Accidents and a stay
Can you board and train a dog that is not house trained?
Families sometimes feel embarrassed to mention accidents on the call. Please do. Knowing where and when a dog goes, and what it was taught before, is the first thing our trainer needs, and it changes how the first days of the stay are run.
Last reviewed September 29, 2026 · by the Best Dog University Team
The short answer
The stay runs the schedule every day; your house is where it becomes permanent.
A dog in our training home lives on a timetable, which is exactly what house training needs. Trips outside come after sleep, meals, play and sessions, always on a leash to the same spot, with praise and a treat within seconds of the dog going. Between trips the dog is in a crate, on place or under direct supervision, so there is no chance to practice going indoors.
Two weeks of that is a strong start. It does not transfer by itself, though, because your house has different doors, different rugs and different smells. That is why the potty schedule is part of the handover, written down, with the times and the words our trainer used, so you can run the same routine from the first evening home.
- A timetable of trips after sleep, meals, play and sessions
- A leash to the same spot, a reward within seconds
- Crate, place or supervision between trips
- The written schedule comes home with the dog
Which dog is it?
Never taught, taught the wrong thing, marking, or a medical problem: each has a different fix.
A dog that was never taught simply does not know where the bathroom is, and a schedule fixes it quickly. A dog raised on pee pads or in a kennel run was taught that indoors is fine, which takes longer to undo. A male lifting a leg on furniture is marking, which is a separate behavior with the same schedule fix and often a neutering conversation with your vet.
A dog that was house trained and has started going inside again is the case for the vet first. Urinary infections, diabetes, arthritis that makes the door too far and hormonal changes in older spayed females all cause accidents. Tell our team if the accidents are new, because a stay is not the fix for a medical problem.
- Never taught: the schedule, quickly
- Pads or a kennel run: the schedule, with patience
- Marking: supervision, and a talk with your vet
- Suddenly going inside: the vet before anything else
Puppies and adults
A puppy under four months belongs in the bundle; an older puppy or adult can come for a stay.
A puppy under four months is too young for a stay, and it also needs its own family to learn the routine, so the Puppy Development Bundle covers crate and potty guidance in your house. Four private sessions of 45 to 60 minutes set the schedule, the spot and the crate for your floor plan and your work day.
A puppy of four to six months still going inside, often one raised on pads, and an adult rescue that never learned are both reasonable candidates for a stay. An adult's bladder is mature, so once the routine is clear it often learns faster than a puppy. The part that takes time is the family holding the routine long enough for it to become habit.
The first weeks home
Treat the graduate like a puppy for two weeks and the house training holds.
Houston makes the yard trip harder than it sounds. A week of rain turns the spot to mud, a July patio is too hot for paws at noon, and fire ants move into the soft ground where dogs like to go. Pick a spot that drains, check it for mounds, walk the dog to it on a leash in the storm, and keep trips short and purposeful in the heat.
Freedom is earned room by room. A dog that has had two clean weeks in the kitchen can have the living room, and a dog that has an accident loses a room for a few days. Clean every accident with an enzyme cleaner and never punish it; a punished dog learns to go where nobody is watching.
Run the written schedule from the first evening home
Walk the dog on a leash to one spot and reward within seconds
Crate or supervise between trips, with no free roaming
Choose a spot that drains and check it for fire ant mounds
Open the house one room at a time after clean weeks
Clean accidents with an enzyme cleaner and tighten the schedule
What we do at Best Dog University
The bundle for puppies, a Gold stay for the older puppy or adult, and the schedule in writing either way.
The Puppy Development Bundle is $550 in Cypress or $750 in your home and sets up the crate and the potty schedule in the first session. A dog of four months or more that is still going inside often does a Gold stay, two weeks at $2,500, where the routine runs daily alongside sit, place, the loose leash and door manners, followed by the go-home session, an extra lesson and lifelong support.
The honest fit: house training alone rarely needs a stay. If accidents are the only problem, private lessons at $160 in Cypress or $220 in your home will set the schedule in your own yard. A stay makes sense when accidents come with pulling, jumping, crate trouble or other manners problems, and our team will tell you which you need on the call.
The programs
Programs that set the potty routine.
The bundle for young puppies, Gold when accidents come with other problems, lessons when accidents are the only one.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this.
Will my dog come home fully house trained?
Your dog will come home on a clear routine it has practiced every day, and you will have the schedule in writing. Whether it is fully reliable in your house depends on the first weeks home, because the habit is tied to the place. Families who run the schedule for two weeks usually see it hold.
Do you charge extra for a dog that is not house trained?
No. Program prices are published and fixed: Silver $1,500, Gold $2,500, Platinum $3,750, VIP $10,000. House training habits are part of the daily routine in the house. Tell our team about the accidents on the call so the first days are planned around them.
My dog only goes inside when I am not home. Can a stay help?
Possibly. Going only when alone can be a gap in the schedule, a dog that was punished and learned to hide it, or anxiety about being alone. The stay addresses the schedule and crate comfort. If it is anxiety, tell our team, because the plan then includes the separation work and your routine at home.
Should I use pee pads until the program starts?
Only if you have no other option. Pads teach a dog that indoors is a bathroom, which is the habit the stay then has to undo. A leash, one spot in the yard and a tight schedule in the weeks before drop-off give your dog a head start instead.
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Accidents in the house?
Tell our team where and when your dog goes on the free phone consultation. We will say honestly whether lessons or a stay fit, and a $250 deposit holds the dates.