🚽 Why Your Dog Is Having Accidents Indoors & What to Do – Vet Edition 2025

Seeing your dog slip indoors can be frustrating—but it’s rarely out of spite. Most accidents stem from medical issues or emotion-based behavior changes, not defiance. In this comprehensive guide by Dr Duncan Houston BVSc, you’ll learn how to identify root causes, address them, and effectively restore housetraining using a thoughtful refresher plan. Let’s bring comfort, cleanliness, and calm back into your home.

1️⃣ Rule Out Medical Causes First

If your once-well-trained dog starts having indoor accidents, medical issues often come first:

• Urinary problems: Infections, bladder inflammation or stones, diabetes, kidney disease—all can increase frequency and urgency.
• GI issues: Digestive infections, parasites, inflammatory bowel disease, or food sensitivities/discomfort.
• Neurological challenges: Impaired bladder control due to nerve damage or spinal questions.

Your vet may recommend:

• Urinalysis and urine culture
• Bloodwork (CBC, biochemistry, endocrine levels)
• Fecal examinations or imaging

Treating the root medical cause usually corrects indoor accidents. If not, a behavioral refresher often completes the healing process.

2️⃣ Understand Behavioral Causes

If no medical cause is found, consider the following emotional or learned reasons:

• Inadequate cleaning: Lingering scent triggers repeat accidents.
• Punishment history: Scolding can build fear around relief areas, prompting secret eliminations.
• Marking: Intact males/females, stress, or new changes (visitors, pets) may prompt territorial marking.
• Anxiety-related elimination: Stress can trigger both urination and diarrhea.
• Early incomplete training: Puppies trained too quickly may never fully learn routine.

3️⃣ Housetraining Refresher Course

A structured refresher often resolves most behavioral accidents. Here’s the proven 5-step plan:

1. Frequent outdoor visits: Take them out every 1–2 hours, after meals, play, naps, and waking up.
2. Watch for signals: Whining, pacing, circling, sniffing are cues they need out.
3. Reward outdoor elimination: Use treats, praise, or a favorite walk immediately once they finish.
4. Confinement when unsupervised: Use a crate, gated room, or x-pen to prevent accidents.
5. No punishment: Do NOT scold accidents. Calmly clean and move forward.

Consistency, reward-based reinforcement, and no negativity reset habits and rebuild house manners.

4️⃣ Persistent Accidents? Advanced Action 💡

If accidents continue despite vet work and training, deeper issues may be at play:

• Chronic anxiety or thunder/fireworks phobias
• Marking due to territorial or social triggers (new pets, visitors, changes)
• Cognitive decline in older dogs

Next steps:

• Consult a behavior-certified veterinarian or applied animal behaviorist.
• Consider behavior-modifying medications alongside training.
• Conduct environmental adjustment—pet gates, cues, diffusion.

✔️ 2025 Home Housetraining Checklist

📝 Final Words from Dr Duncan Houston

House accidents do not reflect defiance—they’re signals of discomfort or stress. By starting with a health check, adding behavior strategies, and staying patient, most dogs easily get back to reliable housetraining. And if challenges remain? A qualified behavior vet or trainer can help you explore deeper solutions, restoring calm and confidence to both dog and household.

Need tailored guidance, vet referrals, or help troubleshooting persistent accidents? Ask A Vet is here 24/7 to support your journey—download the app today for expert advice rooted in compassion. 🐾