HELP! Housetraining has just stopped?!?!

Hi everyone,

I have two pups (8 months and 9 months) and we went on holiday over xmas, and they spent 14 days in kennels (which they loved!) but since they've come back, they've decided they no longer want to be house trained. We're coming downstairs to mess in the morning which wasn't happening before. They've also taken to coming inside and weeing even if they've been let out moments before. They've stopped asking to go to the toilet, the dalmatian pup Blue does sometimes, and she will hold herself during the day, but not at night. At the mo we're using puppy pads to at least get them to go in one place.

What have I done wrong? Please help! I was expecting this to happen for a couple of days after they came back from kennels but this is happening all the time ever since......

Sounds like you may need to go back as if they had never been housetrained and treat them like very young pups. It could be there age as well as I seem to recall a regression in housetraining with my boys.

So I would suggest right back to basics - taken them out and watching them go and rewarding when they do - frequently go out with them as if they were pups etc.

I'm sure it won't be too long before they get back on track.

OK thank you! I'll do that!

Good luck SV! I think the back-to-basics advice is right. You may find that with a few prompts they'll remember again pretty quick. By the way, are both pups bitches? Is it possible that they're coming into season? That might have set them off even if the kennels weren't enough

Yeh they are both bitches, I think my dally might be coming into season soon as she is having mad periods where no matter what I tell her to do she won't do it! Plus she's nesting! Don't think the GSD is though, she's still a good girl apart from the housetraining lol!

I have always found that my dogs go a few steps backwards once they have been in boarding kennels.

Most kennels, I have found, work 7am- 5 pm and the dogs are locked in then.

Of course, most of us take our dogs out for that last pee just before we go to bed, and the dogs are used to that.

Maybe just a week or two of going back to the "hey guys", it's all back to normal will work.

Blue had now decided to eat everything she sees - including the wall. I came home earlier, having left her for 45 mins and she'd opened a drawer in the kitchen, taken out a packet of plastic picnic forks and eaten them all! I was not impressed, needless to say she's in her crate tonight for the first time since she was about 3 months old! She's being good considering! Hopefully she won't want to mess in their either so she should wait until the morning! Fingers and toes crossed!