How To Potty Train Your Puppy

Getting a new puppy is exciting! They’re cute, cuddly, and full of energy. But there’s one thing every puppy owner needs to do right away—potty train their new family member.

You won’t want your puppy having accidents all over the house, so you’ll need to teach them where they’re supposed to go. With patience and consistency, you can have a fully potty-trained pup in no time.  Every puppy is an individual so they may learn these next steps very quickly or it may take some time.

These tips can apply to an adult dog that you recently adopted as well.

Create a Schedule

Puppies need to go to the bathroom a lot-more than you and I think they will. Their bladders are small, so they need frequent potty breaks. A good rule of thumb is to take your puppy outside:

• When they get up in the morning

• After eating or drinking

• After playing

• After naps

• During training

• Immediately before bed

  
  

If your puppy is 8–10 weeks old, they may need a potty break every 30–60 minutes! As they get older, they can hold it longer.  Small dogs such as Dachshunds, will need frequent potty breaks their entire lives.

Use a potty app or piece of paper (or even a white board) to write down when you’ve taken them out, what they’ve done, when they’ve had an accident, and pretty soon you’ll see a pattern.  If you feed the puppy on a regular schedule, they’ll most likely potty at the same time each day.  Then you can be proactive and take the dog out before they have to go. 

Set an alarm on your phone for every 30 or 60 minutes in case you get busy doing something else as a reminder to take the puppy out.

Pick a Potty Spot

Choose one special spot outside where you want your puppy to go potty. Take them there every time, so they start to understand that this is where they should do their business.

When you take them to their potty spot, say a simple word or phrase such as “go potty” in a cheerful voice just as they start to go. This helps them connect the words with the action.  As the puppy gets older, you can say the word or phrase before they potty to remind them why you’ve taken them outside.

Reward Good Behavior

When your puppy goes potty in the right spot, praise them, give them a treat, and pet them. Puppies love rewards, and this helps them learn that going potty outside is a great thing.  You can also reward them by walking them around the yard for a minute or two before coming back inside.  (Sometimes dogs don’t want to potty because we bring them right back inside and they want to explore outside.)

Watch for Signs to Puppy Needs to Potty

You’ll usually notice some signs meaning the puppy is about to potty:

• Sniffing the floor

• Circling

• Whining

• Barking

• Going toward the door

  
  

If you see any of these signs, take your puppy outside right away. The more you catch them before an accident happens, the faster they’ll learn.  As the puppy gets older, some owners will introduce potty bells or another kind of gadget.  The dog can hit it with its nose or paw to create noise for the owners to signal they need to go outside.

Accidents Will Happen

Your puppy had an accident. What now?

Don’t yell or punish them by rubbing their nose in the mess. Puppies don’t understand punishment, and it can make them scared or confused. It will make them go to another part of the house to potty in secret and you’ll find it later.  And if you find the mess later, the puppy won’t make the connection between having pottied in the house and you rubbing its nose in it.  Instead:

1.     Clean up the mess with an enzyme-based cleaner to remove the smell.

2.     If you catch them in the act, and gently pick them up and take them to their potty spot to finish.

3.     Be more watchful next time and stick to the schedule.

Crate or X-pen

A crate or x-pen (a playpen for dogs) can help with potty training. Puppies don’t like to go potty where they sleep, so a crate teaches them to hold it until they go outside. Just make sure the crate isn’t too big—otherwise, they might use one side as a bathroom!

The general rule is the number of months the puppy is plus 1.  For example, a puppy that is 3 months old should be able to hold it for 3 plus 1-or 4 hours-in their crate.

If you can’t watch the puppy, put them in the crate or x-pen so they don’t sneak off to another part of the house.  You can attach a leash to the puppy and connect the other end to your pants like an umbilical cord so they can’t get away.  But you might end of tripping over or stepping on the puppy.

Crate the puppy at night so they don’t wander off to another part of the house to potty.  If the puppy needs to go out in the middle of the night, take them out on a leash, say your potty word or phrase, and bring them right back inside to their crate.  Try not to make a big deal about it so they’ll go right back to sleep.

Be Patient

Potty training takes time. Some puppies learn in just a few weeks, while others take a couple of months. Sometimes adolescent dogs will regress, perhaps due to a UTI.  So if your dog that you thought was potty trained suddenly starts having accidents, a vet visit is in order.

The first few weeks are critical.  It may be time consuming at first but consistency is key to a potty-free home.

Beverly Amsler

Beverly Amsler is the owner of The Well-Trained Dog & Pet Care. She has been a professional dog trainer, dog walker, and pet sitter since 2014.  Beverly is a Certified Dog Trainer through the Victoria Stilwell Academy and a Certified Professional Pet Sitter through Pet Sitters International.  She is a member of the Texas Pet Sitters Association and the Association For Professional Dog Training.  Before starting her business, Beverly spent more than 30 years as a journalist for newspapers, magazines, and radio and television stations in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Indiana, and Utah. Learn more about Beverly.