How to Train a Puppy to Use the Bathroom

Understand how puppies perceive their surroundings. Puppies lack the instinct to distinguish between what humans consider right and wrong. However, they are capable of learning many behaviors. A puppy doesn’t know that urinating on a carpet is 'bad.' To them, a carpet is just like the grass outside, a suitable spot to relieve themselves. You need to teach your puppy to make better choices.

Create the right circumstances from the start. The first action you take when starting puppy training will be the most helpful. Taking your puppy outside frequently will allow them to accidentally relieve themselves outside. The puppy will begin to understand the behavior you want to encourage when you praise them for this great action. However, this step requires time and repetition.

• If you catch your puppy going inside, stop the behavior immediately. Give a command like 'Go outside!' Do not yell or scold when giving the command. Simply use it to stop the puppy from going indoors.
• Pick up the puppy and take them to the designated outdoor spot. If the puppy goes to the bathroom in the right place, praise them and/or reward them with a treat. Make sure to use the same spot every time. Using a leash when taking the puppy outside is a good method to keep them in a specific area.

Do not punish the puppy for accidents. Puppies will not understand why you are punishing them. Yelling or hitting only causes the puppy to become fearful. This often results in the puppy trying to relieve itself in hidden areas of the house when you are not present. Without using positive training methods, you may cause serious behavioral issues rather than teaching the puppy where to go to the bathroom properly.

Understand the natural limits of the bladder. The age of the puppy affects their ability to be potty trained and the time between bathroom breaks. Don’t consider accidents as signs of disobedience. View them as a young child learning to control their bladder. Here are some general guidelines:

• From 8 to 16 weeks is the primary socialization phase for puppies. At this age, puppies can typically hold their bladder for about 2 hours. This is also the best time to start potty training.
• At 16 weeks, puppies can often hold it for up to 4 hours. Before this age, the bladder can only hold up to 2 hours before they need to go outside.
• Between 4 to 6 months, puppies are considered 'half-trained' due to their distractibility. They often want to explore, so chasing after a beetle can prevent them from going to the bathroom when you take them to the designated spot. At this point, a 4-month-old puppy can wait for 4 to 5 hours, while a 6-month-old puppy can hold it for 6 to 7 hours.
• At 6 to 12 months, sexual development can cause male puppies to lift their legs and urinate on furniture, while females may enter heat. The bladder can hold up to 7 to 8 hours at this stage.
• From 12 to 24 months, puppies may not be fully developed depending on the breed. Hopefully, you've already trained them by this age, but if not, you can still teach them even as adults. Although it’s not impossible, potty training an adult dog with bad habits requires more effort and patience than starting when they are young.

Consider the breed of the dog. Larger dogs tend to be easier to potty train than smaller dogs. Small breeds need to go outside more often (due to a smaller digestive system). Small dogs may also relieve themselves in hidden areas that you may not notice until the bad habit has been formed. Limit the dog’s access to the house to prevent this from happening.

Prepare a crate or 'kennel'. Just like humans, puppies do not want to go to the bathroom near their eating and sleeping areas. Crate training is an effective way to help puppies learn bladder control. The crate also provides safety. When nearby, you can open the crate door so the puppy can go in and out as needed. Place toys, treats, and bedding inside the crate. The crate should be a place of comfort, not punishment.

• Some puppies may want to enter the crate immediately, while others need to gradually get used to it.
• At some point, your puppy will need to be in the crate—whether it's for a vet visit, travel, or personal hygiene. It’s better to introduce the crate to your puppy when they are young.
• Puppies under 6 months old should not be in a crate for more than 3 to 4 hours, regardless of their bladder control. They need more interaction. If you are at work all day, you should arrange for someone to take the puppy outside for bathroom breaks.
• When you return home after the puppy has been in the crate, take them outside immediately and prevent them from relieving themselves inside.

Buy a properly sized crate. Prepare a crate that is large enough for your puppy to stand up, turn around, and lie down comfortably. However, the crate should not be too large, as this would allow them to relieve themselves in one corner and sleep in another. The goal is to take advantage of their natural instinct to avoid sleeping near where they go to the bathroom, which aids in potty training. If you have a larger breed puppy, you can purchase an expandable crate that grows with your puppy, so you won’t have to buy a bigger one as they get older. If you don’t have a crate, you can set up a playpen in a bathroom corner.

Choose a designated bathroom area for your puppy before bringing them home. This spot could be in the backyard, next to a sheltered area, or another part of your yard. Regardless of where it is, you need to make the decision before you bring your puppy home. You don’t want to give conflicting commands by constantly moving the bathroom area while you’re still deciding on the final spot.

