Anyone else’s dog suddenly acting up... what's going on?

Seeking help
1

My dog, Oakley, has been acting really strange lately. He’s usually super well-behaved, but for the past week or two, he’s had a bunch of accidents inside and he’s not listening to me like he usually does. He’s almost 2 years old and a golden retriever. Not sure what’s going on. Anyone else’s dog just randomly act out? Could it be something serious?

2

Same thing happened with my dog once! Have you checked if there’s been any changes in his environment? I heard sudden stuff like that can be from something stressful, like a new routine or even health issues. Definitely get him checked by the vet just to be safe.

3

@Mia
Yeah, my son went back to daycare recently, but I’m still home all day. I didn’t think that would be a big change though.

4

Faithjones said:
@Mia
Yeah, my son went back to daycare recently, but I’m still home all day. I didn’t think that would be a big change though.

That could definitely be a factor! Dogs can get stressed out by changes in their daily routine, especially if they’re used to having someone around all the time. But yeah, a vet visit might help rule out any health problems, like a UTI or something.

5

My dog had a similar issue and it turned out to be a urinary tract infection (UTI). Definitely something to check with your vet, because that can cause them to have accidents inside. Oakley’s age is a prime time for that kind of stuff to happen.

6

@Alexander
Oh, wow, I didn’t even think about that. Thanks for the tip! I’ll get him checked out.

7

I had to retrain my dog on potty habits when he started having accidents. It took a bit of work, but I made sure to take him outside regularly, even with the dog door. And I used a potty command like ‘go potty’ and rewarded him right after. Might help Oakley get back on track!

8

@Meech
I’ll give that a try, thanks! I actually have a dog door, so maybe it’s confusing him.

9

Just a heads-up, Oakley could be marking, not just having accidents. If he’s not neutered or there’s another dog in heat around, that could be why. It’s not necessarily disobedience, just instinct. Something to think about!

10

@LillyGrace
Yeah, he’s not neutered yet, so that could be it. I’ll look into that too!

11

I read that if they’re not going potty outside like normal, you should just keep a close eye on them and make sure they can’t roam freely indoors. Crate training can help too. Plus, praise them a lot when they do go outside. Helps them associate it with good stuff!

12

@Brandy
That makes sense. I’ll try the crate thing again. He used to do great with it when he was younger.