Why do 10-month-old rescue dogs still have house training accidents?

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.

It's very normal for a 16 week old puppy to still be having accidents in the house - most puppies are not reliably housetrained until 8-10 months of age, or older. It sounds like you're on the right track by taking your puppy out frequently, and praising and rewarding him when he goes - but if he's still having accidents in between potty breaks, I would recommend taking him even more often. I take my puppies out every 20-30 minutes while they are being housetrained, unless they are sleeping. There is no need to cage him after he has an accident, or use any other type of punishment, as this won't help - focus on getting him out more often to prevent accidents in the future, if this is happening. Don't wait for some type of signal that he needs to go - just take him every 20-30 minutes. Once he's gone a full 14 days with no accidents at all, you can start to give him a bit more freedom and space out his potty breaks a bit more. Just be patient and consistent, and give it time - he's still just a baby. He will get the hang of things as he gets older :)

Hi there. I'm sorry you're having trouble with housetraining Kai! I know this can be a frustrating problem to deal with. At this point, since he has never been housebroken, you will need to start from scratch and treat him like a brand new puppy who knows nothing. It may take a bit longer for him to be reliable since he has 11 months of bad habits already established, but there's no reason that he can't be successfully housetrained if you're willing to put in some time and effort for the next few months. Here is an article that outlines how to housetrain a dog. It should have plenty of information to get you pointed in the right direction! If you find that you're still having difficulty, I would recommend getting in touch with a good reward-based trainer who can work with you in person to help you get a handle on things. You can search for one in your area here, if needed: www.ccpdt.org https://www.petcoach.co/article/7-rules-for-effective-housetraining/

I see that Murphy is still very young, only about 3-4 months old - this is much too young to expect him to be reliably housetrained. Most small-breed puppies like Shih Tzus are not reliable until at least 6-8 months of age or even older, so it's very normal and expected that he is still having accidents. You will need to be patient with him while he learns. Take Murphy outside frequently (every 20-30 minutes while he's awake and active) - go out with him so that you can watch, and reward with a treat as soon as he pees or poops. Inside, he needs to be supervised at all times to prevent accidents. If you aren't able to watch him, or when you're not home, he should be confined to a crate or a puppy-proofed room where accidents will be easy to clean up. If you see him start to have an accident, just hurry him outside to finish up there - then praise and reward as usual. It's actually not recommended to use any type of punishment for accidents in the house, as it usually doesn't help and just makes your puppy afraid of you. If he has an accident, clean it up without comment and focus on supervising him better next time.

Potty training is tough. Just stay consistent! Use a pet enzymatic cleaner to clean up any accidents in the house. Start noting when the accidents are occurring to see if there is a timeline. If you are gone, she should be in her kennel. Make sure to take her outside 30 minutes after eating. When she goes outside, give her a special treat. When she has an accident, tell her "no" firmly and clean it up without giving her extra attention.

Yes, it is possible for puppies to be house trained at this age. However, keep in mind that some puppies will experience set backs in their house training and have more accidents when their normal routine and environment are changed. Accidents will happen with any dog from time to time, and there is no surefire way of being positive that a dog is fully housetrained until they come home. I would take the approach of hoping that their claim is true, but be prepared that you may have some work to do. Good luck! :-)

I see that Mabel is only about three months old - it's completely normal for her to still be having accidents. Remember, she's just a baby. It will take quite a while for her to be reliable in the house. Most dogs are at least 6-8 months old before they can be trusted without supervision in the house. At this age, you should be taking her outside every 20-30 minutes if she is awake and active. Make sure that you go out with her for potty breaks, and reward her with a rest as soon as she potties outside. This will help to ensure that she goes to the bathroom every time you take her out, which will help to keep her bladder empty and prevent accidents. She should also be supervised at all times in the house, and confined to a crate or puppy-proofed room when you're not home or unable to watch her. We have an article in our database with more details about how to house train puppies that you may also find helpful. You can read it here: https://www.petcoach.co/article/7-rules-for-effective-housetraining