I can picture it! You get your 8 week old puppy home and it’s
pure chaos with potty accidents everywhere.
You download my FREE NPSK and soon you’re on the right track.
Days and weeks are going by without a single accident. Smooth sailing, right?
Until.. It happens… an accident. Or two. Or more!
What happened to that pup who was going potty outside? Why
does my puppy have potty training regression you might be asking??
Don’t fret, I’m here for you. I’ve got some good ideas on what might
be going on and how you can get back on track.
Michele here with HTTADD
Potty training isn’t the only thing we talk about here at How to Train Dream Dog.
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even know you needed! Subscribe to the channel and you'll be in good hands.
Ok before we really get to the good stuff, I want to make sure
you’ve got my best resource on this topic, that New Puppy Starter Kit.
This digital kit is great if you have a young puppy and he or she is new to your home.
It can get you started off on the right PAW with potty training. If you haven’t grabbed
access to it yet and you have a young puppy, that’s your first assignment.
The link is in the description below. Do it now! I’ll wait.
But if you’re tuning into this video you’re probably past that really young puppy stage.
Maybe you’ve had some weeks of really good progress with
potty training and now you’ve got to figure out what changed!
Let’s talk about some ideas on what could be going on.
I want you to ask yourself a series of questions that might help you figure it out.
We call this becoming a puppy detective and it’s a
great skill to use for all kinds of puppy behaviors. Here we go.
The first question I want you to ask yourself is… Is this really regression?
Depending on the age this could just be part of the ebb and flow of potty training.
Potty training is not linear. Think of it like
that sign at a workplace that says XXX days since the last accident.
Sure you might have setbacks once in a while, but if you repeatedly only get
to 1 or 2 days without an accident, it’s time to do something different.
But an accident every once in a while doesn’t necessarily mean an unsafe workplace.
So just remember to look at the trend line, not the daily progress.
The other thing about potty training is that it takes TIME and consistency.
You need time to repeat those same behaviors over and over again for your puppy to get the
message about this concept and you need TIME for that puppy brain and bladder to mature.
Most puppies are potty trained by about 6 months of age so if you’re
seeing some accidents prior to this point, this is probably pretty normal.
But keep listening just in case it isn’t. I’ll give you some tips at
the end on how to watch for a medical condition.
The next question I want you to ask yourself is: Is something new going on with my dog?
Dogs are really good at hiding their pain. And
humans don’t always recognize it in the way that dogs display it.
Your pup might have growing pains in his joints, he might be taking more
naps because of a growth spurt, or he might be teething and have sore gums.
All of this could contribute to a dog who isn’t paying very close attention to his
body’s potty signals and he might miss the window to notify you that he needs to go out.
Remember that going to the bathroom outside is what the HUMAN wants. Dogs don’t care!
They figure out that they get good things when
they do it. And they do it often enough that it becomes a habit.
So keep that in mind when training.
Ask yourself “Have I done enough to convince my puppy
that outside is the best place for potty breaks?”.
Here’s another fun fact: going to the bathroom is self rewarding to a dog.
That means he or she feels relief when they empty their bladder. Just like humans!
So even if the dog goes to the bathroom in the house, they feel good when they do it.
And when they feel good when they do it, they are likely to do it more.
That’s what I mean when I say that it’s the HUMAN’S job to get that pupper outside,
and reward him for an outside potty break.
Ok next question to evaluate: Is something new going on with my dog’s environment?
Do you have a house guest staying for a while, maybe a furniture change?
I recently had a question from one of my students at the PRO level of my course.
She was telling me that her dog had been doing so well
but now out of nowhere there’s been a lot of potty accidents.
I remembered she had recently been inquiring about my video
on what to do if you’re moving and have a dog.
So I asked if she had moved yet. She said she had not and then she gave me a big clue.
She remarked how the moving process was taking forever and she was tired
of living with all the boxes everywhere.
Wait. What did you say? Boxes everywhere? That could be the reason!
If the human is tired of this chaos, you can imagine how the dog feels.
The dog can’t understand it like the human can so he’s probably even more agitated.
A big change - or even sometimes a small change - in the dog’s
environment can lead to potty accidents.
Don’t worry, we’ll talk about what to do about it in just a minute.
We need to get through this detective stuff first!
Ok another question to ask yourself:
Is the weather making it less comfortable for my dog to go outside?
This is Lincoln. He’s a world class snuggler
but also a big fraidy cat! Don’t worry Lincoln, we still love you!
Just like my Great Dane Harper, he is NOT a fan of rain or wind!
So when a storm is coming through, his human Allison knows that he’s just not going out.
Even though he has a covered potty spot right next to the
door to go out, he’s still saying NO WAY JOSE.
Allison has now become a weather aficionado, scanning the radar
for upcoming storms and timing Lincoln’s potty breaks around the inclement weather.
It’s a good thing she lives in Arizona where rain and wind are pretty uncommon.
Lincoln, you would not do well in my area!
This can happen with snow or even high temperatures.
For more ideas on how to acclimate your puppy to changing weather, check out this video.
The most important thing you can do to prepare your
pup for a lifetime of weather is to desensitize it for him.
This means helping him feel comfortable out in the rain,
or wind, or snow. And yes, dogs can even go potty outside when it’s really hot.
