Toilet accidents are one of the most frustrating problems for spaniel owners — especially when a dog was previously house trained or seems to “know better”. The truth is, indoor peeing and pooing usually has a clear reason: routine issues, incomplete training, stress, marking behaviour, excitement, medical causes, or a change in environment.
Key guides in this section
Peeing in the house and toilet training (spaniel-specific)
- Why do Cocker spaniels pee in the house?
- Are Cocker spaniels easy to toilet train?
- How to House Train a Cocker Spaniel Puppy
- Stop a cocker peeing in the house
- How long can a cocker hold its bladder?
- Potty train a puppy without a crate
- Clean dog urine from carpet
Practical potty-training methods
Messy toileting behaviours (poo eating and rolling)
Related hubs
This hub will help you work out why your spaniel is having accidents, how to fix it step-by-step, and how to prevent setbacks long-term.
What this hub covers
In this guide, “toileting problems” includes:
- peeing indoors (adult or puppy)
- poo accidents
- excited or submissive urination
- “sneaky” accidents when unattended
- scent marking (small pees in multiple places)
- messier behaviours like eating or rolling in poo
Step 1: Is it a training issue or a medical issue?
Before you assume it’s behavioural, rule out health causes — especially if accidents are sudden or unusual.
Common medical contributors
- urinary tract infection (UTI)
- bladder irritation / cystitis
- kidney issues
- diabetes
- gastrointestinal upset
- worms or parasites
- pain (dog avoids going outside)
- age-related changes
If your dog:
- drinks much more than usual
- strains to pee
- pees tiny amounts frequently
- has blood in urine
- has diarrhoea
- starts accidents out of nowhere
…a vet check is sensible.
The 5 most common reasons spaniels have toilet accidents
1) Incomplete house training (especially in puppies)
Many dogs aren’t fully trained — they’re just managed well. House training is complete when the dog:
- chooses to go outside
- holds it for age-appropriate time
- signals reliably
- stays clean even with distractions
➡️ Related: /spaniel-puppies/
2) Routine issues (the dog can’t hold it)
This is common if:
- walks/let-outs are inconsistent
- dog is left too long
- feeding times vary
- the dog’s schedule changed (new job, school runs)
Fixing routine fixes many cases quickly.
3) Stress and anxiety
Stress can cause accidents, especially if:
- the dog is nervous
- the environment changed
- there is separation distress
- there are loud sounds, visitors, or household tension
➡️ Related: /spaniel-behaviour/separation-anxiety/
➡️ Related: /spaniel-behaviour/anxiety/
4) Excitement or submissive urination
Common in young spaniels.
Signs:
- peeing when greeting people
- peeing during fuss/play
- peeing when told off
Fix:
- calmer greetings
- reduce pressure
- reward calm behaviour
➡️ Related: /spaniel-behaviour/jumping-up/ and /spaniel-training/impulse-control/
5) Scent marking (especially in males, but not only)
Marking looks like:
- small amounts of urine
- frequent little pees
- peeing on new objects, furniture legs, bags
- peeing in multiple locations on a walk
Marking often increases with:
- stress
- new dogs in the area
- puberty
- changes at home
- too much freedom indoors
How to fix toilet accidents (step-by-step)
This plan works for most non-medical accidents.
Step 1: Reset the routine (2 weeks)
Treat it like house training again:
- toilet breaks first thing, after meals, after play, after naps
- supervised indoor time only
- prevent “sneaky” accidents (use gates, lead indoors if needed)
Step 2: Reward outdoor toileting properly
The reward must happen immediately after the dog finishes outside.
Keep it simple:
- praise + treat
- then return indoors calmly
Step 3: Improve supervision and confinement
If your dog is having accidents, they’ve got too much freedom too soon.
Use:
- baby gates
- pens
- closed doors
- crate only if your dog is crate comfortable
Step 4: Clean properly (remove scent fully)
Accidents that are not cleaned properly can become repeat locations.
Use a suitable cleaner and remove the smell completely.
Step 5: Teach a clear toilet cue (optional, but useful)
You can train a cue like:
- “go toilet”
This helps on walks, before bedtime, and in new places.
How to reduce scent marking indoors
If marking is happening inside:
- remove access to previously marked areas
- keep the dog supervised
- interrupt calmly and take them outside
- reward outdoor peeing
- reduce stress triggers
- avoid punishment (can increase anxiety and worsen marking)
Some dogs benefit from re-establishing boundaries and calmer routines.
Messy toileting behaviours (eating or rolling in poo)
This is unpleasant, but common.
Eating poo
Can be:
- learned habit
- boredom
- scavenging instinct
- dietary factors
- opportunistic behaviour
Rolling in poo
Usually:
- scent behaviour
- instinctive masking / excitement response
- “spaniel joy” in the worst possible form
Management + training recall and “leave it” helps.
➡️ Related training: /spaniel-training/recall/ and /spaniel-training/basic-commands/
Common mistakes that cause setbacks
Avoid:
- punishing accidents (dogs hide and sneak off)
- cleaning with strong scented cleaners that don’t remove urine smell
- giving too much freedom too early
- expecting puppies to “just hold it”
- skipping routine toileting breaks
- allowing marking locations to build up