Paper-training relapse

Q: We got our Papillon at 7 months old and were quickly able to paper-train him in our house such that we were able to rely on him to go "potty" on the newspaper in our kitchen. We would take him for walks and he would go outside as well, but when he was inside, both while we were home and when we were out, he would go on the newspaper.



Several months later, we moved into a larger place, and he can't seem to understand to go on the newspaper. He has had accidents all over our place, including on the sofa and on our bed. We try to take him out for walks whenever we think he needs to go "potty", but we can't rely on him to go on the paper. In fact, he does not go on the newspaper at all. We have had to resort to putting him in the exercise pen while we sleep and when we're out. We are not sure what to do now, and we don't want to have to lock him up all the time. Further, we don't understand why we can't paper-train him like he was before. He seems to lay on his newspaper more than anything. Help!

A: Shannon Malmberg from Zen Dog responds: I would imagine after your move, you gave your dog too much freedom too soon and so the "habit" of where to go to the bathroom fell quickly off the rails. By confining the dog to a smaller space within the home and gradually bringing the space out, the dog would have learned the household rules. I am not sure where your puppy came from (ie. breeder or pet store) but small breed dogs in general are a bit more difficult to house train, and if the dog came from a pet store type environment where the dog lives, sleeps, eats and plays where it potties, the task becomes even more challenging.



In instances like this, I advise clients to start from square one and establish a new routine. You first want to make sure the dog is not free fed (ie leaving the food out all day). Feed him twice a day at specified times and allow him 10-15 minutes to eat his food before you take away the dish. As well, if you find your dog is peeing late at night, lift up his water dish at 8 pm. Putting structure into food and water going in, helps with structure of food and water going out!



If your dog is crate trained, this is the best way to employ management when you are not able to monitor your dog's behaviour. Any time you need to leave the dog unattended (ie to shower, have lunch, go shopping), crate your dog in a crate suitable for his size so that you are taking away the free opportunity for him to go to the bathroom at will in your house. By crating you are teaching your dog to hold his bodily functions until he is offered with a desired spot to potty. Dogs by nature LOVE to go on soft surfaces - so roll up rugs, confine him to hard-surfaced floors, and get him off the bed.



I would also go back to frequent outdoor trips to give him ample chance to potty in desired areas and don't forget to bring special treats to reward the correct behaviour. Unless you live in a high rise building (which makes frequent trips outside difficult), I would remove the pee pads altogether and teach your dog that the best place to go to the bathroom is outside, making it much less confusing about going in the house.



When the dog is in the house with you, make sure to keep a very close eye on him, initially. Freedom is earned and should be given as he shows you that he is more responsible in where he chooses to go to the bathroom. If he makes an accident, don't scold. Instead, promise to be more vigilant in preventing future accidents. My rule of thumb is to aim for four accident-free weeks - then you are setting a new habit in place!