Potty Training Tips

Potty training can be daunting at times…some puppies seem to learn right away, others seem to not have a clue for weeks. Puppies can hold their bladder for about 1 hour for each month…ie…your 2 month old puppy can hold for about 2 hours…longer than that, you will most likely have a potty accident. However, your puppy can sleep through the night without going potty. Decide if you are going to train your puppy to potty outside or on an inside puppy pad. Use this same schedule technique for pad or outside. It is confusing for your young puppy to use both inside pad and go outside.

1. It is important to set a consistent schedule for eating, going outside, going to bed. Try to take your puppy outside at about the same early time each morning(don’t worry, as the puppy grows older, you can actually sleep later). AFTER your puppy is finished going potty, praise him…what a ‘good puppy’ pet him and give him a small treat! Treats are great incentives! I use Blue Bits. Breakfast can be given and then go back outside to poop, unless puppy pooped when you were out before. Puppies almost always poop after they eat. Until your puppy is 9 to 10 weeks old, take the puppy outside to potty every two hours, puppies always pee after waking from a nap. Bells hung next to the door are an easy/fun way for your puppy to learn to tell you when it needs to go out. If your puppy will be left for longer than two hours, he needs a pen or gated area in the home with a place to sleep, play and potty…DO NOT leave your young puppy for hours in a crate! You DO NOT want your young puppy to learn to eliminate in its crate.

2. Always takeyour puppy to the same spot to potty and establish a term like ‘go potty’ or whatever so your puppy associates that term with going outside to potty. Remember the treat!! Have a different term for playing outside, car ride, etc.

3. Eight week old puppies eat three times per day until about four months old, then switch to eating two times per day. Always go outside to potty after your puppy eats or wakes up. Remember the treat! A kitchen timer helps remind you to to take puppy outside. Continue the two hour potty schedule and go outside at about 8 to 10pm and put him to bed. Each week, you can go a little longer than 2 hours.

4. If puppydoes potty in the house, and if you catch him in the act, say your ‘outside’ term and take him outside immediately and praise when finished. Remember the treat! Otherwise, the puppy won’t connect his pottying on the floor from five minutes ago to your trying to correct him now. Remember he is a baby, yelling will only scare your puppy and make him afraid of you. Clean the spot with an odor eliminator like Zero Odor. Try to keep your puppy always in your sight or put him back in his crate if you are busy and can’t watch him. Be diligent, keep to a schedule and in just a few weeks you and your sweet little puppy will be successful. 🐶🐶🐶