It could be potty training regression, a not-so-fun but common issue for dogs. And sometimes, it can even fracture the relationship between a caregiver and their dog.<\/p>\n
\u201cAccidents in the house\u2026are one of the biggest reasons people will get frustrated and re-home their pets,\u201d says Robin Bennett, CPDT-KA.<\/p>\n
But it doesn\u2019t have to be the end of the relationship. Bennet explored reasons dogs go through potty training regression and how to help them get back on track.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.dogster.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/GettyImages-1223974222.jpg\")
<\/p>\nPhoto: zoranm\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Why do housebroken dogs regress?<\/b><\/p>\n
Robin says the main reason dogs go through potty training regression \u2014 and the one you\u2019ll want to rule out before doing anything else \u2014 is medical. Urinary tract infections, gastrointestinal infections and kidney problems are all potential issues a dog may be having.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhenever a dog is regressing, the first thing I tell a pet parent is to take the dog to a vet to rule out any medical reasons,\u201d Robin says.<\/p>\n
A change in schedule or routine is also a common culprit.<\/p>\n
\u201cI often see it when there is a family and the kids go back to school or at the end of school, and everyone comes back home,\u201d Robin says. \u201cSimilar to what happened when COVID started, people were calling and saying their dogs were regressing. It\u2019s a form of stress. It\u2019s the dog\u2019s way of saying, \u2018Whoa, everything is different.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
One thing it\u2019s not: spite.<\/p>\n
\u201cDogs don\u2019t have the ability to think things through and do something out of spite,\u201d Bennet says. \u201cThe challenge is that a lot of pet parents will look at a dog\u2019s expression. They\u2019ll come in, the dog will look guilty, and they assume that because the dog looks guilty, they are acting out of spite. Usually, that guilty look is that the dog knows the pet parent is upset.\u201d<\/p>\n
How can I fix potty training regression?<\/b><\/h3>\n
Once the vet has ruled out medical reasons, you can go back to basics.<\/p>\n
\u201cSupervise them and provide them with a schedule,\u201d Robin says. \u201cIf you cannot supervise them, we usually say to put them in a small space so they will be inclined to hold it, such as a crate or small room.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe play a lot of games where we open the crate, open the door and throw treats and toys\u2026until they are used to going in and out on the own,\u201d Robin says. \u201cIncrease by letting them in for a treat, close the door for a second or two and close door again. Make it fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t feel guilty about crating your dog. Instead, make it a fun, safe space.<\/p>\n
Robin advises against using the crate for punishment and getting a dog walker if you\u2019ll be out of the house when you\u2019d usually let Fido out.<\/p>\n
Read Next: Simple Tips for Crate Training a Dog<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n The post Why Dogs Go Through Potty Training Regression (And How to Fix It)<\/a> by Beth Ann Mayer<\/a> appeared first on Dogster<\/a>. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n The post Why Dogs Go Through Potty Training Regression (And How to Fix It)<\/a> by Beth Ann Mayer<\/a> appeared first on Dogster<\/a>. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.<\/p>\n It could be potty training regression, a not-so-fun but common issue for dogs. And sometimes, it can even fracture the relationship between a caregiver and their dog.<\/p>\n \u201cAccidents in the house\u2026are one of the biggest reasons people will get frustrated and re-home their pets,\u201d says Robin Bennett, CPDT-KA.<\/p>\n But it doesn\u2019t have to be the end of the relationship. Bennet explored reasons dogs go through potty training regression and how to help them get back on track.<\/p>\n Photo: zoranm\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Why do housebroken dogs regress?<\/b><\/p>\n Robin says the main reason dogs go through potty training regression \u2014 and the one you\u2019ll want to rule out before doing anything else \u2014 is medical. Urinary tract infections, gastrointestinal infections and kidney problems are all potential issues a dog may be having.<\/p>\n \u201cWhenever a dog is regressing, the first thing I tell a pet parent is to take the dog to a vet to rule out any medical reasons,\u201d Robin says.<\/p>\n A change in schedule or routine is also a common culprit.<\/p>\n \u201cI often see it when there is a family and the kids go back to school or at the end of school, and everyone comes back home,\u201d Robin says. \u201cSimilar to what happened when COVID started, people were calling and saying their dogs were regressing. It\u2019s a form of stress. It\u2019s the dog\u2019s way of saying, \u2018Whoa, everything is different.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n One thing it\u2019s not: spite.<\/p>\n \u201cDogs don\u2019t have the ability to think things through and do something out of spite,\u201d Bennet says. \u201cThe challenge is that a lot of pet parents will look at a dog\u2019s expression. They\u2019ll come in, the dog will look guilty, and they assume that because the dog looks guilty, they are acting out of spite. Usually, that guilty look is that the dog knows the pet parent is upset.\u201d<\/p>\n Once the vet has ruled out medical reasons, you can go back to basics.<\/p>\n \u201cSupervise them and provide them with a schedule,\u201d Robin says. \u201cIf you cannot supervise them, we usually say to put them in a small space so they will be inclined to hold it, such as a crate or small room.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe play a lot of games where we open the crate, open the door and throw treats and toys\u2026until they are used to going in and out on the own,\u201d Robin says. \u201cIncrease by letting them in for a treat, close the door for a second or two and close door again. Make it fun.\u201d<\/p>\n Don\u2019t feel guilty about crating your dog. Instead, make it a fun, safe space.<\/p>\n Robin advises against using the crate for punishment and getting a dog walker if you\u2019ll be out of the house when you\u2019d usually let Fido out.<\/p>\n Read Next: Simple Tips for Crate Training a Dog<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n The post Why Dogs Go Through Potty Training Regression (And How to Fix It)<\/a> by Beth Ann Mayer<\/a> appeared first on Dogster<\/a>. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n<\/p>\nHow can I fix potty training regression?<\/b><\/h3>\n