The biology behind why Keeshonds potty training
Keeshonds were bred as Dutch barge dogs, living in close quarters with their owners and performing watchdog duties — this created a breed that is hyper-attuned to human emotion and easily distracted by social stimulation, causing them to forget mid-routine why they went outside. Their dense double coat also makes them sensitive to rain and cold weather, leading to strong resistance to eliminating outdoors in unfavorable conditions, a trait that traces back to their North Sea climate adaptations. Additionally, Keeshonds are known for their 'Keeshond smile' submissive grinning and excitement urination, which is a distinct breed-specific challenge layered on top of standard potty training.
Why it gets worse before it gets better
Owners who give this sociable, people-oriented breed too much unsupervised indoor freedom too soon are rewarding the wrong behavior by not capitalizing on the Keeshond's strong desire to please in structured moments. Reacting with frustration or raised voices to accidents backfires severely with this emotionally sensitive breed, as Keeshonds are prone to shutting down or becoming anxious, which in turn triggers more submissive urination incidents.
Consistency is the mechanism of change: Even one instance where the behaviour is reinforced sets progress back significantly. The dog only persists because it has worked before.
The most common owner mistakes
These are the patterns that keep Keeshond owners stuck in a cycle for months or years:
Misreading Compliance for Understanding
Keeshonds are so eager to please that they will follow owners outside happily and return indoors without eliminating, fooling owners into thinking the dog 'didn't need to go' — only to have an accident minutes later. The breed's biddability masks incomplete training progress.
Skipping Bad-Weather Outings
Owners often skip outdoor trips during rain or cold out of sympathy, not realizing this reinforces the Keeshond's already strong breed-typical aversion to eliminating in poor weather. This creates a dog that holds it or goes indoors whenever conditions are less than ideal.
Over-Exciting Greetings
Because Keeshonds are so emotionally expressive and social, enthusiastic greetings from owners routinely trigger submissive or excitement urination that owners misidentify as a potty training failure rather than a breed-specific emotional response requiring its own separate approach.
What a proper fix requires
Solving potty training in a Keeshondis not a single technique — it's a protocol built across multiple phases. What genuinely works involves:
What an effective protocol looks like for this breed
The exact sequence, timing, and progression for your specific dog depends on their age, how long the behaviour has been reinforced, and your environment. That's what a personalised plan accounts for.