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Why is my 8-month Shih Tzu puppy having potty training setbacks?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Shih Tzu | Female | unspayed | 7 months and 28 days old

8 mo old Shihtzu puppy, not fully potty trained. Will go a week or more no accidents in the house then potty on floor multiple times nearly everyday.

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

Published on November 29th, 2016

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 :)

3Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA
Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer
Published on February 7th, 2018
Hi there! It's not uncommon at all for adult dogs to have housetraining "setbacks" like this, especially in a new home. I would recommend going back to basics with Penny for the next few weeks, just as if she were a brand new puppy who had never been taught where to potty.

Take her out frequently (at least every 30-60 minutes) on-leash, and reward her with a treat as soon as she does her business. Inside, she needs to be supervised at all times, or confined to a crate or dog-proofed room with a hard floor if you're busy and can't watch her. Once she's gone a full two weeks with no accidents at all, you can start to give her a bit more freedom in the house and extend the amount of time between potty breaks.

Here is a link to our article on housetraining puppies. The same approach will work for adult dogs who need a refresher: https://www.petcoach.co/article/7-rules-for-effective-housetraining/0
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA
Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer
Published on February 17th, 2017
Potty training puppies can definitely be frustrating! It's completely normal to have some back-sliding here and there along the way - when this happens, just go back to basics for a week or two, to remind him of what's expected. This means going out more often, making sure to reward every time for pottying outside, and close supervision at all times in the house. Once he's gone a full two weeks with no accidents, you can begin to relax the rules a bit and give him more freedom.

We do have a great article on the PetCoach website with more details about housetraining puppies, so you may want to read through it also in case it has some tips you may have missed: https://www.petcoach.co/article/7-rules-for-effective-housetraining/0
2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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