Oh no, puppy’s had a toilet accident.
Puppy toilet accidents can be frustrating and annoying. Particularly if the accident is on a rug and carpet. Your puppy picks up your body language and is confused because she does not know why you are upset. If the tone of your voice is irritated, she does not know what to do.
You may be too busy to see the signs and the dog cannot hang on any longer and the “accident” occurs. That is why it is important to train the regular time patterns for going outside to toilet. But even when you are doing that accidents inside the home can happen.
Scolding is a no-no.
Scolding a puppy or an adult dog that is new to your home for accidents is a waste of time and will not change behavior.
Your dog will pick up you are quick to anger when you scold. He will feel confused when you give love sometimes and not other times.
Positive reinforcement always.
The quickest way for your dog to learn what is required of him is through using positive reinforcement teaching, instead of scolding when he does something wrong.
Each time you use positive reinforcement your dog associates that with what he just did. As you keep giving praise for the dog’s good behavior, she will in time continue to do it to gain your approval. She wants to please you.
Consistently giving positive reinforcement becomes ingrained in the dog’s behavior leading to a house trained dog.
As I mentioned earlier, puppy toilet accidents can happen even with the fully house-trained dog. Changes in routine can upset the balance.
When toilet accidents can happen.
Visitors to your home, having trades people in the home, friend’s children sleeping over are just a few situations that can upset the balance and cause confusion for the dog about expectations. If your dog is unwell could be another reason for the toilet accidents to occur.
Once you clean up your dog’s toilet accident try to work out the reason. If your dog tends to go to a certain area of your home to toilet restrict your dog’s access to the area. Close the door to the room or use a child’s gate to restrict access to an area.
Issues arising from kennel boarding.
If your dog has been boarded at a kennel for sometimes, even just a few days it would be advisable to repeat the toilet training to ensure your dog remembers what toileting is required.
The training should be the same as the training you initially did. I have suggested you have a chart on the refrigerator door to record the times during the day for taking your dog outside for toileting.
Do this again as you re-train your dog’s toilet schedule. The chart helps to know the pattens of your dog’s elimination. Having a chart helps you to time his breaks as close as possible to the elimination pattern.
Your dog depends on you to provide the toilet opportunity when he needs it. It is natural for your dog to eliminate when she has the urge. Try to meet those times with the toilet break.
An upset tummy.
Dogs can have diarrhea from a stomach upset. This can be an occasion when a toilet accident happens. It cannot be prevented so do not scold the dog.
Check if dog food is spoiled. This can happen if left out for several hours. Ensure your family is not feeding your dog table scraps, sweets or junk food.
Table scraps, fast food, sweets and junk food can cause stomach upset. Like us humans, diarrhea or other changes in bowel movements and habits can mean your dog has a medical illness and you need to see a vet.