peed indoors - why?

[Mittens]

Hi - been without electricity most of this week, so we had to go out for dinner last night, leaving Eddie at home for 2 1/2 hours. We've not been putting him in is cage this last few weeks (at night or in the day) as he's getting a bit big for it (he's 5 1/2 months), he's been totally house/toilet trained and he prefers sleeping in his leather bed (or on the sofa!).... anyway, when we got in he had peed on his blanket on the floor - much to our surprise, as we've not had an accident indoors for a good couple of months, plus he'd been out to toilet in garden before we went out and he can hold it all night now....

So why did he do this? Was it because we'd left him (not a usual thing as we are normally in evenings - plus he'd been with OH all day)? Seems odd he's do it on his blanket he loves to lie on, not the floor, if it was 'need' rather than 'protest'?! Will I have to go back to putting him in his cage if we go out? Any advice would be appreciated 

[Coco]

I wouldn't worry too much about one slip-up. There could be many reasons. I'd keep reinforcing the toilet training though as sometimes they can just totally untrain themselves    As I have found out   

[I love cockers]

Do you think he was upset about being left on his own?

Think if it was me next time i would leave him for a shorter period of time (like 30 mins) and see what hes like and hopefully build it up to longer rather than putting him in the crate again

[Nicola]

I wouldn't worry about a slip up at his age either, a lot of pups aren't really 100% house trained with no accidents until nearly a year old. Caoimhe's 6 months and is really good on this front but she's still having 1 or 2 accidents a week and they're always my fault for thinking 'I must take her out in a minute' and 30 seconds later she pees   I'm still making sure she goes out every hour and a half to 2 hours and she pees every time, she's fine at night but any longer than that seems to be a bit too much for her during the day and in the evenings when she's awake and active.

[Mittens]

Do you think he was upset about being left on his own?

Yes - I am thinking that. It's nice that OH and me work totally different hours most of the week, so even though we don't see each other, one of us is nearly always with him, but i think it does mean when we do both leave him for short periods he's getting upset - it happened after a BBQ the other week when we were gone for same length of time in the afternoon. We get another cocker next week, so if they bond I'm hoping this issue might not be a problem. 

[I love cockers]

I also give my puppy some quiet time in the kitchen when I am in the living room in the hope that she is not too dependant on me being around me as at home every day.....

good luck with your second cocker