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Why is my dog having potty accidents after guests? When to see a vet?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | neutered | 11 months and 26 days old | 35 lbs

Hi! My dog, who had been pretty reliably potty trained for about 4 months, has randomly started having accidents like he did when we first got him. He’s almost a year old now. We had family in town over the weekend and they left two days ago, so I assume this is just maybe a response to a change in schedule/ stress over people in the house, but I can’t help but be nervous that there’s an underlying medical issue. How long until I should get him checked out? Thanks!!

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Jessica Desrosiers

Answered By Jessica Desrosiers

Veterinary Technician

Published on September 4th, 2019

Routine changes and stress can definitely cause regression in potty training. I would give Jack a few days (3-4) to settle back in and go back to a more puppy style routine of potty training (IE more frequent outings) to give him a chance to go outside and get back into the swing of things. If he still continues to have accidents, or you notice signs of illness such as bloody urine, attempting to potty a lot without producing much, changes in appetite, etc, bring him into your vet for an exam.
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