We adopted our puppy in April. We were told he was 4 months old but vet said he was more like 7 months. So he's just over a year old now. It sounds like he came from a borderline hoarding situation. I think he had no or very little exposure to the outdoors before we got him. He was partially potty pad trained.
It took over a week for him to willingly step outside and much longer for him to enjoy going for walks. He is still nervous outside, especially if it's wet out, windy or there's loud vehicles. He knows how to use potty bells to pee and very rarely has pee accidents. He still poops inside several times a week though.
He has separation/confinement anxiety so crates and pens aren't an option. Leash all the time also isn't an option. My husband works from home and does his best to take him out between meetings. However, he frequently refuses to go out by running away or snapping at my husband. Then he will poop inside. We always clean up with natures miracle.
I think the big issue is he isn't fully comfortable outside. I just tried to introduce a litter box to at least make clean up easier but he hasn't figured it out yet.
We've followed all the basic potty training (frequent trips outside, big party when he goes, proper cleaning inside, baby gates to restrict access) so I'm not really looking for advice on that front. But would love stories from other people with dogs afraid of the outdoors. Would also like to hear from people that have successfully litter box trained as an alternative.
submitted by /u/Comfortable-Fly5797
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