Just make it quick and make sure they don’t have to walk on hot surfaces to get to the potty spot.
If weather isn’t an issue, ask yourself a similar question:
has something else changed in the potty area that makes it uncomfortable for my dog to go out?
You’ve probably heard me recommend that you should go outside with your dog for
all potty breaks. Yes, even when he’s no longer a puppy.
And similarly, we don’t recommend leaving your dog outside without you.
The dog could have a scary experience that you have no knowledge of.
It could be a plane flying over, sirens going down the street, a dog on the other
side of the fence, a wild animal on the fence or any number of other scenarios.
If these are frightening for your dog, he may be averse to going outside.
You’ll need to work on the counter conditioning process to
make outside comfortable for him yet again.
If you don’t go outside with him, you might have no idea what happened and
how to help him form a positive opinion about the scary thing.
The other thing to think about is if something has changed that you can’t see.
This could be a pest control company who came and sprayed, or maybe some grass fertilizer.
Maybe there’s a wildfire nearby that’s making the outdoors smoky and smells
different. All of these could impact your dog’s comfort in going outside.
Next question to examine:
has my dog recently had a major medical experience like spay or neuter surgery?
These surgeries can really make a dog uncomfortable and just like
when he’s teething, he’s not thinking of getting to the potty spot in time.
He probably just wants to rest.
When he comes home from these experiences it will be up to you to keep a much closer eye on him.
It’s your job to get him out for potty breaks *before* he has an accident.
Another reason a dog might have potty training
regression is due to a new medicine he might be on.
Medicines can have side effects like drowsiness or maybe a foggy brain.
Some medicines make dogs very thirsty. And what goes in, must come out!
I’ll tell you more about what you can do in that situation in just a minute.
Ok next question: Has there been any change to my dog’s food or schedule?
You’ll also see changes when a dog’s food or schedule changes, especially if it’s a big shift,
like the kids have gone back to school or the puppy parent starts a new job.
Even if you’ve watched this video and prepared your household for it ahead of time,
it still could be a pretty big shock to your dog’s system and you might see some accidents.
Before we talk about medical conditions that could lead to potty accidents,
I just want to check to see if you’re loving this great content.
If you are, feel free to give me a thanks. My team
and I work hard to create these videos for you week after week.
Your small tip can keep these videos going!
Ok, let's talk about medical stuff. Another really important question
to ask is: could it be a urinary tract infection?
These infections could mean a lot more bathroom breaks than you are used to,
and the puppy isn’t always in control of his bladder.
Here are a few signs to look for:
1 phantom urination - he or she is squatting, but nothing is coming out.
2 whining or straining while urinating - you’ll notice this in his body language
3 dark colored urine - this can be hard to see on grass but you
might notice it while on a walk, especially if you have a male dog
4 urinating droplets every few minutes - this is an indicator
that his body is not giving him any warning that he needs to go
5 excessively licking his or her private parts - this could mean they are bothering your dog
And 6 a noticeable change in appetite.
Some dogs don’t exhibit all of these symptoms so if you are in doubt,
it’s always best to get a check up with your vet.
If you’ve been keeping a log of normal potty habits and then you can show how the habits are
now so different than usual, this can really help your vet see what could be going on.
Keeping a log of eating and drinking habits is also a huge help to them.
You know your puppy the best so you need to be his
advocate when it comes to his health. He’s depending on you!
If you think your dog has a medical condition,
your vet might ask you to try and capture some of his urine or poo.
So call ahead and talk to the vet and get some good ideas on how to do that.
OK, those are all good questions to ask.
But you’re probably dying to know what do we do about it?
Well, the good news is that you’ve probably got a good memory of what to do, because we really
want to apply the same basic potty training principles to potty training regression.
Do you remember the four fundamentals of potty training? Reward, restrict, clean and routine!
1. Reward when the puppy pees and/or poops in the designated potty spot
2. Restrict access in the home to prevent accidents and bad habits from forming,
including blocking off spots where frequent accidents happen
3. Clean up with an enzymatic product like Nature’s Miracle and
4. Stick to a routine so you know when it’s time
for another potty break and you can prevent an accident.
Of those 4 fundamentals, I think the last one is the most important when
we see accidents that haven’t happened before.
Keeping a log so you know how long your dog can hold it and watching carefully
to proactively get him out for a potty break is going to be really key to your success.
Now, you still need to clean up properly and if your dog is going in the same spot
more than once, pull out that baby gate and block off access.
That’s a sign that he smells it in that area and will go again if he is given the opportunity.
The good news is that getting back on track with potty training is usually not too hard.
If you’re consistent with following those 4
fundamentals it might only take a few days or a week.
Remember, your #1 goal is to PREVENT ACCIDENTS so
that might mean rearranging your schedule or being a little more vigilant for awhile.
This will pay off in the end so it’s well worth it.
Oh, and that 1st fundamental about rewarding when
he goes… yeah I am still doing that. And my dogs are adults!
A small piece of kibble for a job well done is
how I continually send my dog the message that I like what he’s done.
Ok are you ready to get back on track? Do you feel like you can go it alone now?
Just keep your patience high and expectations low and don’t be afraid to get advice from
the professionals - like me or your vet - if you’re really concerned.
In the comments below, tell me how old is your puppy,
and when was the last time he or she had a potty accident.