# Won't go to bathroom outside



## Lbrown1687 (Oct 18, 2012)

Ok, so I am sure you've had this question a million times.... My puppy is 12 weeks old (Cooper). I brought him home 3 days ago, and he WILL NOT go to the bathroom outside. I can tell when he needs to go, and as soon as I see him sniffing around, I put him outback and say "bathroom"...nothing. Then he comes into the house and pees. Yesterday I caught him mid act of pooping and I put him on the puppy pad because I couldn't get him out in time. The next time he had to poop, he went right to the puppy pad. As for peeing, he won't go outside or on pad. I had him outside for 30 minutes because I knew he had to go. I finally brought him in, and he started to pee on floor..but I was able to get the last of it on the puppy pad.


Any suggestions??? I know he hasn't been here too long, but i could use some help. I also put him out about every hour and use the same word "bathroom".

Thanks  
Lindsay


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## sugerlump (Oct 6, 2012)

cockapoo are funny dogs.my ginger is all most house broken, she will tell you when she has to go. but every now and then she will look you right in the eye and poop on the floor.,don't ask me why.and even after i had her out..but yours is still a little young .i think if you just stick with it you will win out ,,that is all i can say good luck.my ginger is 6 months old she should know better ,i think she just like to see me get mad Haa Haa ,,,Lumpy


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## wellerfeller (Jul 12, 2011)

Try going out with him rather than just putting him out n his own. Wander around with him and fuss/treat him when he does go. He will soon get the idea. You are just having to slightly change what he has already learned from his breeders training, it should be quite a quick process. Good luck!


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## Lozzie (Apr 1, 2012)

The box our puppy pads came in suggested that you train them to reliably go on that and then gradually move it nearer to the door and then outside. That's not how we did it, we did it the way you're doing it and stayed outside with them until they produced- it still didn't work like that every time though!! If your puppy is happy to go on the pads maybe try it that way? It is normally a bit of a nightmare when they're that tiny but they do get better!


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## Marzi (Sep 17, 2012)

Karen is right - whatever the weather you need to be taking him out, not just putting him out and be readyto be out for a long, long time!
It gets so much easier when you are taking them for walks - neither of mine will poop in the garden, but put the lead on and walk 20 yards down the road and Kiki will poop immediately, Inzi prefers to be off lead and goes to find a secret place, she does not like being watched!!
Other thing you could try is getting a friend to come round with their dog and take them out in the garden together, older dogs usually scent mark everywhere and then the pup will go smell where they have peeed and do the same.
Remember the mantra 'It is a stage'. good luck it won't go on for ever!


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## Janene1968 (Aug 7, 2012)

I'm still having problems with my Pup, it's a case of having tone patient I'm afraid. My pu Bess wil go outside to the toilet and every time she does she gets a treat, in fact she sits in the hall looking at the bag when she comes back in. Although she goes outside she is still going inside as well, I've started limiting her access to water as otherwise she pees every 15 minutes! At 12 weeks they're still cabbies and just need to grasp the idea. I would definitely try giving a treat every time they toilet outside.


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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

Restricting water intake can lead to kidney damage so not something I would ever do - and being thirsty and not able to drink is both uncomfortable and likely to lead to gulping water when allowed.

Chance is now 4 months old and mostly reliable - but she will ask to go out then get distracted when out so it really is just a case of being patient, staying with them and accepting that accidents are usually our fault rather than theirs!


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## Lovecockapoo2 (Nov 2, 2012)

My breeder suggested to me to take him out when you know he has to go. If he doesn't go then bring him inside and hold him for about ten minutes. Then take him back out to go use the bathroom. Keep repeating until he does go. We did this for about a week. Our cockapoo is 12 weeks and two days old. Very close in age


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## Lbrown1687 (Oct 18, 2012)

Thanks guys! I do go outside with him whenever he is out there. Last night I knew he had to go, so I went out with him for 20 minutes...nothing. We came in he looked like he was about to pee so we went out again for 10 minutes....nothing. He was running around and then would lay in the grass. I brought him in, and within 5 minutes he peed on the floor.


