Sorta repost, but still need some help from the dog people
I brought this up before, but we're still having zero luck.
We got a puppy a few months ago. He is now about 8 months old. He absolutely, completely, 100% refuses to poop outside while on a leash that is held by a human. He will pee outside with no issues, then as soon as you bring him back inside, he will find a spot in the house where no one can see him and poop on the floor.
At the suggestions of both the lounge and a professional trainer, we dedicated a weekend to taking him outside for a good 20-30 minutes at a time and if he didn't poop, he went back in his kennel. Just because it felt a bit mean after awhile, we stopped putting him in the kennel and would keep him on his leash indoors and clip the leash to our belt so he couldn't wander off. On a typical day where he would poop 3-4 times, he never pooped once. He went well over 24 hours. Then we did it again the following day with the same result.
If you leave him alone, he will poop in the house. If you put him on a long tether in the backyard and leave him alone, he will poop there. But if a human is holding his leash, he WILL. NOT. POOP. Ever.
I know the key is to praise him like he just won WWII when he does. But we can't get to that point. This is an absolute, complete refusal to ever, EVER poop while on a leash.
The point is we would like to enroll him in a training program to help with some other (minor, but still important to resolve) behavioral issues. But one of the trainer's requirements is that he be fully trained to pee and poop outdoors while on a leash. They can't just turn a dog loose outside for insurance purposes.
We're at a complete loss for how to get anywhere with this that doesn't involve taking a week off of work and tethering someone to the dog 24 hours a day. I really thought going a whole weekend would have done the trick, but that was an absolute failure.
Any suggestions?
For some backstory, I've never had a dog before this one. So I have no experience or basis of comparison to work with.
Posted: 01/08/2026 at 08:58 AM ET
Thread Replies (20)
Sorta repost, but still need some help from the dog people
◄
-- Tafkam Hokie
Jan 08, 2026 at 08:58 AM ET
Tafkam Hokie
•
01/08/26 08:58 AM ET
More walking. Go far enough and something will happen. Good luck**
-- Nzane4vtNnc
Jan 08, 2026 at 03:14 PM ET
Nzane4vtNnc
•
01/08/26 03:14 PM ET
My thoughts....you are trying to do two things at once. Can you try to
-- Hokebury
Jan 08, 2026 at 12:46 PM ET
Hokebury
•
01/08/26 12:46 PM ET
Try an invisible fence. Let him go outside without a leash.**
-- mancunian
Jan 08, 2026 at 12:11 PM ET
mancunian
•
01/08/26 12:11 PM ET
We actually got a GPS collar, but haven't completed the training on that
-- Tafkam Hokie
Jan 08, 2026 at 12:26 PM ET
Tafkam Hokie
•
01/08/26 12:26 PM ET
Is this training you want to do like a residential situation?
-- JoesterVT
Jan 08, 2026 at 12:36 PM ET
JoesterVT
•
01/08/26 12:36 PM ET
I foster dogs. and the foster dog learns from what my dog does.
-- VT_NOVA
Jan 08, 2026 at 11:27 AM ET
VT_NOVA
•
01/08/26 11:27 AM ET
We've tried the dog park trick, and that hasn't really worked either.
-- Tafkam Hokie
Jan 08, 2026 at 12:28 PM ET
Tafkam Hokie
•
01/08/26 12:28 PM ET
Have you tried pooping outside yourself while holding his leash?**
-- Nova Hokie 95
Jan 08, 2026 at 12:30 PM ET
Nova Hokie 95
•
01/08/26 12:30 PM ET
…and don’t forget to call Wade Blasingame**
-- chumley
Jan 08, 2026 at 08:47 PM ET
chumley
•
01/08/26 08:47 PM ET
that'll only work if he poops while letting the dog hold his lease**
-- ME Hokie 07
Jan 08, 2026 at 05:15 PM ET
ME Hokie 07
•
01/08/26 05:15 PM ET
When he poops inside...immediately take him to it, put his nose close....
-- BleedinOandM
Jan 08, 2026 at 11:19 AM ET
BleedinOandM
•
01/08/26 11:19 AM ET
You sound like my father. By doing what you suggest, he will think you are
-- Hokebury
Jan 08, 2026 at 12:40 PM ET
Hokebury
•
01/08/26 12:40 PM ET
Sounds like a problem you need to work out with your dom
-- Tafkam Hokie
Jan 08, 2026 at 12:09 PM ET
Tafkam Hokie
•
01/08/26 12:09 PM ET
And this is further evidence of reincarnation. I mean, who...who amongst us
-- Coach McGuirk
Jan 08, 2026 at 11:20 AM ET
Coach McGuirk
•
01/08/26 11:20 AM ET
Husbands would never poop...**
-- TomTurkey
Jan 08, 2026 at 11:17 AM ET
TomTurkey
•
01/08/26 11:17 AM ET
Need more info...What kind of dog? how long is your leash?...
-- vthhhi
Jan 08, 2026 at 10:16 AM ET
vthhhi
•
01/08/26 10:16 AM ET
Dog is a mix, but primarily a red bone coon hound. Not sure of the exact
-- Tafkam Hokie
Jan 08, 2026 at 12:19 PM ET
Tafkam Hokie
•
01/08/26 12:19 PM ET
well- you take it and throw it where you want him to go
-- bigbadbird
Jan 08, 2026 at 09:05 AM ET
bigbadbird
•
01/08/26 09:05 AM ET
We do spot clean the indoor messes with an aggressive enzyme cleaner.
-- Tafkam Hokie
Jan 08, 2026 at 09:43 AM ET
Tafkam Hokie
•
01/08/26 09:43 AM ET