Puppy potty training is essential, but it can very quickly become an overwhelming (and messy!) task if you don’t set your dog, and yourself, up for success. There are several key components you need to keep in mind for successfully housebreaking a new dog.
Skills Required for Puppy Potty Training
Puppies need to learn several skills in order to be effectively potty trained:
- Learning that pottying indoors isn’t an option
- Learning that pottying outdoors is the appropriate place to go and gets them rewarded
- Learning the skill of holding it in until it’s time to go
Once your puppy masters these potty training skills, you’ll see a huge reduction in accidents!
Management Inside of the Home
If we were to teach potty training to a little kid, we wouldn’t leave them unsupervised to have free reign of the house for extended periods of time. Puppies also need to have limited freedom in their lives in order to make sure we are on track for potty training success!
Tips for effective management:
- Close the doors to other rooms or utilize baby gates to limit the areas of the home that your puppy has access to.
- Tether your puppy to yourself so you are always able to supervise them.
- Watch for signs of your puppy needing to go potty – body language like sniffing around, ignoring their environment, circling, or whining.
- If you are not in a position to supervise your puppy, put them in their crate!
Potty Break Schedule
A potty break schedule will allow you to better predict when your dog has to go. We recommend that our clients use a Potty Training Log to keep track of when their puppy eats, drinks, poops, and pees. Some dogs poop once a day, some dogs poop in the morning and in the evening, some half an hour after every meal. All dogs are different and this will allow you to learn your dog’s patterns!
We recommend having a routine your puppy can rely on –
- Take your puppy to the same spot in your yard to relieve themselves. Being consistent in the location makes it clear to your puppy what the task at hand is.
- Keep your puppy leashed for potty breaks. This will limit distractions and keep them on task.
- Ignore your dog when you take them to go potty outside. Interacting with your puppy might make them excited and result in them holding it in. Give lots of good vibes and treats after your puppy goes potty!
- Take your puppy on a potty break any time they wake up.
- Go outside after every time your pup eats and drinks.
- A break outside every 30 minutes whenever your puppy is free in the house.
- Have crating be a part of your daily routine. If you can’t supervise your puppy, they need to be in a crate!
The Power of Crating
Crates are an invaluable tool in the potty training process. Crating allows puppies to be in a safe and secure area when you are not in the position to supervise them. Dogs are den animals. As such, they enjoy a comfortable enclosed space where they can eat, relax, and sleep. They want that space to be clean of pee and poop. This is a tremendous advantage to us when teaching dogs to hold it in.
Your puppy’s crate needs to be small enough to discourage accidents. The puppy should have enough space to stand up, lay down comfortably, and turn around. If they have access to more space than that, they may have accidents on the opposite side of the crate, rendering it useless for potty training purposes.
Being comfortable in a crate is an essential skill for all dogs to have!
Accidents Happen
Potty training is a process. Accidents are guaranteed to happen while you and your companion are getting used to your new routine. Be patient with your puppy while they are learning new skills.
- Make sure to use a cleaner that eliminates urine odors, like Nature’s Miracle. Ensure that there are no residual odors so that your puppy isn’t tempted to soil that spot in the future.
- Focus on positive reinforcement instead of punishing the behavior. Consistently rewarding your pup for pottying outdoors will make them more likely to do so again in the future. Punishing accidents doesn’t teach potty training skills, it only makes your puppy have accidents in more secluded areas in hopes of not getting caught.
- Set realistic expectations. This doesn’t happen overnight! All puppies are different and learn these skills at different rates. Be consistent, be patient, and don’t hesitate to reach out if you need any help!
A quick note on bell training:
A lot of people contact us frustrated because their new dog learned the bell gives them access to the outside, but still continues to have accidents indoors. While the bell is very effective at teaching dogs they get to go outside whenever they ring it, it does not teach puppies the potty training skills discussed above. If you do want to use a bell so your dog can alert you when it wants to go outside, make sure the skills above also taught, and be sure to ring the bell only before going outside when you are absolutely sure the dog is going to use the bathroom.
Word of caution: Bell training can very quickly lead to demanding behavior. Dogs learn that ringing the bell makes the owner take them out and start ringing it just so they can go outside to sniff around and play. Ensuring that you pair the bell ring with going outside, AND the act of eliminating can help reduce nuisance ringing. This is why K9 Guide recommends you use supervision, a puppy potty training schedule as the primary ways to set your dog up for success.
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We love training puppies! Reach out today for the best foundation for your new family member ❤️