The dog trainer is in to answer your questions. Alexandra Macias, owner and operator of the Long Beach-based Alex Macias dog training, will be sitting down and answering readers' pet-related inquiries.

Dear Alex,

My husband and I thought we were done potty training our three-month-old puppy, but he has recently started having accidents in our living room, despite the back door being open. Did we make a mistake? What should we do?

-Roberta

Hi Roberta,

If it had been a few days since your puppy’s last accident (before the living room incidents) chances are, he is potty trained. Puppies, especially at three months of age, are stubborn, and can be best compared to toddlers. They have teeth coming in, so they’re teething. Teething can leave them not feeling well, and when they don’t feel well, they become obstinate, and have trouble listening. It’s normal for puppies to test the boundaries and push their parents’ buttons at this age.

Keep watching him, and make sure to take him outside the moment he shows signs of going potty. Signs to watch for are sniffing the ground/floor, circling, squatting and lifting the leg. Take him outside immediately after playing, after he wakes up from a nap and if it’s been more than a couple of hours since he’s used the restroom. Stick to your potty routine, and he should get over this hump soon. WOOF!

-Alex

Alexandra (Alex) Macias has been a certified Dog Trainer and Behavior Specialist since 2008, and is the owner of Alex Macias Dog training, a Long Beach-based dog training company. To ask Alexandra questions for a future article, leave them in the comments below, or email her at alexmaciasdogtraining@gmail.com.