To successfully potty train a puppy, it is important to have consistency, patience, positive reinforcement, and a manageable schedule. Typically, most puppies become familiar with a training schedule in 4 to 6 months, and if they are younger than 24 weeks, they should be taken out to potty at least 3 to 5 times daily.
When starting potty training, anticipate frequent trips outside during the day. Consistency is the most effective approach to teach a puppy to go outside, and all dogs grasp the expectations quite rapidly once they establish a routine.
12-step potty training guide
With this easy guide, you can learn how to patiently train a puppy to potty in a designated area.
- Take the puppy outdoors early in the morning as possible.
- Place your puppy in an area that he will mark as his potty-training spot.
- Allow the pup to smell the ground and explore until a favorable spot is found.
- After his potty, lavish your young dog with lots of praise for good behavior.
- Return indoors to give your pup breakfast.
- 20 minutes after eating/drinking/playing, take the pup outside again.
- Place your puppy in the same spot he marked earlier. Allow him to explore again.
- To help him understand it’s time to potty, walk him around the area slowly and encourage him to follow you or teach him to potty with a command that you’ll continue to use, such as “go potty”.
- Repeat the command and point down to the area for him to go to. This may take a few tries.
- Once the pup potties, give him lots of praise, you may even reward him with a tiny treat.
- 2-hours later, repeat steps 7 to 10.
- Dog training tip: be consistent, never miss a break, always be supportive to your puppy and you’ll get the results you want in no time!
How long does it take to potty train a puppy?
Potty training can take longer for some puppies, often up to six months. Puppies, similar to young beings in general, learn at their own speed, so it is vital to display patience, kindness, and support throughout the potty training process.
A puppy’s bladder control is determined by factors such as their size, breed, and age. Smaller breeds, due to their faster food and liquid processing, require more frequent breaks compared to larger breeds.
Ensure consistency in your pup’s potty training schedule starting from day one. This will help them learn that they should go outside after activities such as napping, playing, or eating. Regardless of their breed, most puppies require potty breaks every few hours.
Supervise your puppy
To prevent your puppy from soiling in the house, make sure to monitor them closely whenever they are indoors.
To prevent your puppy from wandering off, connect them to you or a nearby piece of furniture using a leash that is six feet long when you are not actively engaged in training or playtime. Keep a lookout for indications that your puppy requires to go outside. These signs may be apparent, such as barking or scratching at the door, squatting, appearing unsettled, sniffing around, or circling. Once you observe these indications, promptly grasp the leash and escort them to their designated bathroom area outside. If they successfully relieve themselves, offer praise and reward them with a treat.
Keep your puppy on leash in the yard. During the house training process, your yard should be treated like any other room in your house. Give your puppy some freedom in the house and yard only after they become reliably house trained.
When you can’t supervise, confine
When you cannot constantly monitor your puppy, confine them to a small enough space where they won’t be inclined to eliminate.
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- The space should be big enough to comfortably stand, lie down and turn around. You can use a portion of a bathroom or laundry room blocked off with baby gates.
- Or you may want to crate train your puppy. (Be sure to learn how to use a crate humanely as a method of confinement.) If your puppy has spent several hours in confinement, you’ll need to take them directly to their bathroom spot as soon as you return.
Mistakes happen
When your puppy has accidents in the house, expect it as a normal part of house training. Here are the steps to follow when that occurs.
- Without a lot of drama, immediately take them to their outside bathroom spot. Praise your pup and give a treat if they finish there.
- Don’t punish your puppy for eliminating in the house. If you find a soiled area, just clean it up. Rubbing your puppy’s nose in it, taking them to the spot and scolding them or any other punishment will only make them afraid of you or afraid to eliminate in your presence. Punishment will do more harm than good.
- Clean the soiled area thoroughly. Puppies are highly motivated to continue soiling in areas that smell like urine or feces.
It is crucial that you utilize these procedures of supervision and confinement to decrease the occurrence of accidents. Allowing your puppy to frequently eliminate in the house will lead to confusion regarding the proper location, thereby lengthening the house training process.
Make plans for when you’re away
If you have a schedule that requires you to be away from home for more than four or five hours a day, it may not be the ideal time for you to get a puppy. In this case, it might be more suitable for you to consider adopting an older, house-trained dog that can patiently wait for your return. However, if you already have a puppy and find yourself having to be away for extended periods of time, there are some actions you may need to take.
- Arrange for someone, such as a responsible neighbor or a professional pet sitter, to take them for bathroom breaks.
- Alternatively, train them to eliminate in a specific place indoors. Be aware, however, that doing this can prolong the process of house training. Teaching your puppy to eliminate on newspaper may create a life-long surface preference, meaning that even as an adult they may eliminate on any newspaper lying around the living room.
- If you plan to paper-train, confine them to an area with enough room for a sleeping space, a playing space and a separate place to eliminate. In the designated elimination area, use either pet pee pads, newspapers (cover the area with several layers of newspaper) or a sod box. To make a sod box, place sod in a container such as a child’s small, plastic swimming pool. You can also find dog litter products at a pet supply store.
- If you have to clean up an accident outside the designated elimination area, put the soiled rags or paper towels inside that area afterward to help your puppy recognize the scented area as the place where they are supposed to eliminate.
