Potty accidents

Question
Hello,I
I have a Maltepoo that's 14 months old.  He's an inside dog and eats only dry kibble.  Overall, he had been doing well with his potty training, but was having a few accidents.  When I was working full-time, he would be in his doggie playpen all day and would hold it until we got home.  Then I went out on a maternity leave and was home with him every day for 2 weeks.  He started having a few more accidents so I tried to work with him.  Then I had my baby and we've been trying to balance the attention between him and the baby.  He was still doing okay until about a month or so ago when the accidents increased and then he did something he had never done before - went poop on both our guest bed and our bed!  He's allowed on our bed to play but then goes to sleep in his crate at night, which he does well with.  I'm sure that this behavior has something to do with the new baby but not sure what.  I thought we had done a good job potty training him when we first got him but maybe we didn't spend enough time on it?  I don't know what to do but we can't have him going potty on our beds!  Help!

Thanks in advance,
Tina

Answer
Tina, I do not think the problem is a housetraining issue; I think what he is doing is 'marking.' Is he neutered yet? If not, I'd recommend having that done as soon as possible to help reduce the urges to mark. It can take up to 6 months for all the testosterone to exit his system, though, so know that neutering is not an immediate fix.

Has he had any obedience training? That would be a start; get him into a puppy class. Then, I would recommend that you start utilizing the "Nothing in Life is Free (NILIF)" program with him immediately. NILIF is a non confrontational way of enforcing your alpha status. Everyone in the family must participate in order for it to work effectively. If you'll go to http://www.yahoo.com and type NILIF or "Nothing in Life is Free" dog in the search box, you should get more than enough information on how to begin.

When you leave the house, or when you can't keep an eye on him (like when you're tending to the baby), start putting him into his playpen again, or even his crate, if he potties when he's in the playpen. Use baby gates (you might as well stock up on them now!) to keep him in the room that you are in. That way, if he starts to potty, you should be able to stop him and get him outside immediately.


The main problem is that he is probably feeling neglected, and the only way he can get any attention is if he does something bad. Granted, he's getting negative attention, but to a dog, ANY attention is better than none at all. So, armed with that logic, and my suggestions, you should be able to solve his problem and be a happy family once again!

Good luck and please let me know if there's anything else I can help you with!

Kristen