More often than not, accidents are going to happen because of the dog’s age. When a dog is a puppy, it can only hold the contents of its bladder for a certain amount of time. The general rule is a puppy can control its bladder for one hour to every month of age. So if you have a 3-month old puppy, theoretically, he should be able to hold his pee for about 3 hours. After that, he will need to be taken out or an accident will happen. The same thing goes for dogs of an older age; accidents will occur if they don’t get frequent bathroom breaks.
Besides age, there are a few common reasons why accidents may occur such as, hormone incontinence, side effects from a medication, urinary tract infections, changes in the dog’s environment, and feelings of stress or excitement. While none of these issues are necessarily life threatening, it is important to understand these problems and speak with your vet or a behavioral specialist on how to correct the problem.
Hormone Incontinence
Put simply, this issue comes about after a dog is spayed or neutered and is caused by a weakening of the sphincter muscles. This is most common in female dogs as it comes about from a lack of estrogen, but it can occur in male dogs as well. Hormone incontinence can be helped through regular walks and speaking with your vet about any potential medications.
Side Effects from Medications
If your dog has been placed on any recent medications, sometimes accidents can be triggered by those medications. It is important to communicate with your vet in order to find the right medication for your dog that won’t cause him to have accidents in the house.
Urinary Tract Infections
This is a common cause of house accidents for all ages of dogs. If your pet is having frequent accidents in the house, get him a checkup in order to rule out any UTI’s. If your dog is diagnosed with a UTI your vet will be able to help you determine the right medication for your pet in order to fix the issue.
Change in Environment
Pets can be extremely sensitive to any new changes that take place within their life. Perhaps you have moved, gotten a new pet, or renovated the house. If that is the case, your dog may be having accidents simply because he is stressed from the new changes. If that is the case, speaking with a behavioral specialist and giving your dog lots of love will most likely help curb that behavior. It is important to remember that your dog is not doing this on purpose and punishing him for it will only make matters worse. Love and careful retraining may be the best solution to this situation.
Feelings of Stress, Anxiety, or Excitement
Some dogs, when extremely excited or intimidated, may have a little trickle of urine that leaks out. This is due to lack of control over the bladder muscles when extremely excited. In this situation it would be best to speak with a behavioral specialist on how to help your dog overcome that habit.
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Question:
Why is my housetrained dog suddenly having accidents?
Answer:
When you notice a sudden change in your pet’s elimination habits, the first step is to visit your veterinarian. Problems such as urinary tract infections, kidney disease, bladder stones, and gastrointestinal diseases can lead to inappropriate urination or defecation (in other words, changes in where and how often your dog goes). You veterinarian will perform a physical examination and may recommend a urinalysis, fecal examination, or x-rays to help determine exactly what’s going on. Once a medical explanation for the problem has been ruled out, it’s time to look at behavioral causes.
Unfortunately, there are many potential behavioral causes: insufficient housetraining, separation anxiety, cognitive dysfunction syndrome, submissive urination, excitement-related urination, and urine marking to name a few. If your dog is less than a year old or has just recently joined your family (within the last few months), the first step in resolving behavioral issues is to make certain that you have appropriately housetrained him. If you suspect the problem is associated with anxiety, it’s very important to seek the help of a behavior specialist as soon as possible.
Categories: Puppies
Tags: Adolescent DogsAdult dogshousetrainingHousetraining Adult DogsHousetraining PuppiesIncontinence in DogsPuppiesSenior dogs
There are few things more frustrating than finding that your dog had an accident in the house. For many dogs this might be a one-off incident. Perhaps they are not feeling well, or were inside for too long without a potty break. However, some dogs do experience a condition called “potty training regression”, whereby your dog reverts back to having accidents inside rather than going out. This can be upsetting, aggravating, and make everyone in the house miserable – but it is important to remember that your dog is not doing it to spite you.
Why it Happens
Dogs might regress in learned behaviors for a number of reasons. The good news is that there are as many ways to get your pup back on track.
- Puppies often regress while potty training. This is in part due to their brains developing as they grow. While the brain is still developing, they might forget their training. As long as you are consistent in your efforts to potty-train, Fido should pick it up again quickly.
- A big household change may also trigger potty training regression. These events might include moving to a new household, having a baby, or getting a new pet. Animals love routine, so anything that shifts their daily routine will cause them stress. This stress can then cause them to “forget” their housetraining behavior.
- Medical issues can also cause some potty-training regression. Some common issues include urinary tract infections, incontinence , inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes or dementia. These issues have accompanying symptoms other than accidents, but if you are concerned it’s never a bad idea to visit your veterinarian. Many of these issues can be diagnosed through bloodwork or urine testing; and while not all of them are easy to treat, it can give you some peace of mind to rule serious medical issues out.
- Many dogs have their favorite person in the household, the one they follow around or sleep with at night. If that person leaves, even for a short while, it can trigger potty training issues. If your dog already suffers from separation anxiety, talk to your veterinarian about anti-anxiety medications for when you’re away. Another approach that might help ease their stress is hiring a sitter to stay at home with your pup while you are away instead of taking them to a kennel.
What to Do
When potty training regression happens, the best approach is to go back to the basics!
- The number one rule is never to yell at your dog for having an accident.
- Do not shove their face in it or otherwise intimidate them. This will only make your dog scared of you and therefore less likely to listen.
- Clean up any messes with products designed to eliminate pet odors–if their scent lingers, they are more likely to have an accident there.
- When you notice the accident, bring your pup’s attention to it and immediately take them outside. If it’s poop, pick up and take it outside with you and put it in the area they go potty to help remind them where is acceptable.
- Establish a routine of frequent breaks to prevent accidents and work on extending the time between breaks as the number of accidents decreases.
Although some issues can be rectified easily, others may require a bit more time and patience. You can rely on the experts at Gulf Coast K9 Dog Training to assist with any training or classes you may need. If you live in Sarasota or Bradenton and need a great trainer, give us a call!