Why is my well-trained dog having potty accidents after a new puppy?

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It sounds like Dolly needs to adjust to the new schedule and new people caring for her. Go back to the basics and retrain her to the new schedule. Also, make it consistent. The same person lets her out every morning and feeds her at the same time everyday (even weekends). Go back to letting her out every couple of hours- it is easier to prevent an accident than to fix it. Lots of praise when she goes outside to potty. I would keep her in a kennel when she's not being watched. She should adjust more quickly this time around. Good luck and kisses to Dolly!

It's very common for adolescent dogs like this to have set-backs in housetraining. I would recommend going back to basics with her housetraining plan for now - take her out very frequently (every 30 minutes or so), praise and reward with a treat when she potties outside, and supervise her constantly when she is in the house. Stick with this plan until she has gone at least two weeks without any accidents at all, then you can begin giving her a bit more freedom in the house without constant supervision. If she has another set-back, just go back to basics again and repeat. Many dogs are not reliably housetrained until they are a year old or more, so don't worry - just be patient and consistent, and remind her what to do when she forgets :)

I am sorry that you are having to go through this! If I read the question correctly.... They were both not having accidents for an entire year and then it started again... That certainly seems strange. The first thing that I like to do is rule out a medical problem, especially in Scooter. Kidney problems, bladder infections, diabetes, Cushings Dz are just a few of the conditions that can cause excess urination. If he has a medical problem and is urinating in the house, your puppy might be just thinking it is ok to urinate in the house. I would try to see if you can figure out if it is small puddles very often or larger puddles. The veterinarian can collect a urine sample and run a urinalysis to help diagnose a problem. They may see something like a low specific gravity (concentration of urine) and need to run blood work. You can also take your puppy in to have a urinalysis done as well. If it is not a medical problem, then you will have to try to re-train them. The puppy will most likely be easier. I would recommend going back to crate training. The places where the accidents have happened have to be cleaned very well. You may need to keep Scooter in a small room with an easy to clean floor when your are gone. Good Luck! Thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Abbey. I suspect that she is stressed by the arrival of the new puppy. Be sure to give her one on one attention and take her outside frequently. Give her lots of praise and a high value treat when she does go. Her behavior should get back to normal, but it can take some time. I hope this information helps!

The accidents could just be secondary to change in environment and stress. You could keep them in crates while you aren't home and then monitor them closely while you are home. Keep them in the same room as you and don't let them roam your house without supervision. Take them outside frequently and give them praise and treats when they go to the bathroom outside. If you are still having problems in a week or so then they may not have been fully house trained.

Hi there! It's very common for newly adopted dogs to have housetraining issues. Kimchi is in a brand new place, and you have no idea what kind of training, if any, she may have had in her previous life. I would recommend going "back to basics" with Kimchi and treating her like a new puppy with no previous knowledge of where to potty. Take her out frequently, and reward her with praise and a treat as soon as she pees or poops outside. Inside, you need to supervise her all the time - use a baby gate or other barrier to keep her in the same room with you, if needed. When you can't watch her, she should be confined to a crate or a single room with a hard floor. Once she's gone a full two weeks with no accidents at all, you gradually start to give her a bit more freedom in the house. See our article on housetraining puppies for more information. The procedure is the same, whether you have a new pup or a newly adopted adult dog who needs a refresher: https://www.petcoach.co/article/7-rules-for-effective-housetraining

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.