Help! My 3-and-a-half-month-old puppy is regressing. He was doing so well, but now it’s a total nightmare. He’s peeing everywhere, just as long as it’s not outside!
I reward him consistently and take him out five times a day, but I’m at my wit’s end. I honestly don’t know what to do anymore...
Translated from French
The forum content is sometimes translated from another language, and posts may concern countries with different animal laws. Do your research before making any decisions.
Since the forum is translated by AI, the translations may contain errors.
Excitement or even nerves about going out for a walk could explain why he's having these accidents.
The goal is to make the spot where you want him to go as comfortable as possible, and anywhere you don’t want him going as unpleasant as you can.
If he starts to go right by the door, don’t shout and don’t clean it up immediately. Instead, ignore it and keep him moving on the lead while he’s mid-flow—I can’t think of anything more off-putting for a dog. He’ll eventually learn to wait until he’s actually out of the building before letting go or finding a proper spot.
When you come back in, clean up the mess while he’s in another room, even if it means taking him straight back out again for his actual walk.
That said, I’m no expert. It’s definitely worth checking with a vet.
I could certainly take him for a trip to the vet, and of course, I know it’s normal that he isn’t fully house-trained yet, but he’s now started peeing in the communal areas of the building every single time. The second I open the door to take him for a walk, he relieves himself. He hardly ever goes outside anymore, and I just can’t get my head around why... Only a week ago, it wasn’t like this. He had the odd accident, but not to this extent. No matter how much I give him loads of praise when he pees outside, or let him know I’m not happy when he does it indoors, nothing seems to work! What’s even more bizarre is that he hasn’t had a poo inside for two weeks now... I find this behaviour really strange.
Off the top of my head, I’d say he drinks about 1 to 1.5 litres and he weighs around 22 lbs. Do you think that’s way too much?
Yes, that does seem excessive to me. It’s often said that a dog normally drinks between 50 and 75 ml of water per kilo of body weight per day. That’s only an average, though. Several factors can influence how much water they need (such as the temperature or physical activity).
Since your dog is 22 lbs (10 kg), he should normally be drinking between 500 and 750 ml of water each day. That’s quite a significant difference compared to your estimate of his intake.
Mind you, I’m no expert. You really should mention this to a vet.
Hi Lupus,
I tend to think that 95% of dry food isn't really suitable anyway, and the remaining 5% are just the lesser of two evils. But that's a whole other topic.
The main thing that catches my attention is that your dog is drinking an awful lot. The question is why.
While it’s normal for a puppy not to be fully house-trained at three and a half months, it isn't normal for them to be drinking and urinating excessively. But how do you judge if it's actually excessive? Beyond your own gut feeling, it seems quite difficult to tell.
A quick trip to the vet would be a good idea, though. If only to rule out things like polyuria, which causes heavy urination and over-drinking.
At a guess, I'd say he's drinking about 1 to 1.5 litres and he weighs about 22 lbs (roughly 10kg). Do you think that's really excessive?
Hi Lupus,
I tend to think that 95% of dry food isn't suitable anyway, and the remaining 5% is just the lesser of two evils. But that’s a separate issue.
What’s really caught my eye is that your dog is drinking an awful lot. The question is why.
While it’s perfectly normal for a puppy not to be house-trained at three and a half months, drinking and urinating excessively isn't. But how do you judge if it’s truly excessive? Other than going by your gut feeling, it’s quite difficult.
It would be worth a quick trip to the vet, though. If only to rule out things like polyuria, which causes heavy urination and drinking too much water.
At a guess, I’d say he’s drinking about 1 to 1.5 litres and weighs around 22 lbs. Do you think that’s way too much?
Hi Lupus,
I tend to think that 95% of dry food isn't suitable anyway, and the remaining 5% are just the lesser of two evils. But that’s another story.
What really stands out to me is that your dog is drinking a huge amount. The question is why.
While it’s perfectly normal for a puppy not to be fully house-trained at three and a half months, it isn't normal for them to be drinking and urinating excessively. But how do you judge if it’s truly excessive? Aside from going by your own gut feeling, it’s quite hard to tell.
A quick trip to the vet would be a good idea, though—if only to rule out things like polyuria, which causes heavy urination and excessive water intake.
When does it happen? Before heading out? When he gets back? How long are the walks?
It’s all a bit random. He pees in front of the lift, especially just before going out. But he still has accidents indoors as well. He can hold it for three hours, or he might leave two puddles in 30 minutes. He’s even been known to go just 10 minutes after getting back from a walk. He’s drinking loads (I reckon his dry food isn’t right for him). Our walks usually last between ten and twenty minutes.
Hi, it can be quite "normal" around the 4-month mark and up to 6 months or more for some dogs to regress and start getting into more mischief. They’re testing the boundaries; it’s basically their "teenage phase", so to speak. Plus, it’s not at all worrying if a puppy isn’t fully house-trained at 3 months. Five trips out a day is good, but it all depends on the timing. Does the little one ever let you know he needs to go out?
No, he doesn't ask. So I take him out for the first time around 7:00–7:30 am, and then every 2 and a half to 3 hours.
