By Thursday, my Pug, Patton, will have been with us for a fortnight. He’s two and a half months old, a tiny little scrap full of love and affection, and he’s very bright, but... he’s doing something rather strange that I just can’t explain. He’s picked up 'NO' really easily, so I can stop him if he's being naughty, but I’m having a bit of a struggle with house training. To explain: he’s perfectly understood that he needs to go outside, because as soon as I take him out, it’s the first thing he does. He runs off to a quiet spot to have a wee (he never goes right at our feet, always a bit further away). It’s the same with poo; he runs under a tree and that’s that, no bother at all. So, as soon as I take him out, he wees and poos without a hitch. But the problem starts when I bring him back inside: even if he’s literally emptied himself outside, within 10 minutes—and sometimes even within 30 seconds—he has an accident on the tiled floor... I’ve just come in with him from a walk, he did several wees, I stopped in the conservatory to take my shoes off and shake out my coat which had bits of twigs on it, basically I was there for 3 or 4 minutes and he waited patiently. Then I opened the door into the house, he dashed in, did a quick lap of the kitchen, and then came back and relieved himself on the lounge floor... I’m totally baffled 😳. I should mention that he can hold it reasonably well; for instance, yesterday I took him to a garden centre to buy some toys. From the moment we left the house until we got back, it was easily 2 and a half hours, and he only weed once we were home, in the garden. At night, he sleeps in a playpen, and generally, he has one or maybe two wees, and almost never a poo. The playpen is in the living room, which is where he usually has his accidents. I’m trying to give you as much info as possible in the hope that someone might have an explanation, because he isn't doing this for no reason. This isn't my first dog; in the past, I’ve had a Collie, two Labs, a Newfoundland, a St Bernard, and a Westie (who’s 14 now), and none of them ever did anything this bizarre! I’m really hoping someone has a lead for me because, aside from this one issue, everything is going brilliantly and there must be a reason for it! Thanks in advance, everyone!
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I also thought about territorial marking, but at 3 months old, I don't think that's likely. I’d say it’s more of a habit, if anything.
At 3 months, their physical ability to "hold it" has its limits. As for canine social cues, they aren't fully ingrained yet. The same goes for their understanding of the world, themselves, their space, people, their owner...
I think it’s much more plausible and logical to look at it as a house-training issue—something where the training needs reinforcing so they understand better. It’s actually more helpful than jumping straight to territorial marking, which brings up the whole hierarchy debate (not that I’m ignoring that, but in my opinion, it’s far too early).
As for a repellent, you can always use vinegar for cleaning.
At 3 months old, I don't think he's scent-marking yet; that's a bit young. I agree with @amie des Boxers. So, don't put too much pressure on yourself. There's actually a sign to look for to see if he's getting the hang of house training. When Koda was still at the learning stage, before he'd really understood, he'd just go anywhere in the house. Once it clicked that he should go outside, if he had an accident, it would be right by the garden door. It wasn't that he wasn't house-trained or that he was marking; he just couldn't hold it anymore and went as close as possible to the "allowed" spot. My big girl Ulthia did the same. She was fully house-trained by 6 months, and Koda has been since he was 4 months old. So, I think your little lad just hasn't quite got the concept yet, plus he's a pug (and they can be a bit stubborn! 🙄). Personally, I’d say just keep going as you are without any pressure, and it’ll happen naturally.
Now, where I did things slightly differently is that if I caught him in the act (peeing indoors), I did let him know I wasn't happy. No hitting or shouting, of course—I just showed my disapproval. But as soon as he went outside, I’d make a massive fuss: cuddles, kisses, loads of praise, and a little treat. I'm incredibly mindful of my pups' well-being, but at the end of the day, we go to the toilet outside, so I made sure they knew I wasn't okay with it happening indoors. Obviously, if it’s an accident because we weren’t quick enough to get him out, we don't say a word, and it’s the same if you don't catch them in the act. But there you go—I have two perfectly house-trained, happy dogs, even if I did have to say "no" sometimes! 🤣
It feels a bit odd for me to give so much detailed advice to someone more experienced, but never mind, I love talking about house training...
Your puppy is struggling a bit with the whole inside/outside concept. The good thing is, he is going outside as well! That’s brilliant!
To be honest, it looks like he just needs clearer routines. I’d suggest a proper schedule. For example, taking him out every 3 hours (always staying just below his limit to help him progress while keeping him comfortable). Having to go shouldn’t feel like a desperate emergency; this is also how you can judge his progress in terms of how many hours he stays clean and see how comfortable he is holding it. It’s normal for a puppy to go within 3 minutes of getting outside.
Then you can increase the intervals by 15–30 minutes... Try to time the outings as much as possible around your breakfast, his meals, naps, play or training sessions, etc. Obviously, as the time he stays clean increases—from 3 hours to 4, then 6—the frequency of walks will drop (until you’re down to the usual 3 walks a day). Also, keep in mind the time spent outside (say 30 mins to an hour); you should start counting the time until the next walk from the moment you get back home.
I should also mention that with a puppy, you usually go out after a meal, but later on, you can transition to feeding them after their walk.
