Puppy peeing inside

[ALAN PARIS]

Our puppy has started peeing inside.  She always goes to the same place - the entrance mat at the front door. She will be playing happily and will stop, run out the living room to the hall and pee on the mat.  She did it three times this evening.  After the first one, I got the carpet cleaner out and deep cleaned it so there shouldn’t be a smell.

We’ve sussed when she is about to do it and taken her outside but she won’t do anything even though we’ve stayed out with her for about 15 minutes.  She isn’t trying to get outside to play as whenever we go out, she tends to have to be coaxed outside and then she will just sit or pull to get back inside. She will then play for a bit then about half an hour later do the same thing.

She doesn’t seem to have an issue pee-ing outside.  She does it plenty during the day, but sometimes in the evening she just does this.  Any ideas?

[ALAN PARIS]

I should add, the door she is peeing beside isn’t the door we take her out of.  We can’t go out the front with her yet as she hasn’t had her vaccines.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi there!

A few questions: 

How long have you had your puppy?

What breed is she?

Is it very cold outside at night? Has it snowed? It sounds like she's intimidated about being outside for some reason.

Can she be scared of something in the yard? https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/advanced-potty-training/troubleshooting/#dogsscaredoftheyard

Sometimes, it can be a matter of not being used to wearing a collar and leash. 

She many need some conditioning, on the bottom of this article are some guides to habituating puppies to wearing and collar and leash: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/exercises-to-teach-puppies-to-tolerate-touch/

If if happens only at night though, it could be it's too cold or she's spooked by something. It may be worthy to have her vet check her vision just in case. Is there any light you can turn on? Are you likely to be more in a rush or impatient at night? Some sensitive pups may pick up on that. 

Any chances her previous owner/breeder used pee pads? Some pups who have learned to use pee pads will confuse a mat for a pee pad. Make sure to wash with an enzyme-based cleaner, however I would remove the mat for now.

How far is the living room (or the area she spends the most time) to the actual door she it taken out? She is very young and likely isn't making it to the door on time. Young puppies are like babies and often by the time they realize they have to pee, they already peed.  https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/advanced-potty-training/introduction/#youngpuppiesarejustbabies

Is she peeing on the mat when she sees you approach? Some pups will urinate submissively if they sense we are upset with them. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/submissive-urination/

If she doesn't pee when you take her out, take her back in and keep a watchful eye on her so that you can quickly take her out in a few more minutes. Follow these guidelines on where to keep puppies during potty training: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/advanced-potty-training/potty-training/#wheretokeepyourpuppyduringtraining

Here is the main potty training guide: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/advanced-potty-training/

[ALAN PARIS]

We‘ve the puppy 3 weeks.  Apart from a few random accidents, she’s been pretty good at going outside to pee, is fine with the collar and leash mostly.
There hasn’t been any change in the weather. 
The breeder had the puppies in a heated stall with sawdust.  I can’t remove the mat as it is fixed, I did a deep clean with an automatic wash/vac.  (Best purchase ever if you have a puppy!!)

I don’t think it’s submissive, as we’ve been happily playing then she runs to the hall, but of course, it may be she is picking up on something.  I’ll look in to that, thanks.

A vet check for her vision is a good call.  She sometimes can’t find treats thrown to her until you point them close up, is that usual for puppies?

 

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Thanks for the extra details. So if she's 9 weeks and you have had for 3 weeks, you have had the puppy since she was 6 weeks? That's way too young for a puppy being sent to a new home! If so, this puppy has missed out on some important milestones that were supposed to take place in presence of mom and her siblings. 

It sounds like the breeder was also keeping her outside of the home, versus in the home socializing with humans, which can put a dent in acclimatizing to a human environment and instilling some basic potty training basics.

It's not unusual for young pups to not see treats right away. It can take some time for them to learn to focus well. I have seen this in 7-8 week old pups, and after several tosses they caught up,  however since yours is 9 weeks, it's good to just mention it to the vet to play it safe. 

Since this isn't the door that leads to the outside, I would block off access to that area (bulky boxes, furniture) and redirect her and take her outside anytime she stops playing (or whatever she is doing) and you see her approach that area. 

In case she's insecure/ afraid in the dark, it may help heading outside with a flashlight. 

[ALAN PARIS]

Sorry, my numbers are out of whack.  She was 8 weeks when we got her, born 1st December, we got her at the end of January.  The breeder owns a stables and the stable hands were in there with the pups handling them regularly, but it was a large litter, 12 pups, and they had taken in another abandoned pregnant dog who also had a litter around the same time.

We have outdoor lighting which my partner promises to put up this weekend!

 

Thanks for your help!

[Adrienne Farricelli]

No worries! I am super glad to hear you got her at 8 weeks, that takes away a lot of problems associated with puppies being removed too early from the litter. 

I hope the lighting works to help ease her fears, keep us posted on how things go!

Best,

Adrienne