Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently adopted a yellow lab from the local shelter. He has adjusted pretty well to his new home, but I am perplexed as to one thing. He does pretty well with house training at least with urinating outdoors but I can't get him to defecate when I take him out. He has done it a few times, but it seems that it is a fluke. He will go all day without defecating. I take him out very regularly, feed him very regularly, and when we go out, he urinates and he's done. How can I stimulate him to defecate outside? He ends up pooping in the living room sometime in the night, and I'm ready to scream!! Nomatter how long we stay outdoors he just won't go. I can't figure it out...any help?? Thanks in advance.

Hi there. Firstly, I'd like to commend you for adopting a dog from the shelter. The fact that he is having trouble learning to defecate outdoors may be indicative of trauma and/or neglect he has suffered, and he probably needs all the support he can get right now (poor guy...).

Here is a link to a Google search I did:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&q=canine training, house training, defecating indoors&spell=1

I understand your frustration, but I'd like to emphasize that the primary resource you'll need to draw upon will most likely be patience (along with love). Giving him verbal cues like "potty" or "bathroom" should help when accompanied by praise, treats, or another reward for appropriate behavior. If you take the time required to accomplish this task, he WILL learn. In my experience, house training is one of the easier things to teach a dog. He is probably still trying to adjust to his new surroundings, and again, you can't know what kind of abuse or neglect he's been through. I imagine that as time goes on, he will become more accustomed to his new environment—especially if you are supportive and patient—and ultimately you will become more and more pleased that you acted upon your compassion to save him from further privation, suffering, or death.

I got my Lab from a shelter when she was close to a year old. She was house trained, but that was about it. It took some time to accustom her to socialization and appropriate behavior. It's obvious to me that she was neglected, so it's not easy for her to socialize. She's not really very affectionate—unlike most Labs one encounters—and if she wasn't with me, I don't know if she'd still be around. The bottom line is that shelter dogs are somewhat analogous to special needs children. They have disadvantages, cognitive setbacks, and debilities that require extra love, attention, patience, time, and humane treatment, because they are discarded like faulty appliances by people with less compassion then us. I admire you for your commitment and I can guarantee that once you are through this difficult phase of your new friendship, it will be well worth it every time you see your dog content, knowing he has somewhere he belongs. When I go to work today, I'll ask my boss about this issue (she has a degree in canine ethology), and get back to you later. Feel free to email me in the meantime. Also, how old is your dog?

Hi! Thanks for you reply. I am not certain of Buford's age. The shelter wasn't either. He has a vet appointment this week, and perhaps the vet will have some idea, if I had to guess I would say around 2 years old, although his demeanor and disposition makes him seem much older. He is very lazy and laid back. He's absolutely wonderful. Extremely affectionate, and I love him to death, now if we could get his bathroom habits undercontrol he'll be perfect!! Please let me know what your boss has to say. Hopefully the vet will be able to help as well.

Hello again. I asked about Buford's age so that I could get an idea of where he is at developmentally in his behavioral habits. I'd say that two is young enough to learn—in time—"new tricks."

My boss thinks that Buford's reluctance to defecate outside may be indicative of how he functioned in his previous environment. For instance, if he lived in an apartment, he may have become accustomed to pooping while on a leash, on a sidewalk. Dog's learn by association rather than causation, so instead of thinking, "I'm outside—time to poop", he may be experiencing confusion about new circumstances as regards your expectations. He could also be used to only pooping on gravel, in a dirt pit, or simply in the yard he was raised in. In that case, he may now be experiencing what is called in the psychological world, "cognitive dissonance." This is the confusion that arises when two conflicting mental concepts must be addressed at the same time. Dogs really do have a rich and complex psychological world. Our guess is that Buford is simply trying to reconcile new environmental phenomena (your home, you, and any other factors surrounding his new life) with his already existing mental constructs and behavior (this could be anything from the person he is used to accompanying him while he poops, familiar smells and sounds while pooping, or certain environmental conditions that he learned as a pup to associate with the act of defecating outside). It may even be that no one took the time to teach him.