It sounds a bit mad, but I actually made a log sheet that I updated every 2 or 3 days to track the progress. It’s where I directed my "stress" instead of taking it out on the pup (I’m not saying you’re doing that, by the way).
Aside from that, I should mention I didn’t really mind if she had an accident in the kitchen while I was having breakfast, for example, because I was trying to teach her something else (that I eat before we go out). It’s the same when we get home; we have a drink, a snack, settle down for a bit, and then we go out for a nice long walk together. The idea was to teach her how to wait her turn. Sorry, bit off-topic there!
I hope that’s clear! 😅 With more structure, your puppy will understand better and you’ll feel less baffled by his behaviour. If things are still the same in a month’s time despite this method, then it’ll be a case of breaking a habit (assuming any potential medical issues have been ruled out first by the vet...).
Let’s just say this one is a bit different and prefers to sleep through the night. Good for you – it saves those late-night wake-up calls! 😉
But lasting eight hours overnight is a completely different story to lasting four hours during the day. Ours, for example, can go 14 hours at night (yes, we’re a house of late sleepers!) and even has her breakfast before heading out. During the day, she can easily hold it for 12 hours if needed (if she’s poorly or during a summer heatwave, for instance). Even so, like I said, there’s no rush; some dogs just learn slower than others. She was fully house-trained at exactly five months old. We’re hardly the gold standard, and there are no prizes to be won, but we definitely aren't the type to get stressed over this sort of thing... You just have to go at their pace.
Regarding the whole "inside vs outside" thing, keep up with 5-6 outings a day. Every three hours, for instance. If he has an accident indoors, even if you catch him in the act, don't get cross—I’m sure you don't anyway. Don't even say "no" (it’s a human negative, and the fatigue of repeating it can subconsciously make us firmer or more tense; you might as well say nothing and save that ace up your sleeve for later—like we did when ours hit 11 months! 😁). Besides, clearly saying it isn't making a difference right now. So, just ignore the puddle, take him outside, and give him plenty of praise when he goes there, just like you said (lots of "well dones", a big fuss, some kibble, etc.).
You’ve hit the nail on the head, Amie des boxers 😉. Actually, when I say he’s house trained, I’m talking about at night, because he clearly holds it in; as soon as he sets foot outside in the morning, he runs to the bottom of the hedge for a big wee, followed about five minutes later by a poo. In the last fortnight, we’ve probably only had two or three accidents overnight. What’s really throwing me is that every other dog I’ve had over the last 30 years has always been clean during the day before being able to hold it all night, but he’s doing the exact opposite 😂 So, as you say, has he really grasped the difference between indoors and outdoors? And if that’s the problem, how can I get him to understand? Because when I catch him in the act, I stop him straight away, tell him "no, no weeing in the house", take him outside, praise him and so on... but when I don't see him doing it, which is the case most of the time, I’m not quite sure how to handle it...
He goes out at least five times a day, and I should mention he never poos in the house, it’s only ever wee. His last walk in the evening is at 10 pm, and by 6.30 am at the latest he’s out again, so he is definitely capable of holding it for at least eight hours.
In my opinion, you can't really say he’s house-trained yet. He’s going both outside and inside. Like you mentioned, it could be down to him being frustrated about being in his playpen at certain times during the day, but it might also happen when he's just wandering around the house calmly. It’s possible that it’s becoming a bit of a habit.
Are you still taking him out 5 or 6 times a day?
I don't think he’s quite grasped the difference between being indoors (keeping it clean) and outdoors (where he’s supposed to go). It needs to be crystal clear for him, and it doesn't seem to be yet, which explains why there's a bit of a "misunderstanding" on your end regarding his progress.
Keep up with the frequent trips outside and keep praising him like you’ve been doing; it’ll click eventually. Assuming there isn't an underlying medical issue, it's perfectly normal for a puppy his age to either struggle to hold it in (due to excitement, for instance) or to not fully understand the concept of house-training yet... But he’ll get there. Personally, I think 3 months is very young to be fully house-trained, but it really depends on the individual pup. To put your mind at rest, I’d even say that some take longer to learn, but once they do, they can hold it much better (without any discomfort) compared to those who are trained earlier but can't last more than 4 hours (just as an example).
Hi everyone, just a quick update after spending the last fortnight keeping a close eye on my pup. Patton is 3 months old now and has been with us for a month; he’s house-trained about 6 nights out of 7, which is brilliant.
When we’re out in the car, we have no accidents at all. His naps at home can last up to 3 hours and the urge to go doesn't wake him up—he just does it straight away once I take him out. But, there’s always a 'but', there are still these random wees in the house, and no matter how much I try to figure it out, I just don't get it! I’ve noticed that when I put him in his playpen during the day (for various reasons), he has a wee within three minutes. I reckon it’s out of protest because he spends the night in that same pen without any issues, as I mentioned. But these regular wees he does in any room or spot in the house, I still can’t explain... in those moments, he’s neither excited nor cross; he’s just wandering about calmly and then suddenly, as if he were outside, he just lets it go 😔. It’s quite frustrating because I find it hard not to shadow him constantly, and I know it’s not because he’s unable to hold it. I really hope I can find a way to handle this little issue.
