Why does six-month-old foster dog still make potty ‘mistakes’?
I, Princess Jorja Specklestockings, have never made a mistake. My business is always conducted outdoors. / Photo: Katerina Lorenzatos Makris
Dear Spicy,
My in-laws have picked out a puppy they’d like to adopt. But she is six months old, has been living with the foster family for two to three months (with another dog) and is still not housebroken!
That’s not normal, is it? Could there be serious (health) reasons why a dog that age is not yet potty trained?
I mean, my sister’s dog had never even lived in a house when they adopted her, but she only had one accident. No potty training needed!
My in-laws’ last dog was very sickly—never normal/healthy—and I’d hate for them to end up with another sick dog.
-Perplexed About Potty
Dear Perplexed,
Thanks for the great question!
First off, although this is a small red flag and should be investigated for the puppy’s own good, I wouldn’t say it’s hugely extraordinary.
However, yes, what you describe could be a symptom of some ailment. I would ask if the pup has been examined by a veterinarian for a possible bladder infection, for example.
I would also ask how many “mistakes” she typically makes. Is it every day? Only occasionally? If it’s just a couple of times a week, let’s say, it’s a problem that needs to be investigated and corrected, but I don’t think it’s terribly unusual for a puppy of her age.
Yes, it’s true that I, Melina from Santorini, used to wee-wee in the house. But they loved me anyway. As if anyone could resist? / Photo: Katerina Lorenzatos Makris
Like your sister’s dog, most of the dozens of females who The Saint (a.k.a. my hubsy) and I have fostered or adopted never had an “accident” indoors, even though they had spent their entire previous lives on the streets. But our angelic Melina from the Greek island of Santorini was still getting confused about where to do her business two years after coming to us! And so were our three male “trash puppies,” whom we found in a rubbish bin as infants on the Greek island of Kefalonia.
In the case of your in-laws’ prospective new pooch, I think that at the age of six months their little bodies are still growing and forming to some degree, and sometimes they just physically can’t hold it until they’re a bit older, with their organs more fully developed and strong.
Also it’s possible that the foster family isn’t taking her out quite often enough. Many puppies need to go a lot more often than adults—sometimes twice as many times per day. They need to be let out before and after anything exciting, such as meals, playtime, visits from friends, trips in the car, etc. (Excitement stimulates the bladder.)
And psychologically speaking, inappropriate urination could mean many things. Again, puppies tend to get very excited. If she gets excited often, it means more trips outside might be necessary.
Another possibility is submissive urination, where perhaps she is unsure about her relationship with the other pooch, or with the humans. If she feels nervous or frightened, she might unconsciously urinate—an instinctive response that’s hard for her to control—which is meant to demonstrate to them that she is just a weak, urinating little puppy who can’t possibly harm them so they don’t have to harm her.
It might also be territory marking, though in such a young dog probably not.
Two or three months in the foster home is really not too long. For some dogs it can take a while to feel completely comfortable. So this might be a sign of a bit of stress.
I think your concern is valid, though, and it’s a question your in-laws might want to explore, perhaps by asking the foster family what they think about the problem—why do they think she’s having the accidents?
They might ask the foster family how many times the pooch goes outside per day. If it’s only three or four times, I don’t think that’s enough for many puppies. It might need to be more like six or seven. (But they probably shouldn’t say that to the foster family, so as not to step on any toes. These would just be gentle questions to help your in-laws understand what’s going on with the pup.)
All that said, it would be very sad if they’ve fallen in love with this little girl but end up changing their minds because of a pee-pee problem. So I sure hope things work out!
Spicily yours,
Katerina Lorenzatos Makris
Questions about animal care? Ask Spicy! Email us at youradopteddogATyahooDOTcom.
Your Adopted Dog: Everything You Need to Know About Rescuing and Caring for a Best Friend in Need, by Shelley Frost and Katerina Lorenzatos Makris
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Katerina Lorenzatos Makris is a career journalist, author, and editor. Her fiction includes 17 novels for Simon and Schuster, E.P. Dutton, Avon, and other major publishers (under the name Kathryn Makris), as well as a teleplay for CBS-TV, and a short story for The Bark magazine. She has written hundreds of articles for regional wire services and for outlets such as National Geographic Traveler, The San Francisco Chronicle, Travelers’ Tales, NBC’s Petside.com, Animal Issues Reporter.org, and Examiner.com (Animal Policy Examiner).
