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My puppy only pees and poops inside. How do I train him to go outside?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Australian Shepherd - miniature | Male | unneutered | 2 months and 25 days old | 11 lbs

I’ve had my 12-week-old miniature Australian shepherd for a little over a week, and he has still never gone pee or poo outside. Even when he was outside for over 5 hours straight after eating and drinking, he waited until we returned home and immediately went on the carpet. How can I get my dog to do his business outside instead of inside?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on October 7th, 2019

Potty training a puppy takes time and patience. I can give you a method to potty train Louie. Start by keeping your puppy on a regular feeding schedule, and taking away his food between meals. Take him out to potty first thing every morning, and once every 30 minutes to an hour. Always make sure he goes out after meals, first thing when he wakes up from a nap, last thing before bedtime at night, and right before you leave the house. Take him to the same spot each time to go potty. His scent there will encourage him to go. Stay with him outside each time he goes to potty, at least until he is fully house trained. When he goes outside, praise him and give him a treat. You might want to consider crate training as part of his house training. It allows you to keep an eye on him for signs that he has to go potty, and will teach him to hold it until you put him outdoors. The crate needs to be big enough for him to stand up, turn around, and lie down, but it should not be big enough for him to go potty in. I hope this helps!

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