He refuses to poop!?!?!?

[lllgt]

So I got a dog a little over a month ago, I also moved into a new place at the same time. When I was taking him potty he would at first go in our little yard area, then he started refusing to go there, I figured it was because other people's dogs were coming into our yard and pooping and it wasn't being cleaned up(i do not want to mess with stange animal poop, cant complain cuz its the property managers dogs). So I started walking him down to the road to a patch of grass and he's been pooping there ever since, but not always. Sometimes if there is a person near, or a car going by, or a car/semi truck parked on the side of the road hebwont go at all, he'll just stand there and stare at it. Sometimes he stairs at nothing, he won't move or even acknowledge me when I say his name or whistle or anything, he just stares, it freaks me out. Like tonight, he's barked at me to take him out three times between 11pm and 3:30am, I took him out, he peed, I took him to go poop, and he just stared at a semi truck bed that had wood planks on it, I turned him around to look the other way, and he stared at nothing. And I know he has to poop cuz his farts smell absolutely horrendous and he ate twice since the last time he pooped, I just need help getting him to go, he also won't go in public either, most of the time he won't pee when we're in town either. He literally peed all over my clean clothes from the laundromat in the car cuz he refused to pee in a parking lot and he smelled a washed blanked he peed on before. Idk what to do but it's making my life do much harder. Also, he's started not going unless he smells his own poop first, so I've had to leave his poop out there sometimes or it takes him several tries and way to long to go, or he poops on my floor.

TLDR: my dog is too scared to poop at home sometimes, and is too scared to go AT ALL when we're in public, what do I do.

Edit: spelling

 

[kimmarqy]

@lllgt Can you take him on a longer walk? In the morning I try to take my dogs son a 40 minute walk so they have lots of different places to go and we keep moving which gets their bowels moving. Just walking to a patch of grass probably isn't enough. I would try to take your dog on 3 walks a day that are at least 30 minutes.

 

[lllgt]

@kimmarqy It's not a morning issue, he goes just fine if it's light outside, it's the fact that there are things outside he doesn't like. I took him this morning and he went right away, but the semi truck was gone and it was light out. I took him for walk last nightbl and he would not go, also it wasn't like I was just taking him out at a random time, he woke me up the way he always does when he needs to go outside

 

[elaineb97]

@lllgt I've never had a dog who would walk out and just, boom! Poop!

They have always needed a bit of a walk or to find just the right spot or had to walk and do his poops in 2 or 3 steps, or, in one ridiculous case, find a bush to poop on.

My guess is he needs a bit of a walk most of the times to get things moving and the times he pooped right away was because he really had to go.

People have poop issues and routines and so do dogs.

Also, if you are pooping and something startles you I bet you clench up and stop for a moment too.

 

[lllgt]

@elaineb97 We do have a routine!! And he always goes when I take him out, amd I did take him fir a walk, I wasn't expecting him to just go. I'm saying he literally freezes up, he doesnt move AT ALL I literally had to drag him away to get him to walk. I basically had to pick him up to get him to walk last night, it's not an issue like that, he genuinely will not go. He does not hear me when he freezes like that. He doesn't even react when I tug on the leash a little, I have to physically move his body and his head to snap him out of it

 

[terrystrickl]

@lllgt I moved with my dog into a house in the city about 6 months ago. She still rarely goes to the bathroom in my yard. I have to walk her and eventually she'll go.

 

[questjan]

@lllgt Are you walking or standing? Most dogs need to walk for a while before they poop. I’d suggested stop focusing on the poop and just go for a relaxing walk with your dog for an hour.

 

[lllgt]

@questjan Yes I have tried walking him, it really doesn't matter to him he just won't go if he doesn't like the vibe. I took him this morning and he went right away, but if anyrhing at all is off at night he won't go

 

[bart75]

@lllgt Are there coyotes in your area? My girl doesn't like going out after dark since hearing a pack of coyotes in the field behind my house, quite close. She's nervous and wants to come in since, sometimes staring into the darkness like yours.

It's coyote mating season, they are very active now.

 

[selda]

@bart75 Came here to say this. My dog has been freezing with his hackles up then snarling at nothing which was super out of character (I've never even heard him growl before), also only when I take him out at night. Finally caught sight of a coyote the 4th time it happened and realized what he was freaking out about. Apparently they've been roaming around our back lane at night.

 

[lllgt]

@bart75 I didn't think about that, there might be, I know at my old house (about 5ish minutes away from my new place) there were a LOT of them, we are now in a busier area but they're could be some in the small wodded areas nearby, I'll have to keep a closer eye out. I know one time he did this a dog walked up a little bit later and I hadn't seen it at first, so this could be it. Thank you!

 

[questjan]

@lllgt He might just be a once a day pooper

 

[lllgt]

@questjan He's not quite old enough for that yet he's 8 months old right now, and he'll poop in the house if he doesn't get at least 2 in during the day, sometimes around 4 ish

 

[johnabill]

@lllgt You need to walk him. Movement to dogs is like coffee for us.

 

[lllgt]

@johnabill I do! If I know he probably needs to go but isn't I walk hom for a while, but sometimes even that doesn't work, I really do think he's scared of the area we're in and of the trucks that park nearby, we live right off an interstate exit so the truck drives park in our area to sleep for the night

 

[obolixterix]

@lllgt Reward him when he properly poops outside. Lots of kind words, pats on head, and high value treat.

 

[lutheranrose]

@lllgt Sounds like he's anxious. Animals are vulnerable when they squat so you could also work on building confidence- a safe space for them to go. You could also work on basic obedience training and building your relationship so your pup gains confidence in you and can trust you'll make sure they're safe when vulnerable.