Western Mass
Dog Training
DIY Puppy Guide
and Reference Library
5) Potty Training
Potty Training Do's
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Confinement: Always confine your puppy when unsupervised.
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Teach 'Hold It': Use confinement to teach your puppy to 'hold it.'
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Add a cue: Say something like “go potty” when your dog is actually peeing, and “do your business” for number two.
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Use a specific area to potty: This helps cue your puppy on your expectation for the trip.
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Use a leash: This keeps your puppy focused on the purpose of your trip, and it will need this skill on leash elsewhere!
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During-the-act corrections: If your puppy starts to eliminate inside, give it a neutral verbal correction (like “no” or “eh-eh”) while immediately interrupting it and carrying it outside to finish
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Frequent Breaks: Take frequent potty breaks following the age-based formula below.
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Predict elimination needs: Learn to predict when your puppy needs to go and take it out before it needs to ask.
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Post-activity breaks: Always offer potty breaks after play, naps, or training sessions.
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After drinking: Take your puppy out 20 minutes after heavy drinking.
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Reward: Reward your puppy after a successful potty break.
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Water control: Remove water by 3 hrs before bed to avoid overnight accidents.
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Potty before waking up: For very young puppies, give a potty break in the middle of the night. This assures you that any demanding of attention in the morning is just that.
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Wait to potty first thing: Have your coffee or tea first. This teaches your puppy not to wake you up early for any potty rewards or attention.
Potty Training Don’ts:
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Never leave unsupervised: Never leave your puppy unattended outside its crate or x-pen.
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Avoid punishment: Never punish or scold your puppy for indoor accidents.
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No premature rewards: Don’t reward any activities during potty breaks unless your puppy has successfully eliminated.
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No playing outside after: You do not want to teach your puppy to ask for potty breaks in order to get outside for fun.
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Don’t wait to be asked: Anticipate the need to go before you puppy asks.
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Avoid pee pads: Avoid training your puppy to pee indoors on wee-wee pads.
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No after-the-fact punishment: If there's an accident, avoid punishing or rubbing your puppy's face in it.
Overview
Accidents typically happen after naps, play, or 20 minutes post-drinking.
Confinement around your puppy’s sleeping area aids in creating a predictable elimination schedule and teaching them to “hold it,” as dogs avoid soiling where they sleep. A crate or x-pen should provide enough floor space for sleeping on their bed, standing, turning around, and a feeding/water space, but not much more. Some crates come with dividers to accommodate your puppy as it grows; increasing the number of panels you use with an x-pen as your puppy grows is also an option.
Potty training involves establishing a consistent schedule for food, water, and activities while maintaining a controlled environment to discourage elimination indoors. It’s crucial for your puppy to learn to "hold it" and for you to anticipate frequent potty breaks for a young dog's needs.
If you see your puppy eliminating inside, simply pick it up using a neutral “eh-eh” verbal correction and take it outside to finish. “Eh-eh” as a verbal correction is better than “no!” because it is easy to say “no” in too harsh a tone. Post-accident scolding or punishment is ineffective as dogs can't associate it with the act, and if done during the act, may teach it to find a “safer spot” somewhere else in the house! It is also not fair to the puppy, because it doesn’t know any better. If an accident occurs, it is almost always because we weren’t supervising them.
MORE DETAILS
Manipulating your dog’s routine helps predict when they need to eliminate outdoors. Consistency in controlling food, water, and activities influences their successful elimination outside. Documenting their elimination schedule ensures they have ample opportunities to succeed outside, and will help you identify if your puppy is “forgetting” to eliminate while outside due to distractions.
Puppy Potty Formula:
Age In Months + 1 = Maximum number of Hours Between Potty Breaks! After play, training, eating, or drinking, they’ll usually need to go out much sooner (often within 5–30 minutes).
Potty training rule
When unsure about their need to eliminate, return indoors to confinement immediately after an unsuccessful attempt to avoid teaching them to signal for a potty break when what they really want is to play.
Tips
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Always potty your pup after waking, coming out of the crate, energetic activities (including training!), and post heavy drinking.
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Remove water access 3 hrs before bedtime to prevent overnight accidents.
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For very young puppies, take them out 3-4 hours before your wake-up time so you know that any whining while you are enjoying your morning coffee is just for attention.
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Take proactive measures and take them out before distress signals; avoid reinforcing their requests to go out every time they make noise.
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When in doubt, take them out!
Wee-Wee Pads
We generally advise against them as they may confuse your puppy regarding appropriate elimination locations. However, there may be some circumstances where they are needed, for example with senior pet parents, those who are physically challenged, or families living in high-rise apartments.
Additional Resources
Article: https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/training/house_training/how-to-potty-train-a-dog/
Podcast: https://dogsthat.com/podcast/48/