Just when you think you’ve nailed potty training, accidents start happening… aaargh. Puppy potty training regressions are challenging and frustrating. You feel like you’ve got this whole potty training thing cracked and then next minute, you’ve stepped in a puddle of pee. Fear not, It’s probably just time for a refresher course in potty training, right?
Here, we’re going to delve into what a puppy training regression is, what causes a puppy potty training regression, if it’s normal to have potty training regressions, and how to handle them for the greatest success and have your puppy potty-trained once and for all!
We’ll also look at age-related regressions, so if you have a new puppy that you thought had cracked it, or you have an older puppy, you’ll know exactly how to fix it.
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What is Puppy Potty Training Regression?
A puppy potty training regression is when a puppy that has been clean inside for a while starts to have accidents indoors again. Understanding the causes of puppy potty training regressions is key to getting them back on track.
Causes of puppy potty training regression?
Puppy potty training regressions typically occur for the following reasons:
- Inconsistent rewards – it’s really easy to sit back and think ‘yep, my pup’s potty-trained’ when you’ve gone a few days with no accidents, you stop watching them as closely, or taking them out so often, then whoops accidents happen!
- Too long between potty breaks – young pups can’t hold it for long, so need regular potty breaks, even if you think they’re potty-trained.
- Stress – a really common factor in potty training regressions. This could be as simple as a change in environment, pups like routines and predictability!
- Anxiety – scared of fireworks? Struggling with being alone? Or does your puppy seem to be scared of everything? Stress can often make house-trained dogs have slip-ups in their potty training.
- Illness – if your pup has a tummy upset or a UTI they will need to go more frequently and quickly, this can be a common reason for potty training regressions.
Is it normal for puppies to regress during potty training?
Yes! It’s totally normal for regressions to happen when you’re potty training your puppy. Mostly for the reasons we outlined above, but also because we can often try to rush things along, and their potty training just isn’t completely reliable yet.
How to handle Puppy Potty Training Regression?
To re-train puppy potty training, let’s get back to basics. Here’s our step-by-step guide to get your potty training back on track.
Manage the environment
Roll up rugs or carpets that your puppy might be tempted to pee on, consider using a confinement area like a puppy playpen or crate to prevent access to areas you don’t want them in. Puppies also don’t like to pee near to where they sleep or eat, so confinement areas work well for this.
Set reminders in your phone
Your puppy needs to be taken to their bathroom area as soon as they wake up, after eating, drinking, and playing, and then at least every hour to begin with. This ensures they’ll get lots of opportunities to go outside and in the right place.
Take them to their potty area
Use the same area of the yard each time, so that your puppy’s scent gets left there when they do finally pee, as it will serve to attract them in the future.
Give them time to go
Too often, we rush this bit, stay outside for 10 minutes and be quite boring, no need to get them riled up as they might ‘forget’ why they went out there, as they’re having too much fun.
Reward them when they get it right
If they pee or poop – throw a huge party, lots of praise, give them a treat and then head back indoors. Do this every time! Really make their tail wag, so they know they did a good job.
And if they don’t potty….
Take them back inside, put them in their confinement area and watch them closely.
Any signs of sniffing, circling or wandering off and get them back out to the yard – fast!
Keep a potty training diary
Making a note of when you take your puppy to the yard, whether they pooped or peed or not, can help you see patterns in when they need to go that you can look back on.
Don’t be tempted to tell them off
We know it’s frustrating when you have potty training regressions, but taking it out on your puppy will cause more problems, as they can start to ‘hide’ where they go. It just hasn’t quite clicked that they need to go outside, practice makes perfect!
Read our full guide to puppy toilet training to learn more.
4+ month puppy potty training regression
While we can often think a 4-month-old puppy is fully potty-trained, the likelihood is they will still have some accidents if we take our eye off the ball. Go back to basics and make sure you go to the yard and reward them when they potty outside.
7+ month puppy potty training regression
The terrible teens can be a challenging time for your adolescent pup. It is also a time we tend to stop rewarding them so much, so potty training regressions can be really common! Keep the praise and rewards coming for a while longer yet!
10+ month puppy potty training regression
If you have a 10-month-old puppy who’s having potty training regressions, it’s likely that they’re coming into sexual maturity, which can be stressful for female dogs as they have a rollercoaster of hormones to contend with, and for male dogs the desire to mark their territory can be super strong!
While puppy potty training regressions can be common, it is fixable. Get them back on track with a potty training schedule, and if you have to leave your puppy for a while, then get a friend, dog walker, or pet sitter to come over to make sure they don’t have accidents inside.
Get back to puppy training basics with Zigzag
Whether you need to potty-train your new puppy, or your older puppy is having potty training regressions, Zigzag is here to help. We spill the beans on how to potty-train your puppy effectively, so no more stepping in pee or poop for you!
