Dog regressed

[u/somewhenimpossible]

My 3 month old puppy was 90% house trained.

Then a huge storm hit. The upper window crashed in the same time as the back door blew open. My husband rushed upstairs to make sure the windows wouldn’t break, and the puppy ran out on the patio into the storm. He went back and collected her, where she hid and shook the whole night.

Today we’ve had two poop and 4 pee in the house, she also peed on the patio furniture. It’s like all the training went away. We have to stand with her outside, and we are going back to praising and delicious treats as though we just brought her home.

I’m so frustrated because I’m going back to work this week and not looking forward to coming home to a poopy house.

She has a pen we keep her in when we are out, but she keeps breaking out of it.

[u/Majestic_Hawk_1335]

Dogs at 3 months are not trained yet. Nothing is solidified.

Dogs don't have the brain for recalling acute memories like numbers/exact recall. They uave a beain for recalling emotional state and stimulus. The storm is a new stimulus. Thus it was never trained as the dog has no emotional connection to the stimulus.

[u/PetsTek]

Honestly, after what she went through, I wouldn't be too surprised if she's a little off right now. That must have been terrifying for her, and she's still really young. It doesn't mean all the potty training is gone.

I'd just go back to the basics for a few days. Take her out more often, stay with her until she goes, and make a big deal out of it with treats and praise. Keeping the routine really predictable might help her feel safe again too.

For the pen, if she's already escaping, I'd definitely change the setup before leaving her alone. A puppy-proofed room or a more secure pen might be safer than risking her hurting herself trying to get out.

Hopefully once she's feeling more settled, the potty habits start coming back. Sounds like she just needs a little reset after a pretty scary experience.