How to Stop a Dog From Defecating on the Floor

Reward him immediately when he successfully does his thing outside.
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Untrained dogs live by the manta, "When you gotta go, you gotta go." That philosophy isn't conducive to indoor living, though, so when he goes on your carpet, it's a problem. To stop him from going number two in the house, monitoring his behavior is your number one priority.

Step 1

Take him to the vet for a check-up. Your dog's doodie problem could be symptomatic of an illness, or even just a bad reaction to the food he eats. Before blaming his behavior, make sure that he's in good health.

Step 2

Take your dog outside, and do it a lot. Depending on his size, he may need to go outside as many as six times a day, but make sure that he always does it first thing in the morning, after eating or drinking and a few times in between. Once every two hours or so is a good start. If he doesn't produce anything out there, try again in 20 minutes. If he does, give him a treat and lavish him with praise immediately.

Step 3

Watch him constantly when he's inside. This may mean restricting the areas where he's allowed to wander, because if he needs to do his business, you need to get him outside, and fast. Keep an eye out for the usual warning signs, like intent sniffing at the ground, turning in circles and, of course, arching his back.

Step 4

Stop your dog when you catch him in the act. If he is in the middle of doing his thing, take him outside and let him finish there. Praise him if he does, so that he learns to associate doing it outside with positive reactions.

Step 5

Clean up any areas where he leaves unwanted gifts indoors. Flush the evidence and thoroughly scrub the floor using specially formulated cleaning products. If your dog can smell the evidence of his wrongdoing, he may be tempted to repeat it.

Step 6

Give your dog more indoor space and less supervision as he becomes more reliable about going outside.

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