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Coco has done a backflip...

Zumie05

Well-known member
CocShe hasn't done a backflip literally, but she can no longer be trusted gated in the kitchen after I had just given her this new freedom. Coco has forgotten potty training :confused: It is really frustrating. She did so well the entire time we started this new regimen for her, and she was so happy, as was I proud of her too! The past 3 days in a row, I have come home to finding multiple pee accidents and always one poo as well. After the first day, I made her space smaller. Still happened on the second day. On the third day I put her back into the bathroom she had normally been in - she peed and pooped in there too:sl*p: So today I have her back in her pen, only I worry she will remember how to escape from it. I REALLY don't want to crate Coco again, as she had an incident once where her jaw got stuck in the opening.

The strange thing is that nothing has changed except the addition of the puppy I am fostering, and trust me I am taking her outside regularly, always have and she has always been doing so well. Is it possible this is the cause of her forgetting all potty training?

*To add, Coco is 12 months old in just a few days*
 
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I can only empathize, but just before we brought home the foster kitten, Rose was doing WONDERFULLY (finally!) with her potty training. Then when we brought home the foster kitten, she pooped in the foyer, and had her first pee accident in months, in the kitchen floor. My first thought was "I thought only human kids did potty training regression when the new 'baby' is brought home!" And we are still slowly working our way back (a bout of "torn up tummy" has not helped things-argh!). I'll be watching your thread to get some insight too. I wonder if it has to do with anxiety about their place in the family? I dunno. Sorry you're dealing with this too, and I hope it gets righted soon.
 
How old is Coco? All my boys have had a spell around 5-6 months old (or possibly a bit older - with two it was a long time ago!) where they've regressed (sometimes only for a couple of days - sometimes longer) and they've needed to be reminded about good toiletting behaviour. :oops:I've always assume that it's a "teenage" hormone type thing.

But I also saw a regression too in Herbie at around 10 months when our new puppy arrived. Herbs has been a little unsure of himself, so I believe this was due to this big change in his life. Some dogs will also copy another's behaviour if the other one is getting attention, so I reckon this could possibly apply to soiling in the house too?

And it's probably worth checking with your vet to see if she has any bladder type infection; I've seen this mentioned as a possible cause of potty problems in bitches.

Rosemary
 
I think you almost certainly have the answer to this conundrum in your post :) –your comment that the only thing that has changed is the addition of the puppy you're fostering. Bingo... :eek: ...accidents inside are a very, very common reaction to the addition of a new dog or other animal to a household–regardless of how comfortable a dog may seem, this is a really typical stress reaction and/or a method of marking territory, which is basically the same thing. It is not unusual for this to happen if people foster dogs and their own dog is not really used to having regular visitors or has been a solo dog all its life. I have seen this reaction in both dogs and cats.

It may or it may not stop during the time you are fostering. It will almost certainly resolve as a problem as soon as the puppy is in its new home.
 
Hah thank you everyone. Poor Coco is just stressed out I guess, even though she ADORES the baby. I will have to post a video of them playing, she is incredibly motherly with him!
 
Maybe not so much "stress" as we would think of it in a bad way. But stressful as a sudden change in her life... remember dogs are pack animals.. a new member of the pack means a changing "pack status". I would just go back to basics for a while and don't give her to opportunity to have accidents. I've had to do that several times here. Even my cats suffered a "hierarchy change" when Holly & Blitz came alone. After a little time everyone finds there place & life goes back to normal.
 
More Poop, STILL!!!!

More bad news. In her pen, which is only big enough for two small sized beds, (1 bed in there, blanket on the other side), Coco STILL pooped in there. What in the heck is going on!:-? She poops every morning for us. We walk her around because she likes to poop 2 seperate times. Every day now for 4 days in a row she is pooping in her "den". My fiance thinks she is sick because it seems like she is going way more than normal, but her poo is still normal looking, just there is a lot more of it.

Is it possible, that after I wormed the puppy, Solo, and Coco, maybe Coco had worms and she is shedding them all or something?
 
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Hopefully Coco's not sick and is just trying to get a message across. Nalu recently peed in the house on furniture while I was watching, the first time in a long while. She maddly scratches first as though she's having a fit and trying to express anxiety. After bending over backwards for her all evening I just looked on in shock that she would be upset. I've been really busy and stressed out lately though and she's probably mad I skipped the walk and just played with her to save a bit of time. Hopefully as they grow older they'll become more flexible!
 
Oh and you might want to make sure Coco is given more status than the foster puppy - like getting fed first and having more space, etc. Try giving back the whole kitchen.
 
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