Question: Ever since we moved into an apartment my dog does not tell us when she needs to be let out and will just poop in our apartment. She will even do it after I give her a 15 minute walk and take her to all of her favorite potty spots to sniff around. What can I do to stop her from going in our home?

Answer: This is a common problem. If your dog was pooping outside in your old home, she is likely confused about what to do and where. Here are some tips to try:

1. make sure you are feeding her on a schedule. It is very hard to schedule poops when dogs are free-fed.
2. Watch for signals she has to poop (circling, sniffing the ground, passing gas, etc.) Be sure to take her out frequently.
3. Because she’s in a new place, she may be distracted on walks. Try walking her around in a small area in figure 8 patterns. This way, she is always covering the same ground and not getting distracted. Avoid long walks that are highly distracting before poops – save them for after.
4. Have a yummy treat handy for when she does poop outside and reward her like crazy immediately after.
5. Leave the most recent poop on the ground (if you can) so she has a visual and scent reminder of where to poop.

Good luck!

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