Is puppy understanding potty training?
We got a puppy a tad later than some he’s 5 months old and we’ve had him for about 3 weeks. My partner and I staggered our time off work to help him settle in. We’ve been very hands on with potty training, constantly taking him in and out and learning his schedule. We give lots of praise when he goes outside, and we don’t use potty pads or anything like that inside. Outside is the only acceptable place. The thing is, I’m not sure it’s actually clicking for him. We’ll go several days with no accidents, but I think that’s more because we’re so attentive than because he truly understands that going inside is wrong. Then yesterday, after 6 accident-free days, he pooped in the house with no warning signs. He’s a very active, busy dog and his “tell” is pretty subtle. I’d rather not teach the bell method since we’re active with our dogs and he won’t always have access to one. I know he can hold it so why isn’t he holding it until he is offered outside time? Which at this point is still VERY often. Is this normal at this stage, or is there something we should be doing differently?