Hey! So my 6 month old puppy holds her urine and poop all day while at work. Not one accident. Then I come home she goes outside and everything is great. An hour or two later she has an accident in the house on the area rug. This happens more than it should. What should I do? Is this normal?
Hi there, welcome to the forum It sounds like that rug needs a trip to the dry cleaners, asap! Puppies are very highly motivated to pee in the same place(s) they have done before, so one indoor accident will swiftly turn into lots of indoor accidents in the same place unless you remove every tiny trace of pee that would help them locate the same spot. And it can continue even after a puppy grasps that every other indoor spot is not for peeing in - as you're discovering! You can get enzymatic cleaning sprays which will destroy the proteins in dog pee that help puppies identify where they've toileted before (Simple Solution is good), and laundry detergent in warm water will also work for spot cleaning accidents. Soak the stained area thoroughly, and for area rugs it's a good idea to turn the rug over and soak/scrub the underside too. Don't forget to clean the floor underneath at the same time. But since she's had several accidents now and you're unlikely to remember exactly where each one occurred, it's probably worth getting the rug professionally cleaned if you can afford it. So in short, it's a very normal hazard to fall into, but straightforward one to fix as well Good luck, let us know how you get on!
Hi Tanya. In addition to Sarah's great advice, I wonder if your pup may be struggling partly *because* she's held it so long during the day. Is she home alone during the day while you work, or does she go to work with you? Is she spending her day loose in the house, or in your office, or crated? And how long for? Some tweaks to your routine might really help the potty training issues!