In short, we can't know for certain EXACTLY what it is that presents Buford with difficulty in this area, but we can draw upon and apply what is known about canine behavior to help him—and you—out. I would suggest trying various ways to help him associate pooping with outside. You might try simply saying the words "outside" or "let's go out" when you see him getting ready to poop. (It's also important to remember that when correcting a dog for any behavior, you only have about two seconds to do so. After that, the dog has no idea what you're talking about.) You could also try taking him outside on a leash to different areas in your yard or surroundings, letting him sniff around. This could give you an idea about what he may be used to in relation to pooping outside (if indeed he is used to it at all). Additionally—and I know this is sort of gross, but science isn't always pretty!—you could try taking his poop (when he goes in the house) outside and laying it in an area where you'd like him to get used to going.

I'm asking you to engage in empirical observation and scientific trial to solve this problem. If you have the patience (and I suspect that you do) to work with Buford, I think that you will resolve this issue and also find some satisfaction in participating in the fascinating enterprise of canine behavior. I'd also like to mention that Buford's problem isn't aberrant or rare. I work in a dog daycare center and I will sometimes see new dogs defecating indoors before they learn that we want them to go outside. They are just accustomed to the bathroom habits of their home and therefore need some time to adjust to the novel situation of being at daycare and the expectations that it entails. Dogs are smart and they can usually learn these new behaviors (my Lab is almost four, and I'm still able to teach her new things on occasion).

Lastly, I'd like to suggest a great book by Dr. Ian Dunbar, who is an intelligent and insightful expert on dog behavior. You can find it at this Amazon.com link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0876052367/qid=1048609143/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3/104-1234012-3611962?v=glance&s=books

Sorry about the length of this post. Keep us up-to-date about how things are going with Buford (cute name by the way!). Good luck!

First of all thank you SOO much for the time you have taken with my question! I really appreciate it! The past two days have been much better. Buford has finally started eating regularly, and his refusal to do so previously was probably a huge part of the problem. For two days now, he has pooped only outside where he is supposed to go!! YAY!! While it has been at different times of the day, and he is obviously still not on any kind of a "pooping schedule", I think he may have the idea now, and of course eating has helped!! I also believe that you are correct about the changes in his life being a large part of his problem. Our best guess with the help of his vet is that he is between 2 and 3 years old. We have no way of even guessing what his past life was like, so it's like starting all over again for us, and poor Buford too, so it's not so hard to imagine that he is probably terribly confused! He seems to be adjusting well thank goodness, other than the pooping thing, he is such a great dog. I can't even believe that somone out there wasn't looking for him. But as strange as this may sound to anyone who reads this, it is almost as if the two of us have been looking for each other forever! He also loves the cats which is a HUGE bonus! And everyone else in the family loves him too. We got lucky! Thanks again for your help!

Sorry, I haven't replied sooner—it's been a busy week. I'm so happy to hear about Buford's progress. Dogs are extremely intelligent animals, so that is not often an issue. However, psychological and emotional distress can really affect their behavior. I imagine that in time, Buford will adjust quite well to his new environment. Dogs are so resilient and versatile in their cognition, and if we are patient with them, the results are usually splendid for them and us.

I too was surprised that no one was out looking for my dog before I got her. She's so cool, even though she has a hard time socializing (it's readily apparent that whoever had her before me spent no time at all with her to help her learn how to socialize with both dogs and people), and it's chilling for me to consider that every day people are so callous and insensate that they discard dogs like a worn-out pair of shoes. I may be adopting one of the young dogs (seven and-a-half months) I work with because his owners seemingly refuse to work with him consistently and patiently. They hired a behaviorist that actually suggested that they "humanely" euthanize him as an alternative to working with him. I've had to make a concerted effort not to chastize these people for their lack of compassion... Gandhi said, "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." How tragic that "man's best friend" is treated in such a beastly way sometimes.

I'm not surprised that Buford likes cats. My dog is great with my Mom's cats. She always wags at them when she sees them, and even tries to play with them on occasion (the cats aren't interested, though). Labs are pretty easy-going in general, and I don't think I've ever met a mean one. (I do work with a few overzealous ones who get a little too rough in their play with other dogs, but never vicious.) Dogs are the best, and we're so lucky to have the opportunity to live with them. Best of luck to you, Buford, and your family.

What we found best from my recently adopted angel, Sophie, is that if we leave her out for a while she can do everything she has to. That way she doesn't feel rushed. I attached a picture of my angel......... Do ya' think she's cute?