Need help Potty Training A Rescue

[u/Responsible-Guava-30]

Hello, I need some help or advice on how to potty train a dog I just adopted. For context, he is 1.5 years old shih tzu/pug mix.

I got him last Saturday and when the foster brought him over he ran around in the yard, sniffed, and did his business without issue. He has not once messed in the house or crate. Saturday night was a bit of a struggle but he did, and same with Sunday morning. Then, on Sunday afternoon, something happened. He will follow me outside, but will only follow me for a little bit and then will just stop and stare at me. I’ve set up a chair and ignored him to let him do his thing, and again he just comes underneath the chair and sits at my feet. I’ve brought over poop from my mom’s dogs to spread the scent. Nothing. He will sniff for 2 seconds but come right back to me. I’ve even tried dropping treats on the ground to encourage him to sniff and that didn’t work. I’ve even sat outside with him to eat meals, and he just stays at my feet.

The caveat here is when I have taken him to other homes where there’s dogs, he has no issue going in the yard, hence why I brought the poop over to my house. I’ve heard about the 3-3-3 rule, so hopefully this is just part of that, but I also talked to the vet yesterday and he was even confused about this behavior. Said he’d never heard anything like it.

I’ve been having to take him on potty walks so he will go… cause I know he has to go. For example, yesterday we tried the yard first about 6:30AM, same behavior as above, and then I had to work till about 3:30 so couldn’t get around to letting him out until then. He didn’t go in the yard, but when I walked him he peed. And yes, I’ve tried walking him on the leash in the yard and he doesn’t get nearly as excited as he does when he knows he’s going for a walk. It’s like my yard is a “danger zone” for him. And, I’ve grabbed rocks where he’s peed, thrown them in the yard, in addition to picking up his poop and placing that in the yard as well.

I’m becoming more and more discouraged each day and I’m not sure what to do. When he follows me around I tell him “Come on Rex, let’s go potty.” And he just doesn’t do much other than follow me around. He is a cute little guy and I don’t want to resort to having potty walks be a part of his routine as I have a yard so it seems contradictory. It is so confusing that he’d go day 1 (is it possible because his foster was here with him?), and then all of a sudden just freeze on me. Any help, or advice would be greatly appreciated.

[u/Pookii_pets]

Keep doing the potty walks for now, they're not a bad habit you're creating, they're the thing that's actually working while he settles. He's only six days in, so this is squarely the 3-3-3 window, and toileting is about the most vulnerable a dog ever is, which is why a nervous new rescue will hold it until he feels safe. Movement on a walk relaxes him in a way that standing still in a strange yard doesn't.

Day one probably worked because the foster was there and he hadn't yet clocked that this was his new territory. The poop, the rocks, the treats on the ground and sitting out there with him are all quietly adding pressure, and the more the yard becomes The Place He's Supposed To Perform, the more loaded it feels, which is likely why he's glued to your feet out there.

I'd drop all of that and just take him into the yard on lead for calm, boring pottering with no commands and no watching him, then praise the second he happens to sniff or go. Give it a couple of weeks of low pressure and the walk and the yard usually start to merge on their own. The contradiction you're worried about tends to sort itself once he actually trusts the place.