladder control issues may need even more frequent outings. Be sure to never let your dog go more than 8 hours without a potty break to prevent hurting their bladder! Keep in mind health issues Not punish your dog Cleanup after accidents as the scent attracts them to repeat accidents. Here is a link to puppy pads to help while you Are still training; Www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=37282 Here is an excellent resource to help you as you proceed; https://www.petcoach.co/article/7-rules-for-effective-housetraining/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/6-common-reasons-for-potty-accidents-in-dogs/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/top-5-tips-to-potty-train-your-dog-young-and-old/

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

My puppy won't potty outside. How do I get him to go outdoors?

Put him on a leash and take him outside to his designated spot. Do not walk around. Just stand there and repeat "go outside" or a similar phrase. As soon as he starts to go, repeat "go outside" and praise "good dog!" as he goes. When he is finished, or if it appears that he is not going to go, bring him inside but do not remove the leash, e3ven if he has done his business. Attach it to your belt loop and keep him with you. Don’t let him out of your sight! When you see him start to circle or sniff, take him right outdoors again and repeat the process. If he does mess in the house, do not scold him unless you actually catch him in the act. In that case, say "NO!" and take him right outside. Tell him to "go outside" and praise as he finishes. Keep him in a crate at night, or for short periods when you are not at home. For further assistance, click on the prompt to start a consult, where we can discuss this at length.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Training & Behavior

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

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

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Training & Behavior

My 11-month-old puppy still poops inside. How do I house train him?

Proper house training requires constant supervision until the pet is 100% house trained. You need to always crate Simba until he is fully housebroken. https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-crate-train-your-puppy-or-older-dog/ I hope this helps.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Have A Vet Question?

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

Share