US President Barack Obama admitted Friday to a new source of leaks in the inner corridors of the White House, saying first puppy Sunny has had a “couple of accidents.”

In an interview with CNN Obama said the new dog was keeping him and wife Michelle company as they see less and less of their increasingly independent daughters Malia, 15, and Sasha 12.

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“I think there’s an element for Michelle and me, we see what’s coming and we need to make sure that we’ve got somebody who greets us at the door when we get home,” he said.

He said the family’s other dog Bo — acquired in fulfilment of a 2008 campaign promise he made to his daughters — had been “starting to look a little down in the dumps” as the girls spent less time with him and was happy to have a new playmate.

Obama said Michelle was in “full parenting mode, and really focused on getting Sunny to sit and catch, and also there have been some accidents.”

When asked whether soiling the carpets of the presidential residence was a federal violation, Obama admitted “we live in rental housing,” and said the first family would ensure the White House is tidied up for its next occupant.

The two dogs are both black Portuguese Water Dogs — a breed Obama says was chosen because it was unlikely to aggravate Sasha’s allergies.