Why does my puppy refuse to go potty outside?
Fear and anxiety are the most common reasons why a puppy refuses to urinate outside and continues to have accidents inside the house. There is a chance that your pup had a bad experience while being outside on a potty break and is now scared of reliving the same bad thing.
To get your puppy to pee outside comfortably, consider whether there is anything that may be stressing your dog out and causing it to be afraid.
Are there any loud sounds such as a lawnmower or construction site nearby? Unfamiliar smells left by other dogs or leftover holiday decorations can also be the things that are making your pup nervous to pee outside.
QUICK RECOMMENDATION: If your puppy is showing signs of stress you may want to try a product like the Thundershirt. We got one for Raven and it works well with her noise anxiety.
Why Does My Puppy Pee Outside Then Immediately Pee Inside The House?
If you go back to my posts on how to crate train a puppy and how to potty train a puppy (you should go through both of these articles if you haven’t already mastered potty training your puppy) and sift through the hundreds of comments you’ll find the answer to this question on several occasions.
Today, you get the blog post version of that answer with awesome pictures illustrating the madness.
Actually, I don’t think I have any good pics illustrating the madness, but maybe a cute puppy pic or two
The answer to this one is simple: Your puppy lacks bladder control.
Your puppy has only been in this world for 8 weeks.
What were you doing 8 weeks ago?
You are maybe hanging out with your friends, eating dinner, or having a drink.
This puppy was still in his mother’s womb 8 weeks ago and unfortunately, his bladder is not yet fully developed.
So what’s going on here:
Let’s first start with:
Your Puppy Isn’t Emptying Its Bladder Completely While Outside
Being outside is extremely exciting for puppies, especially first thing in the morning. Your pup may be too eager to see you and spend time with you outside that it fails to completely empty its bladder in the first go.
Some puppies also get so overstimulated or distracted by all the smells and sounds while in the backyard that they forget why they came out in the first place.
In this case, the puppy will remember that they have unfinished business only after they come back inside the house. If your puppy quickly pees while outside and then comes inside and pees again, you may be dealing with an overly excitable pup.
For an easily excitable puppy, staying outside a bit longer and giving your pooch extra time to potty should do the trick. Staying out a few minutes longer will give you a good idea of whether or not your puppy needs to pee more. Some pups may even pee three or four times when given the opportunity.
Another thing that helps with easily distracted puppies that forget that they need to pee is training them to go in a designated potty area. This means you will have to pick a spot in your backyard that will serve only for peeing and pooping.
Taking your pup day in and day out to the same spot may be boring, but it will teach them to focus on the task at hand.
To encourage your pup to empty their bladder completely, just walk around the designated potty area in small circles that will discourage sniffing and exploring. After your puppy pees, you should praise them and offer treats. Small training treats like Zuke’s Mini Naturals work best when working with your puppy.
If you have a completely fenced-in yard, you can let your puppy off-leash after they finish peeing completely. This way, you are teaching your pup that they will earn some fun time to sniff around and explore only after going potty.
And by going to pee in the same area day after day, your pup will be able to focus on peeing rather than be distracted by all the fun things in the yard.
How To Stop Your Puppy From Peeing Indoors
What do you do when your puppy pees outside then pees inside the house? Why does he have to pee twice…sometimes thrice in a matter of minutes!?
I already raised 2 puppies before I witnessed this phenomenon…or maybe I was somewhat oblivious raising and training Linus and Stetson (chalked it up as a regular potty accident)…or maybe I was more aware of what was going on (catching the potty accident before it happened).
Anyhow Derby was the puppy that introduced me to the wonderful world of “My puppy pees outside then immediately pees inside! What the heck!?!?“ My puppy pees outside then pees inside!? What Do I Do?
QUICK TIP: If your puppy has an accident in the house it’s important to clean it up with an enzymatic cleaner so your puppy won’t be able to smell the potty spot and be tempted to pee there a second or third time. We recommend Rocco & Roxie Stain and Odor Eliminator for cleaning up potty accidents.
If you recently brought home an 8-week-old puppy then you probably know what I’m talking about. The good news is you’re not alone.
This is a common puppy potty training problem, but the question now is why does my puppy do this and what can I do to prevent it from happening.
Look no further true believer (my inner Stan Lee coming out) as we present the solution to one of puppy’s little mysteries.
QUICK ACCESS: If you’re having puppy training problems then you should join our Puppy Training Tips email list and get instant access to our New Puppy Owner Checklist PDF. To get started CLICK HERE.