What to do when dogs refuse to walk? Is holding pee/poop harmful?

This can be a normal reaction to dogs who are used to pottying in the backyard, off leash. When you walk them and they’re on a leash they become anxious and nervous about going to the bathroom out in the open and on the leash. My best advice for you is to try and walk him frequently so he gets used to being on the leash. If he is able to hold his urine and bowel movements then it shouldn’t be a big issue. He will need to lease go to the bathroom every 10 to 12 hours. When you do walk him on the leash and he potties use lots of positive reinforcement like praise and treats to let him know you are proud of him and did a good job. Consistency with walking him will help improve this problem. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The best way to do this is by increasing the frequency of the walks and when Bogo finally goes outside, you should praise her and give her a treat so that she associates doing it outside with something positive. She will learn that this is the correct thing but it will take time and patience. Best of luck!

Sometimes even though they have peed or pooped inside the house, they will do the same outside because they know that's what they are suppose to do outside. It is just in their nature. Also walking will help the GI tract start moving and increase urgency to poop. Plus being an intact male, Bruno likely has the urgency to mark his territory with his urine so he usually always has a small amount left in his bladder to do this. I hope this helps!

The two most common reasons for this problem are either a medical problem or a behavioral problem. I would recommend starting with having your veterinarian check a fecal sample on Chloe. My dog starting having accidents like you describe when she was around a year old, and we found a microscopic intestinal parasite. Once we treated it, her accidents stopped. The other possibility is that Chloe is holding her stool on a walk because she wants the walk to continue. If that is the case, then I would try to find a location with a large number of dog smells to encourage her to go in that location. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I'm sorry to hear of your problems with Borkem. If possible, I would try to start associating a word with the act of peeing and pooping. The best way to do this would be to take Borkem to an area that you can have him off leash and watching him carefully. When he pees or poops, say "good pee!" immediately and reward him with a high-value treat such as hot dogs or cheese. You will need to do this consistently over several days to create the association between the command and the act. Once Borkem understands that you would like him to pee or poop when you say pee or poop (or whatever command you choose to use) it will be easier to communicate what you want from him when he is on a leash. Clicker training can be helpful to help dogs learn associations in situations like this. This is a good resource to get started with clicker training: https://positively.com/contributors/how-to-clicker-train-your-dog/

Designate one area and use it. Take her outside to that spot and wait. You can use a spray attractant to keep her interest to one area. As soon as she begins to go, say "Go potty", "Do your business" or similar phrase. Once she goes, offer profuse praise and a small reward then take her for a short walk. Do this every time she goes out. Eventually, she will go 'on command' because she knows she will get a reward afterwards. Be consistent. Be patient.

[Housetraining](https://www.petcoach.co/article/7-rules-for-effective-housetraining/) a puppy can be frustrating, but with a little patience and consistency, it can be accomplished. Puppies will typically need to use the bathroom about 10-15 minutes after eating/drinking, waking up or playing. You can use these times to reinforce [training](https://www.petcoach.co/article/housetraining) by bringing the puppy to your designated potty area (such as outside or a puppy pad) and giving them a chance to go. It may take up to 10-20 minutes before your puppy settles enough to actually go. Expect accidents and [mistakes](https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-common-housetraining-mistakes). Be sure to praise and treat if the puppy goes in the right spot. If you catch puppy going in a spot other than the recommended area, do not punish him or her, simply pick the puppy up and move them to the right spot, then praise and reward profusely once they finish there.