7 month old puppy peeing in house after recently peeing outside

Question

I've been searching for some answers for this one, but haven't found exactly what I'm looking for (or it hasn't been quite the same situation).

Our 7 month old dog who is pretty regularly scheduled for almost all potty breaks, has recently started peeing in the house. At about 5 months he seemed to have the potty thing down, with no accidents for a month. Now we've had 3 in the last 3 weeks (1 per week). The latest one was on our bed (thanks pooch).

Here's the kicker, all 3 times he was RECENTLY outside. I'm talking within 0.5-3 hours prior, he had already gone to the bathroom. He is a golden doodle, approximately 50 pounds.

Now we have a 4 year old golden doodle who never really had this problem. Same type of potty training, no issues. I'm at my wits end about what it could be. My wife tells me we can't scold him either or that will make him think peeing in general is bad. Ok, so what do we do?

Edit: He was just fixed exactly a week ago, and still has sutures in etc. And we're in the process of moving, we've been packing up everything for the last 3 weeks, and move out to a new place next Saturday.

Answer 1

Definitely don't scold him. Your dog isn't able to connect the scolding to the peeing and you will only degrade his trust in you by causing confusion.

Now onto the real issue, the peeing inside.

Have you talked to your vet about this? Your pup may have a UTI or other medical issue causing him to pee excessively. Even if your pup seems otherwise healthy and normal, still give your vet a call.

Another possibility is that he's had a lapse in memory about where it's appropriate to pee. Some puppies will forget some of their potty training once they've had an accident indoors. You can combat this by taking him outside more often than normal, and also by thoroughly cleaning up the areas he's peed in. You'll need a cleaner that removes all odor, like Nature's Miracle.

Since you mentioned an impending move it may very well be stress. Have you noticed any other behavioral changes? Like seeming especially clingy with you or lapses in other training? If it's stress that's causing this the best thing you can do is be as calm and accommodating as possible with your pup. It's confusing and scary to see all your stuff being packed up, and your people acting weird and doing weird things (like packing). Some extra exercise and attention usually goes a long way as well as keeping your pups space (crate, bed, etc) as normal as possible for as long as possible.

Until he's gone a few weeks without an accident you might consider restricting his access to areas you don't want dog pee in when you're not supervising him.