# 6 months old, still having accidents!



## Pilgrim123 (Jul 26, 2014)

Some dogs are just late developers. Perhaps your pup is one of them. Personally, I'd be going back to basics and taking her out regularly, like a new puppy, so her bladder gets used to a schedule. Maybe some more seasoned members have some better suggestions?
ETA OOPS! just re-read your post and it sounds like you already have worked out what to do. But at least I'm bumping up your post.


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## BriGuy (Aug 31, 2010)

Did you double check that it isn't a UTI? We've had issues in the past where the only symptom was very frequent peeing.

Also, make sure you use Nature's Miracle or something like that to clean up the pee smell.


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## bixx (Sep 8, 2015)

Regular potty breaks/back to basic seems a good idea if there is no medical issue at hand. There is really no need to treat. Plenty of verbal praises will do, followed by a walk or a game, whichever she enjoys. If you have a good sized balcony, maybe you can install a dog toilet there which she can use for emergencies until she's reliably potty trained.


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## aznkorboi (Sep 14, 2014)

lol. 2 weeks ago i went to go take a shower. I come back and he pooped right in front of my bathroom door. It happens. I think they go through this rebellious stage where they test your limits and see what they can get away with.

You have to start over. I started watching him like a hawk again and I took him out and closed the balcony door after he went poop or a nap and he learned again. NO accidents since then. haha


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## aesthetic (Apr 23, 2015)

I'd still get her checked at the vet, even if it turns out to be nothing at least you have the peace of mind.

How much water does she get? When we were potty training Kaizer, we didn't give him too much access to water. If there was water available, he'd drink without stopping and that would make him pee a lot. 

Start treating her like a puppy, take her out after every meal, every time she wakes up, after she plays, after training sessions, and take her out every 30 minutes. You'll spend a lot of time going back and forth but, IMO, it's better to be constantly taking her out even if she doesn't have to go than constantly getting frustrated and cleaning up messes because she goes inside. Do you have a general idea of when she pees? Do you know her signals, i.e. circling, pacing, barking, whining? When Kaizer needs to poop, he runs around our couch with his toy goose in his mouth, every single time. If she even shows signs of needing to pee/poop, take her out immediately.

Do you have asphalt/gravel near you, or some other surface? You could also teach her to do her business there if grass is too far from your townhouse? That way getting her out is easier in case of emergencies. When Kaizer was a puppy, I taught him primarily to pee/poop on grass, but doing it on blacktop or gravel was okay too. If the texture of the floor isn't similar to carpet, she won't have trouble distinguishing where to pee vs where not to pee. I'm just thinking that since you don't have the option to interrupt her, she doesn't see peeing inside as wrong? If Kaizer ever peed inside, I'd yell NO! and then push him or pick him up midstream and got him outside ASAP. I feel like that correction is important in helping them learn where's the right place to pee vs the wrong place.


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## Mila (Jan 4, 2016)

We live in an apartment too. Toby is almost 6 months too. I am not an expert and maybe your case is different. I could spend an hour with Toby outside but in some days he would ask me to go again after an hour or two. I am lucky that he shows me that he needs to go. The reason that he needs to go again is that instead of doing his stuff he is sometimes very busy playing with other dogs or interested in something else. I usually go to his favorite places before I go home for anther 15-20 min. especially if he is so stubborn to go home. It 
helps at least in my situation.


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## TheGoldenState (Nov 8, 2015)

Thanks for all the advice.

We're due for a heartworm test at the vet, so I'll ask them to double check about the UTI.

I'm glad to hear that other 6-month old dogs also need to go after an hour or two - it's not just me! I think that she might be really bad at telling me that she needs to go. Her signals are very subtle, so I'm trying to train her to ring the potty bells in the living room.

She was previously trained to go on pee pads on the balcony, and she was great at that. She would sit by the balcony door and let out a little woof if I didn't notice. I decided to stop this after she turned 4 months because a.) her potty amounts were getting fairly large, and b.) my balcony is at a slight tilt, so if she missed the pee pad, it could rain down on a neighbor walking by.

But I am concerned about not being able to correct her. I may just need to shout, scoop her up with my thin little arms and hope we can make it down the stairs and out the door.

Since the beginning, I've been super diligent about keeping an eye on her. She's in my field of vision at all times, and if not, she's crated. I was just hoping to give her some more freedom soon. Sigh.

A new roommate moved in last week, so maybe that's part of it. I heard that lifestyle changes can disrupt a dog's housebreaking.


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## aesthetic (Apr 23, 2015)

The problem with potty pads is that it makes it incredibly difficult to switch them from it being ok to pee indoors to only pee outside. She's really not understanding why she can't pee indoors now, that's pretty much all she's known. The transition from potty pads to outside is hard and rough, and probably takes longer than teaching an 8 week old puppy to do their business outdoors, but it's possible, with a lot of effort on your part. Take her out every hour, regardless of if you think she needs to go or not. I've realized that puppies almost always have something in their bladders. Take her out enough times to the point where you never have to lift her and run her down some stairs (I can't imagine that would be easy).


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