Potty training is the first challenge that new dog or puppy owners face, and is complicated by the variety of conflicting advice available.
Whether you are teaching a puppy or an adult dog, using potty pads, turf, or an outdoor space for your puppy’s toilet, the keys to speedy potty training are management, consistency, and planning.
Potty Training Management
Your first task is to manage your puppy or dog in order to prevent accidents. Dogs are clean animals, and they prefer to toilet away from where they eat and sleep. Keeping them in a small, comfortable spot while you are unable to supervise them is enough to prevent most accidents.
The easiest management solution is to crate train your dog. This way they can stay safe and out of trouble in a crate when you cannot supervise them. There are other solutions that can work, particularly if you need to be gone for longer periods of time.
For people who are not home throughout the day, crate training may not be enough of a solution, as young puppies need to potty every couple of hours. Hiring a dog walker or using a puppy day training service can help your pup maintain their potty training skills. Using an x-pen with separate areas for sleeping, playing, and pottying can help your dog to learn where it is appropriate to potty while you are at work.
Tools Available to Speed the Process:
- Crate
- X-pen
- Potty pads
- Dog toilet/litter box
- Attractant and deterrent spray
- Enzymatic cleaner
- Bell or button
- Clicker and treats
- Drag line or leash to keep pup with you
Potty Training Consistency
Developing a consistent routine will help potty training to go quickly and easily. This means taking your dog or puppy to the same place and doing the same things every time you take your puppy to potty. The closer that you stick to the routine, the more quickly your puppy will start to understand.
Potty Routine:
- Take puppy to potty spot on leash.
- Wait in your puppy’s potty spot, being quiet and still for about 3 minutes.
- When your puppy starts pottying, give your potty cue.
- Click your clicker and give your puppy a treat once he finishes pottying. You want him to empty his bladder before you reinforce him for going potty.
- Play with your pup, explore outside together, or go on a walk after your pup has pottied.
Following this routine will teach your dog to potty quickly on cue and to empty their bladder as much as possible.
Using a Potty Cue:
A potty cue can help a dog to learn and generalize potty training skills quickly. To teach a potty cue, start by saying the cue right as your puppy starts to potty. Gradually say the cue earlier and earlier until you are able to cue your pup before she shows any indication of being about to potty.
TIP: when you take your pup to potty, stand still in one spot until your puppy goes. This will teach your dog to do her business quickly rather than take her time finding a spot.
Common potty cues are ‘potty,’ ‘busy,’ ‘hurry up,’ and ‘park.’ You can also make up your own cue or teach your dogs different cues for go pee and go poop.
Potty Training Planning
Knowing when to take your puppy to potty and how often she needs to go requires some planning. The first thing that you can do to learn your pup’s schedule is track your puppy’s successes and accidents.
Keep track of the time and location of accidents to see if you can spot a pattern. Puppies who have started to understand that you want them to potty outside often have accidents near the door, and puppies who have been punished for having accidents in the house may leave hidden presents behind furniture or in the closet.
How Long can Puppy Hold It?
While confined in a crate, a puppy can generally only hold it for as many hours as they are months old. A two month old puppy can sleep in a crate for about 2-3 hours, and a five month old puppy can be left for around 5-6 hours in a crate.
A grown dog can usually hold it for 8 hours, and if you are potty training an adult dog, it important to manage their space while teaching them appropriate potty skills.
While active and alert, puppies can hold their bladders for as long as they can focus on one activity (around 15 minutes for young puppies). Most dogs indicate that they need to potty by leaving an activity, sniffing around, and possibly circling an area. Some may leave the room, or attempt to get to their potty area (leaving a present by the door).
Schedule
This schedule is pretty typical for a young puppy and can be a good start point if you are potty training a grown dog.
- Right after puppy wakes up.
- Shortly after puppy eats or drinks.
- After puppy plays for 15-30 minutes.
- After a training session.
- When puppy comes out of the crate.
Once your puppy is going in the proper location most of the time, you can begin to teach your puppy to signal you when they need to go outside.
Dealing With Accidents
Accidents may happen, but most accidents in healthy dogs occur because of a breakdown in management, consistency, or planning.
If you are noticing a pattern of accidents with your dog or puppy, and you don’t think it’s a training problem, it could be time to get help from a vet, certified dog trainer, or veterinary behaviorist (start with your vet).
It’s okay to interrupt your puppy if you catch them having an accident, but remember, your puppy is doing the best he can. There is no need to scare or punish your puppy for having an accident in the house. It will be much more beneficial to keep showing your dog where to go and rewarding successful potty trips.
Clean up accidents with enzymatic cleaner to ensure that the smell is fully removed. Dogs are generally clean animals, they don’t like to mess up their eating and sleeping areas, and will often potty in places that already smell like potty spots.
Wrapping Up
Hopefully this article helps you and your pup as you start (or continue) your lives together! Remember, the keys to quick and accident-free potty-training with your puppy are management, consistency, and planning.
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