My 5-month-old Rottweiler puppy pees when left alone. How to stop?

The most common cause of housetraining accidents like this that only occur when you're not home is separation anxiety - so I suspect that your dog may be quite stressed and anxious when you're gone. If you're unsure, you can set up a video camera to record him the next time you go out - it's usually quite easy to tell based on the video if this is an anxiety-related problem or not. I would suggest leaving a special long-lasting treat of some kind for him every time you leave the house, such as a Kong toy stuffed with peanut butter. This will help to keep him busy and encourage him to settle, and over time will help to decrease his anxiety by giving him something to look forward to when you leave. You can also try a DAP pheromone collar along with a natural calming supplement like Zylkene or Composure. If these things don't help, I would recommend taking your dog to the vet for a check-up to make sure that there is not an underlying medical issue contributing to the problem. You can also discuss the possibility of prescription anti-anxiety medication for him if needed.

It's possible Tyson may be a little afraid of the outdoors still. Getting him used to it by taking short, small outings outside every few hours can help encourage him to go outside and explore, as well as go potty. When he does go outside, be sure to offer lots of praise and a special treat (such as bits of hot dog or boiled chicken that are EXTRA tasty) to show him that it's safe, fun, and exciting! it can take some time, especially with a fearful or young dog. Lots of patience can help, as well as establishing a routine of going outside at set intervals such as every 1-2 hours, after a play session indoors, waking up, or eating and drinking. Routines can help with fear and get Tyson on a potty schedule. it is also a good idea to get him enrolled in a puppy kindergarten class once he has had his vaccines. This can help him gain some confidence, teach you both how to better communicate with each other, and allow for some good socialization time.

It's very common for puppies this age to tear things up and have accidents in the house when no one is there to watch them. I would recommend getting a nice comfy crate for Koda to stay in when he's home alone - it should be large enough for him to stand up and turn around in, but not much bigger than that. This will keep him from getting into mischief while you're gone, and most puppies will "hold it" rather than use the bathroom in their crate if they are able to. You can leave him with a special treat or puzzle toy, such as a bully stick or a Kong stuffed with peanut butter, to help make the crate a fun place for him and keep him occupied while you're gone. He will need a potty break in the middle of the day at this age, so I would suggest coming home at lunch or having a neighbor let him out, if possible. If he continues to have accidents even in the crate, or if he seems excessively upset even with treats and toys to keep him busy, these are signs that he may have a separation anxiety problem. In that case, it would be best to consult your vet as he may need anti-anxiety medication to help make him more comfortable.

Hi there! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is not that uncommon. Sometimes dogs do this as part of letting us know that they are unhappy with whatever their situation is at that time. For example, my own dog will do that if I walk my other dog outside first for whatever reason. It is important to recognize the triggers and avoid them. In this case, if may be leaving him in the kennel while you are not around. I recommend that you take Timber outside before to urinate before you leave and to actually try him out of his kennel. Try to not leave for too long at the beginning and increase the amount of time you are not around slowly. Everytime he does not urinate anywhere, make sure to praise him and reward him with treats when you get home. In no time he is likely to understand that he will be rewarded if he does not do that undesired behavior. The key is going to be to proceed slowly. For example, leave him alone only for 1-2 hours first, and then increase the amount of time slowly until you reach that amount of time you actually need. Good luck!

Raising a puppy can definitely be frustrating at times! Dogs don't understand "bad" behavior the way that we do - they just do what makes sense to them at the time. He may know that you're angry when you come home, so he runs and hides in his bed - but he doesn't understand that his behavior earlier in the day was the problem. So I would recommend not scolding him anymore when you come home - it won't help the problem, and just creates additional stress and anxiety which can actually make things worse. If he's still having some issues with destructive chewing and housetraining accidents when he's home alone, then he's not ready to be left loose in the house just yet. Many dogs need to be crated or confined to a puppy-proofed room when you're gone until they're 1.5 - 2 years old, or even longer - this is perfectly normal. So my recommendation would be to simply not give him this much freedom yet. Another possibility to consider, if he's only having accidents and destroying things when you're gone, is that he may have separation anxiety. If you're unsure, try videotaping him one day when you're away to see if he seems upset or just bored. If he does have separation anxiety, you will need to talk with your vet as well as a good reward-based trainer who can help you work through this.

Many dogs need to be crated at night to prevent accidents until they are 1-2 years old, so this is not unexpected - I would simply go ahead and crate her at night for now :) Once she's a bit older, you can gradually try giving her more freedom in the house at night. Excited peeing is usually something that puppies grow out of once they're older. In the meantime, you can help by ignoring her for a few minutes when you first get home and asking your visitors to do the same. Once she calms down a bit, you can gently pet her and say hello. Leaning over dogs to greet them also tends to make this problem worse, so crouching down to say hi may also be helpful. You can also take her outside to potty just before visitors come over to help decrease the chances of an accident. It's also very important not to punish her for this behavior, as she can't help it - corrections will only make her more anxious, and often makes the urination worse.

I am sorry to hear about your dog! The first step is to have your vet examine him to be sure there isn't a medical reason for this new issue. There are a multitude of issues that can cause urinary accidents, including urinary tract infection, bladder stones, kidney disease, diabetes, and more. If the vet rules out a medical cause you can discuss if this is an anxiety issue or a loss of potty training. Anxiety is sometimes treated with oral medications. In mild cases a pheremone product like the Adaptil collar or diffuser (available online and at some pet stores or vet offices), thundershirts (also online and at stores), and oral supplements like Composure and Zylkene. You can read more about re-potty training at https://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/is_my_male_shih_tzu_being_a_s_when_he_potties_in_the_house/