HOWL With Amy

Q: DEAR HOWL,

In the later part of August of this year, we brought home a 10-week-old puppy, Bruno. He is truly amazing and we are so crazy in love with him. He sleeps through the night, and we take him to his doggie door in the family room, and he goes directly out to do his business. Throughout the day he is in the family/kitchen area and uses the doggie door as needed.

In mid-October he finished his shots and we started taking him out to friends houses to meet and play with their dogs. He has had at least one accident in all our friends’ homes. I don’t know why or what to do. 

Please HELP, confused and embarrassed 

A: Dear Confused and Embarrassed,

Let me first explain that Bruno is too young to have an adult hold system which would allow him to be active and still hold his potty until he was in an appropriate place. Compounding this further, he is in a new environment. At your house he knows where his potty spot is/the dog door because he has been going there with direction for 10+ weeks. At your friends’ homes, he has no idea where to go to do his potty or how to get there.

I suggest upon arriving at your friends’ homes you give him some time to potty before entering their house. Usually car rides will accelerate the need to urinate (and often poop). If Bruno does not go to the bathroom I would limit play to outdoors. If he does potty, retake him out again after 20 minutes of playtime. This is probably a good guideline to follow for quite a few months so his bladder can mature and he gets used to the routine for places other than home.

Amy Peer