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## Von (Nov 1, 2012)

Have you got him on a lead when you take him out? I also read somewhere to give them 5 minutes outside on the lead, if no result take them back in. Wait 5 - 10 minutes, then go out again. Go back in after 5 minutes if no result .... Repeat until success then praise like mad. Big treats etc. having them on a lead helps them to realise the difference between going out for a general sniff around/ free play etc and going out for a particular purpose, in this case to pee.


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## Lbrown1687 (Oct 18, 2012)

Thanks! I will try the lead. It doesn't help that it poured rain for 2 days straight during our training along with 40 mph winds, and now we are getting snow to tomorrow . I am VERY nervous that he is learning bad potty behaviors.


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## Cat 53 (Aug 26, 2012)

No need to give food treats all the time either. Lots of fuss and verbal praise works just as well. Treat rewarding for toilet training has led to some problems from owners on this site.


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## Kody&Beau (Aug 18, 2012)

Hi Lindsay,
It can take a good few months to get pups 100% toileting outside, I would suggest initially when he does toilet outside give him a tasty treat and a big fuss with lots of praise once he's got the hang of it you can forget the treat and just praise him. There are a few times during the day when you can almost guarantee they want to wee & poo....first thing upon waking from bedtime,after waking from a nap,after playing and after eating if you can try and get him outside after any of these I'm sure he will need to toilet once you've mastered him with these it's also a case of looking for signs like excessive sniffing and circling. My biggest tip to give you is limit the rooms he is allowed in unsupervised I kept mine in the kitchen unless I was with them in another room also place a puppy pad as near to the door you use to go out to the garden if he uses the pad still praise him because you can then move this outside as time goes on. You may find with all the rain etc hes just not too keen on going outside. Good luck x


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## Von (Nov 1, 2012)

Lbrown1687 said:


> Thanks! I will try the lead. It doesn't help that it poured rain for 2 days straight during our training along with 40 mph winds, and now we are getting snow to tomorrow . I am VERY nervous that he is learning bad potty behaviors.


If it's any consolation, Meadow was about 15 weeks before she became anywhere near reliable, and still had the odd accident if we didn't pick up the cues quickly enough. She had a bit of a relapse the week she was spayed which I put down to post anasthaesia, and I always tried to look on it as my fault rather than hers. She would have nothing to do with pee pads other than to tear around with them in the house, ripping them to shreds, which was a pity, because we too had persistent rain for about a fortnight when we first had her. I found that if I took her to the same patch of garden, which was sheltered a little from the worst of the rain by a pine tree, and just stood there for a while with her on the lead she would eventually 'perform'. She also took herself under the patio table on occasions too- she HATED getting wet. Now of course she spends most of her time in puddles, the deeper the better, but still is hesitant about going out in the garden to pee when it rains! Which feels like most of the time at the moment


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## sugerlump (Oct 6, 2012)

they get distracted so easily,and then for get to pee' ginger is 6 months old and still goes out for 15 to 20 minutes playing with me and then comes in and goes on the floor .but she know she did wrong cause she will look ashamed, but it happens ,,you just have to be patient ok .it will all work out '....Lumpy


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## Lbrown1687 (Oct 18, 2012)

Thanks so much! Cooper has gone pee on puppy pad 3x today, so I guess that's better than the floor. I didn't want to use puppy pads, but I have to start somewhere. After a day or 2, I am going to move the pad closer to the back door. It just stinks because the back door is downstairs. I am thinking of moving puppy pad toward front door, this way we can take him out front but he would have to be on a leash all the time...where as the backyard is fenced in but is down the stairs and around the bend. What does everyone think? 

Sugar Lump I see you're from PA..do you mind me asking where at? I live in Philadelphia. 

Thanks again everyone!!


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