My 11 month old dog was using the dog door to potty outside but after a camping trip and weather changing he now goes to the bathroom inside. How do we let him know it's not ok to potty in the house?

Hi there, we have a 11 mo puppy we have had him for 4 months now. He was in a shelter for 4 months before we got him so he just knew to potty anytime anywhere. We got him to learn the dog door and he has been great. All of a sudden after a camping trip and weather turning he wouldn't go out the dog door, would go inside. I guess maybe he really doesn't know how to tell us he just uses the dog door anytime! He relapsed for a few weeks and is back on track but if the dog door is closed he just does inside. Should we be training him with a bell or how to we help him know it's not ok to just go inside? We have done basic training and do need some more! Jumping and licking are the other two problem areas. Help! Thanks!!!

Cindy's Answer

This is a very common issue with dogs that are not 100% potty trained and actually I get a lot of messages similar to this when the seasons turn to cooler, wetter or snowy weather.

Some dogs don't mind rain or colder weather, others require you to go outside with them so you know they have used the bathroom outside. I don't use dog doors for my dogs but we do have indoor/outdoor runs with dog doors that some of our previous dogs used. His foundation of being in a shelter set him up to potty when he felt like it so my advice would be to confine him when you can't be sure he's gone to the bathroom outside. Use a crate or puppy pen of some sort and make sure he actually goes outside. It's a bit more work for humans when dogs come to us with these habits but if you manage and supervise him and prevent him from having access to using the inside of your home as a bathroom you should be able to get back on track.

Same with jumping, I'd supervise him and spend some time teaching him an alternate behavior (like sit) when he wants interaction with you. I'll link some helpful resources for you below. The course from the Rescue to the Home is a free course.