Getting a puppy or a new dog is an exciting time! You have so much to learn about your new companion, and new tricks to teach him or her. However, the prospect of having accidents in the home is one of the biggest concerns prospective owners and new owners face. We polled breeders, trainers and dog lovers for their best tips on how to house train your dog quickly, and how to potty train a puppy to go outside reliably. Read on to discover their tried and true tricks, as well as what items they keep in their potty training toolkits!
Recognizing an Imminent Pooh Potty
Whenever your pup stops playing and having fun, and starts looking at the floor, and circling, it’s potty time. Try your best to scoop him up and get him out the door. If you miss the signs and have an accident, don’t scold your dog. Just be a little sad. He will pickup on your disappointment without your making a scene about it. Puppies want to please, and that is the best tool in your potty training arsenal.
How to Potty Train a Puppy to Go Outside Fast
Using these techniques, you can typically have your dog or puppy potty trained within two weeks of his arrival, depending on how your puppy has been reared up to the point of your bringing him home. Keep in mind, that with young puppies, their plumbing is small too. They will need to go out more frequently, therefore you should expect the occasional accident.
Puppy Potty Schedule Per Trainer Justine Parks
- 15-30 minutes after each meal
- 15-20 minutes after a large helping of water, especially on warm days
- Every 1-2 hours in the daytime (depending on how they are adjusting to their schedule)
- Last thing before bedtime
- First thing in the morning
Praise the Pee and Pooh!
When bringing him out for a potty say, “Let’s go potty.” Every time your pup eliminates outside, it is a celebration! You got what you wanted, so let him know how happy you are. Cooing “Good Potty!” is now your mantra. Clap your hands, give a tummy rub, you can even treat to reward the behavior.
Select an area in your yard where you would like your puppy to pee and poop. You can put an exercise pen around that area, which is especially useful if you have a tight morning schedule. You can feed family, shower, get ready for your day, while he has potty time.
Leave a Lure to Speed Potties Up
Leave a poop in the potty area. Pup will sniff it and think, “Oh yeah, I need to do that too.” Dogs have a tendency to return to areas with pooh in them, enjoying adding to the collection. Clean up old poops, with regularity. Once the potty training is down, you won’t need to leave a lure anymore.
There are two items you will want to add to your potty training toolkit, to speed things along, Potty Bells and an adjustable dog crate. Read on to see how these help in detail.
How to Potty Train a Puppy with a Crate
Crate training is terrific for puppies and adult dogs. The crate gives them a safe space to go to, where they can eat and have a time out from the kids or other pets. Additionally, pup may need to take a time out, if he his getting over stimulated and fussy. It should be a family rule, that no one pokes at the dog in the crate or pulls him out of it. He should be invited to enter with treats and invited to get out, which is its own reward.
You will want to get a crate with an adjustable panel it it, so the crate can grow with the puppy. A puppy in an oversized crate will potty on one side and sleep on the other, thereby defeating the purpose. For more details on crate training, check out the ABCs of Crate Training, Crate Training The Nice Way.
For potty training, you want your pup to sleep in the crate at night. Then, in the morning, carry the puppy outside for his first potty break. He won’t be able to hold it, and carrying him stops the desire to pee immediately.
How to Potty Train a Puppy at Night
It’s rarely a good idea to let a puppy have free run of the house, while you are asleep. Nothing good can come of that. If you use a pen with potty pads, pup will be learning to potty inside. Above all, we want him to learn to want to go outside!
Once puppies calm down and go to sleep, their body’s metabolisms slow down. Basically, they should be able to last 8 hours before needing to go out. If they can’t, you may want to check with your vet to see if there is a UTI that needs treatment.
Prior to crating him at night, take your pup out and be sure he pees and poops right before bedtime. Be sure to put a non-squeaky toy (Kong) or chew (Pumpkin chews work well) to entertain him if he wakes briefly in the middle of the night.
Puppies that cry at bedtime, will have to sit it out, until they fall asleep. Puppies who wake up in the middle of the night whining or barking probably need to go out for a potty break. If however, your pup does not pee or poop fairly quickly, he is training you to get up in the middle of the night for fun time.
Folks who need to get up the the middle of the night for themselves, will wake the puppy, and pup will likely need a potty break, in this instance.
How to Potty Train a Puppy With a Bell
Potty Bells are a brilliant aid in potty training puppies to go outside. You hook them to the backdoor, and the bells ring every time you open it. The dog associates the bells ringing with going out back to potty. He will quickly learn he can ring them too! If you are consistent and responsive in letting him out with the first ringing of the bells, you will be well on your way to having a housebroken dog.
One owner, Shawn Burns, recommended getting a puppy potty doorbell. This was new to me. You place a doorbell on the inside near the door, where he can reach it, and a corresponding one on the outside near the door. Place the pup’s paw on the doorbell to ring it, then go out. Do the same before reentry.
She found the advantage was fewer door scratches with the doorbells!
How to Teach a Puppy to Potty on Command
We have really already told you how to train a puppy to go outside on command. On your way to the potty spot, once outside, say “Let’s go potty!’ Praise the potty with, “Goooood Potty!” and reward the pup with love and treats, if they are handy. In short order, if the pup has to go, he will potty outside quickly and reliably.
How Older Resident Dogs Can Help with Training a Puppy To Go Outside
If you have a potty trained dog already in your home, you are in luck! Dogs who know not to potty in the house, hate to see the newcomer getting away with defiling their home. That is once they get their nose back in joint, after the shock of a new family member getting all sorts of attention. They will tell you when the puppy is in need of a potty break. They pickup on the signs before we do!
Anytime you see your older dog go to the back door, gather up your puppy and bring him along to the potty area. I suggest you carry him, because the potty mistake is imminent. Lifting him up will cause him to hold it a little longer. Once out and in your favorite potty spot, praise him for eliminating, “Good potty!” Praise your older dog to, just to be fair about it. Your older dog can be your best friend in how to potty train a puppy to go outside.
Mistakes in the House: Excitement Pees and Fright Pees
Soft tempered puppies or puppies feeling unsure of themselves, may make mistakes called “fright pees.” These are a submissive response to whatever is frightening them. You will want to gradually desensitize your pup to the frightening stimulus. Introduce him to it slowly, and be matter of fact about the stimulus and his response. Be patient, and let him “discover” the item by sniffing or listening.
Excitement pees on the other hand can happen when they are overly enthusiastic about something. Your return home for instance. Clean it up, he should outgrow it. However, if it is a consistent problem, see a vet about a possible UTI.
Dog Pads for Potty Training
I am not a fan of pee pads for puppies or dogs. In my experience they get used, boredom sets in and the pee pad becomes poop and urine tinged confetti. It is a mess to clean up. If you have to go to work, and you don’t have a dog walker, look into pee pad frames. These frames clamp down on the pee pad, making the edges inaccessible and difficult to play with.
Pee pads are scented, with a lure to encourage pups eliminating on them. So they can be useful for older dogs and puppies in training.
Final Thoughts on How to Potty Train a Puppy to Go Outside
Proper puppy potty training comes along rather quickly. Pups want to please, so showing your joy at their progress will reap rewards faster than quietly observing the necessary. As with all dog training, be consistent, observant, and responsive to their needs.
If you have some puppy potty training tips, please feel free to add them in the comments section. We love to learn!
