How To Potty Train Your Puppy

Potty training your puppy will require a great deal of patience and consistency. While potty training may not be a simple process for some dogs, especially small breeds, most dogs are fully capable of being completely potty trained. Potty training a puppy is a process which is somewhat different from the process of potty training an adult dog. This is because a puppy that has not had the opportunity to develop bad habits may be easier to train than an adult dog that was never properly potty trained because the training will involve conditioning the dog to understand previously accepted behaviors, such as going potty indoors, are no longer acceptable. For the sake of this article, however, we will focus specifically on potty training as it relates to training a puppy.

First consider the age of the puppy you are attempting to potty train. Many new dog owners bring home a puppy at approximately eight weeks of age. However, some owners may acquire a puppy at an earlier or a later age for a variety of reasons. The age of the puppy is important because it will help to determine how long a puppy can go without requiring a trip outdoors to go potty. One general rule of thumb is that the amount of time between potty breaks should be equal to the puppy’s age in months plus one hour. This means a two month old puppy should be taken outside for a potty break approximately every three hours and a three month old puppy should be taken outside for a potty break approximately every four hours. This is only a basic guideline and the owner will likely quickly figure out how long the time between breaks should be for his own puppy. For example if you have a 3 month old puppy who is consistently having accidents in the house every three hours it should be apparent that this rule of thumb does not apply to this dog and he should be taken out every three hours instead of every four hours.

Once you have a general understanding of how long your dog can wait between potty breaks, you must also understand how you will prevent your puppy from going potty inside during this time between breaks. This is significant because each time your puppy goes potty inside the house it will reinforce this behavior as being acceptable. Many dog owners find crate training to be very beneficial during potty training because the puppy will be less likely to go potty in an adequately sized crate during the potty training process. An adequately sized crate is one which is large enough for the dog to stand up, turn around and lie down. This is because a crate of this size will discourage a puppy to go potty because he will not want to soil his living area. A crate which is too big will not be effective because the puppy will likely designate a portion of the crate to be the potty area.

Dog owners often place the puppy in the crate between potty breaks in an attempt to prevent accidents. While the puppy is in the crate the owner should listen and watch for signs that the puppy needs to go outside including scratching at the crate and whining. If the dog displays these behaviors, pick him up and carry him outside immediately. Put him down in the designated potty area and say, “Go potty.” If the dog successfully goes potty, celebrate by offering praise and treats to reward the dog for performing the desired behavior.

Then bring the puppy back inside and either watch him closely or place him back in the crate. Owners who do not wish to use a crate should watch the dog very closely whenever he is loose in the house. If he starts to go potty, you may clap or say, “No,” firmly and immediately carry the dog outside and give the command to go potty in the designated area. Picking the dog up immediately and making a noise may cause the dog to stop going potty which will enable him to complete the task in the appropriate location. Care should be taken to clean up all accidents completely and by using an odor remover to ensure the dog is not enticed to go potty in this same location by any lingering scents.

The key to potty training a puppy is consistency and patience. The owner should watch the puppy closely whenever he is loose in the house and should confine him to an appropriately sized crate when he cannot watch the dog carefully. This will help to prevent accidents in the house which can be detrimental to the potty training process. However, if it is necessary to confine a puppy to a crate or an enclosed area for an extended period of time, it is worthwhile to use a larger area since it would be unfair to expect the puppy to not have an accident during this time period. Additionally, dog owners should react in the same manner each time the dog has an accident inside the house. The dog should understand this behavior is not acceptable but attempting to correct the behavior is generally not recommended. For example if the owner catches the dog in the act it is okay to tell him no and pick him up to take him outside. However, if the owner finds the evidence of the accident, he should simply clean up the accident without scolding the puppy because the puppy will not associate the scolding with the act of going potty in an inappropriate location.

Dog owners should also be prepared to praise and reward the puppy each time he successfully goes potty in the correct location. This is an extremely important part of the training process because the puppy will learn what is expected of him through repetition. If a puppy is taken outdoors to go potty regularly and is given praise and a reward each time he is successful he will begin to understand why he is being praised and rewarded and will seek out opportunities to earn this praise and reward.

Finally, puppy owners should understand the breed specific aspects of potty training. Some breeds, especially small breeds, may be significantly more difficult to potty train than other breeds. Puppy owners should familiarize themselves with the breed they have selected and should be aware of potential potty training problems as well as possible solutions to these problems.