Won't go to the bathroom outside


Summerinohio

New Member
Hi, I recently adopted the sweetest little eight year old Dachshund from a local shelter. She's an amazing dog who's fitting in perfectly with my family. She loves us and our kitties. The only problem is she isn't housebroken. I was told that she was but she clearly isn't.

Housebreaking her wouldn't be a problem but she's very strange. She will only go to the bathroom on carpet. I take her out hourly and go for at least two walks a day but she has never gone outside. She also won't use the puppy pads and news paper I set out. She will not go on concrete or in the rooms with tiled floors. Only carpet.

She sleeps in a crate and every morning I take her out and go straight outside and we'll sit there as she howls begging to go inside. She clearly has to go to the bathroom badly but will not go. I've sat outside with her hours at a time and she will not go. She isn't afraid of the grass, she enjoys being out there when we're playing or going for walks. She just simply will not go to the bathroom out there. I've bought that spray that is suppose to smell and make them want to go but it did nothing.

It's just confusing to me. Nothing I do will make her go anywhere else. She's held it up to 15 hours before because I wouldn't let her on the carpet. I don't want her to get sick from holding it too long but I can't have her going to the bathroom all over the house. I'd be happy if she'd just go on one of the puppy pads but she won't. I've soaked up some of her urine on one but she won't even bother smelling it, let alone use it. I thought she might have problems smelling but she has no problem smelling food.

I'm desperate for some tips. I really don't want to have to return her but if I can't figure out a way to get her to either go outside or on a pad I don't think I'll be able to keep her. It would break my heart to have to give up this dog.
 

vizzla

New Member
I think she may need some time to get used to your home, since you recently adopted her.
I have no other advice than what you allready doing. Talk to a vet if they have any magic tricks.
Maybe she doesnt feel safe outside? Scared of anything?
 

sherlock

New Member
Do you know if she was in a good home before? It may have been that wherever she was before she went to the shelter, she could only potty on the carpet at all, so that's what she's used to.

Sadly I don't know what else to say...I hope you can figure something out, because that is just so darn frustrating :(
 
Interesting how our dogs can be so quirky.

PD will go in the grass, but when we go on walks, his favorite spot is across the street, near the middle of the street. It doesn't matter which side of the street we are on, he has to go to the other side.

If he hasn't been on a walk in a while, he'll choose our backyard sidewalk over the grass. :confused:

Maybe your dog is looking for a smooth flat surface?
 

Summerinohio

New Member
Thanks for the replies.

She finally went poop outside today on one of our walks!! I can't tell you how excited I got :D now I just need her to go pee!

She was with her former owners her whole life, someone in the family passed away and that's how she ended up at the shelter. I fear there might have been some abuse and neglect in her old home. I'm thinking that's why I'm having such trouble housebreaking her. But with a lot of love and attention I'm hoping to have her fully housebroken soon.
 
Or, she may still be grieving.

I've read that dogs don't poop in the house out of anger, but I'm not so sure.

The only time Henry pooped in our house was right after we had dropped him off at a dog groomers for the first and only time. It sure looked like he was making a statement!

PD has also pooped in the house rarely, and only after he's had an exceptionally frustrating time convincing his owners (us) to listen to him.
 

Penny

New Member
When we got Engli she was paper and outside trained. She always peed on blankets and it was very annoying when the blanket was on the couch! Nothing like sitting in ice cold pee. We had a male that was peeing on the papers too, so you would think it would be a piece of cake. Nope. lol She would hold it a long time too. I think she was very unsure in our place and it took time for her to settle in and be comfortable.

Can you leash her to you inside the house? She can't find the carpet if she's leashed to you. Maybe keep her in an xpen with a pee pad if it's been a few hours.

I kept papers in the kitchen with baby gate up and waited and waited, said 'Go pee' a hundred times. She finally did and YAY! took the baby gate down and played with her and gave her access to the rest of the house. What a great reward. She is very play motivated so that really worked for us. When some hours had gone by, we put the baby gate up again in the kitchen and waited, and at some point she knew to run to the papers, have a pee, and the gate came down.

I understand your frustration. She'll be able to feel your frustration and it will make her more nervous and then harder to train. She'll figure it out, just give it more time. She'll be a lovely sweet girl for you! I am so glad we waited it out for Engli. She is the reason the other 2 came to live with us, she is such a delightful and charming little thing. We really would have missed out on a great dog if we gave her back.
 

sherlock

New Member
I've read that dogs don't poop in the house out of anger, but I'm not so sure.
Dr. Watson totally gets angry poops, usually right outside the bedroom or bathroom door when I don't let him follow me in there. And he knows it's bad, cause when I come out he'll hop right into his crate cause he knows he's in trouble! And I know it's not that he needed to go outside, cause he'll just leave a couple of little ones, not like he just had to go right then.
 

vizzla

New Member
Interesting how our dogs can be so quirky.

PD will go in the grass, but when we go on walks, his favorite spot is across the street, near the middle of the street. It doesn't matter which side of the street we are on, he has to go to the other side.

If he hasn't been on a walk in a while, he'll choose our backyard sidewalk over the grass. :confused:

Maybe your dog is looking for a smooth flat surface?
Haha just so dachshund :) "my way" :)
 
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