A common problem that we hear from dog owners: “my dog won’t poo outside but will pee.” This is very strange behavior indeed, but when you go through the article below, the reasons will start to appear quite obvious.
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Potty training your dog requires a lot of patience and determination. It can be hectic and tiring when you take your dog outside for poo, but it only urinates and holds the poo to do inside the house.
There can be several reasons why your dog is not pooing outside. For instance, when your canine is distracted or nervous, it will not poop. Again if it does not like the feel of grass or if it is extremely cold or raining heavily outside, then your dog will not feel good pooping.

Let us discuss some of the reasons why your furry friend is not pooping outside (even though it is peeing!) and how you can help it realize where to do its business. Read on to know more!
Why Dog won’t Poop Outside But Will Pee?
#1. Medical Reasons
Your dog can have medical problems because of which it is not pooping outside. I am listing some of the common ones below.
- Kidney problems
- Gastrointestinal problems
- Urinary tract infections
- Addison’s disease
The pain associated with the medical problems may make it difficult for it to poop, so it looks for a safer environment to do its business.
You should not waste time and energy trying to train your dog if it has such medical issues. It’s better to consult your veterinary doctor about this issue. The doctor will give joint supplements or some antibiotics to treat medical problems.
#2. Your Dog Is Not Properly Potty Trained
Remember, potty training is a long-term goal. It requires a lot of patience and hard work.
Sometimes, when you take your canine friend outside to do its business, but it lifts its leg and pees but doesn’t poo and returns home. This indicates that your dog needs more potty training.
You need to regularly take your dog outside and take it to the designated area where it needs to do its poo. You can use commands to potty train your dog like you can say poop or potty. If your dog does potty, reward it by giving a treat or a chew toy.
But if your canine does not poo, don’t punish or discourage him. Take it back to the crate and bring it again to the designated area after a few minutes. If you repeat this procedure for several days, your dog will understand that this is the place to do its poo and will comply with your instructions.

#3. Your Dog Is Not Staying Focussed
Sometimes your canine friend gets excited or overstimulated when you take it outside for a walk or in the yard. After all, no one thinks of pooping when seeing the colorful birds, butterflies, and squirrels playing here and there in the yard.
In such cases, I will advise you to take your dog first to a designated potty spot. I know it’s boring, but it will surely help with your problem.
#4. Your Dog Might Be Nervous
The behavior of dogs differs from one another. Some dogs feel super excited when you take them to the yard, but some get nervous. Their body language changes; for instance, they will hunch their shoulders, lower their ear and tail and look around constantly.
If your dog is distracted or nervous, it will be better to come inside as soon as possible. It’s challenging to potty train such dogs.
#5. Substrate Preference
If your dog prefers a particular substrate, it may not poop outside. For instance, some dogs like to poo on carpet areas or bathroom mats because they feel it is more comfortable for them.
So, your first duty should be to recognize the substrate your dog is giving preference. If your dog likes to poo on grass, then find a good grass patch during your walk so that it will empty its bowels there. But if it likes to poo on concrete, then find a concrete pavement where it can do its business with ease.

#6. Weather
Your dog may not like to do poo during bad weather. For instance, when it is raining, and you take it outside, it may pee but hold its bowels and come inside. I will advise you to keep an eye on the weather conditions and plan accordingly.
If you stay in a place where there is frequent rain and snow, buy a raincoat and a pair of booties for your canine friend. It may help it to be less afraid of the vagaries of weather.
#7.Lingering Smell
Sometimes your canine friend accidentally poos inside your house. You clean it with a good household cleaner, but still, the smell lingers for several days.
Your dog can smell it and continue to poo in that place. It will not do potty outside even you spend more hours outdoors.
You can use a heavy-duty household cleaner to eliminate the odor of urine or poo of your dog, especially from the carpets and floors. Once you resolve this issue, your canine friend will continue to poo outside.
#8. Change In Lifestyle
Lifestyle changes may affect your dog badly. Sometimes when you introduce a new food to your dog, its body may not adjust it. So, it will not relieve its bowel when you take it outside.
How should I introduce a new kind of diet?
So, when introducing a new food, start the process slowly. For instance, you can give ¾ the cup of old food and ¼ the cup of new food on the first day. Then on the next day, you can give 2/3 rd cup of old food and 1/3rd cup of new food. You have to repeat such things till your dog is fully accustomed to new food.

Timing the food
Moreover, time may be a factor for your dog not pooping outside. Suppose your dog does potty at 3.00 PM, but as you have recently joined an office, you return home at 5.00 PM and then take your canine friend outside to do potty then it may relieve urine but not do potty.
So before starting your job, you need to push the afternoon potty time slowly. For instance, on the first day, take your dog out for pooping at 3.15 PM and on the second day, take it at 3.30. In such a way, your dog will adjust slowly and hold the bowels for the extra two hours.
Sometimes change in a home environment may be the reason for not pooping outside. For instance, if you bring a new pet to your house, introduce it slowly to your old dog. Allow them to spend time together outdoors for a walk or in a quiet room.
#9. Scolding Your Canine Friend
If you scold your canine friend for pooping accidentally in your house, then it will not potty in your presence. It may even completely stop pooping outside.
So, the first thing you should do is that you should never scold your dog if it accidentally does potty inside. The second thing is that you should praise and give many treats when it poops outside.
#10. Age Can Be A Reason
When your dog grows old, it cannot hold urine or bowel for a long time. So it needs more potty breaks. Try to adjust your schedule and take it for potty outside to avoid accidents.
Why Does My Dog Walk And Pee?
#1. Submissive Urination
Submissive urination is a common behavior in puppies and goes away with age. Your dog may urinate while walking if you scold him. Sometimes, when your dog is excited or anxious, it pees while walking. The best thing you can do is train your dog with patience instead of scolding.
#2. Incontinence Problem
If your dog has a urinary incontinence problem, then it cannot hold its bladder for a long time. It may be the reason for which your dog pees while walking.
I suggest you consult a veterinary doctor as quickly as possible to resolve the issue. The doctor will prescribe some antibiotics that will help treat urinary incontinence.

#3. Urinary Tract Infection
Urinary tract infection is another reason your dog may be peeing while walking. You should consult your veterinary doctor to treat urinary infections. The doctor will prescribe some oral antibiotics to resolve the issue.
#4. Excitement
Overexcitement is another reason why your dog may pee while walking. For instance, if you have kept your dog in a cage the whole day and in the evening you take it for a walk, it becomes super excited and may pee while walking.
#5. Markings
Sometimes your dog pees while walking to let other dogs know about its presence. This is also commonly known as marking territory.
#6.In Heat
If your dog is a female adult, it pees while walking just to draw the attention of a male dog.
#7. Aging
When your dog ages, the muscles which control the urethra become loose, and it may pee while walking.

A Few Final Words
It can be frustrating to deal with your canine friend who wants to relieve the bowel after coming inside your house. You need to figure out the reason why it is not pooping outside. I have listed some of the reasons your dog may not poop outside.
I hope that will help you a lot in finding the reason. I think you can resolve this issue with a bit of effort and patience.
We thank you for reading this article, and please don’t forget to share this article with someone searching for this information. You can ask us any questions about dogs pooping or peeing inside in the comment section. We will be happy to answer all your queries.
We have also written about several other peculiar dog behaviors such as spinning, licking their balls, humping, and more! Keep reading our site for these nuggets of information that bring you closer to your loyal friend.