Set up a feeding schedule. Implementing a consistent feeding schedule can make your efforts much more successful. Allowing your puppy to eat whenever they want will make training harder. In addition, taking your puppy outside at specific times will make the process smoother. Always take them outside 15 to 20 minutes after they eat.

Plan bathroom breaks. Consistency is key when potty training a puppy. If you are consistent and do the same thing each time, expecting the same response, your puppy will learn quickly. However, changing actions and expectations will confuse them. Create a predictable and consistent routine for your puppy. Take your puppy outside:

• First thing in the morning, or before you wake up if your puppy gets up earlier.
• After every meal. Puppies usually need to go to the bathroom within 20 minutes of eating.
• After each nap.
• After playtime.
• Before bedtime. Puppies between 8 and 14 weeks old will need to go out during the night. Place their crate in your bedroom so you can hear them whimper when they need to go outside. Have a leash, slippers, and coat ready.

Start potty training your puppy right away. Once your puppy gets accustomed to its new environment, offer them some water and then immediately take them to the pre-designated potty area.

Watch for signs. Puppies will start to realize that they need to relieve themselves outside before they learn to communicate this need to you. Look out for clear signs that your puppy needs to go potty, such as barking or scratching at the door to go outside, squatting, restlessness, sniffing, or spinning in circles. If you notice any of these behaviors, especially if it’s been a while since their last outdoor trip, it’s time to let them go outside.

Link commands with the potty action. In addition to consistently bringing your puppy to the designated spot, you can introduce a specific command that they can associate with pottying, such as "Go potty", "Hurry up", or any phrase of your choice.

Use the command consistently. Make sure you only use one command for potty training. Use this command every time you take your puppy outside, so they can link the action to the exact phrase. This consistency will be helpful later on when you travel, visit family or friends, etc.

Praise your puppy immediately after they finish pottying. To help your puppy connect praise with the action, praise them right after they finish, before you head back inside.

• Make sure to praise your puppy after they finish and avoid interrupting their potty time. Some puppies are sensitive enough that they may stop pottying if you praise them too early. They might even think you want them to squat just to get a reward. The timing of your praise is crucial for successful training.
• Keep in mind that freedom is also a reward. Play with your puppy after they potty. You don’t want them to think that fun stops once they’ve relieved themselves. Keep the excitement going so they quickly finish their business and then return to play.

Reinforce positive behavior, no scolding or punishment. Whenever you take your puppy outside at a scheduled time, if they potty within 3-5 minutes, praise them and allow them to roam in an enclosed area around their crate. If they don’t potty within 3-5 minutes, return them to the crate and close the door. Keep them in the crate for 15-20 minutes and monitor them. After the waiting period, take them outside again. If they potty, they can enjoy a larger area to play in. If not, back in the crate they go.

• Puppies might whine instead of entering the crate, so by being attentive, you can encourage the right behavior by rewarding them with treats and freedom if they show the desired action.

Encourage everyone to get involved. If you live alone with your puppy, this step is straightforward. If your puppy shares a home with more than one person, make sure everyone is following the same steps to ensure quick and easy potty training. The more consistent everyone is, the faster the training will progress.

Remove your puppy's water bowl early in the evening. About 2.5 hours before bedtime, take your puppy's water bowl away. This will ensure that the last time they potty before bed helps them last through the night. Most puppies can sleep for about seven hours without needing to go out, so by removing the water bowl before bed, your puppy won’t need to potty frequently during the night.

• If your puppy wakes you up in the middle of the night needing to go outside, shorten the time between trips and focus on the task. Avoid turning on too many lights or playing too much, as your puppy might think it’s playtime and could start waking you up to play rather than just potty. Simply take them outside and return them to their sleeping area afterward.

Clean up accidents immediately and thoroughly. Clean and disinfect wooden and tile floors. For carpets, use a cleaner specifically designed for carpet cleaning. This step is vital because dogs have an incredibly sensitive sense of smell. If your puppy can still smell urine or feces, they will continue to relieve themselves in the same spot. This is why it’s recommended to keep your puppy in a crate indoors for a few months before giving them full freedom.

• Many people use store-bought cleaners, but most contain ammonia. Ammonia smells similar to dog urine, so if your puppy has an accident on the carpet and you use an ammonia-based cleaner, they will likely return to the same spot, thinking another dog has marked there. They’ll continue to relieve themselves in that spot to mask the smell.
• Pet waste cleaners that contain a special enzyme formula effectively remove urine odors and prevent puppies from returning to the same spot to potty. These can be purchased at pet stores, online, veterinary clinics, or discount stores. These are the most effective odor neutralizers, rather than just masking the smell.
• Some people recommend using distilled white vinegar and water combined with baking soda for a good cleaning solution.

Confine your pet in the early stages. To minimize the risk of accidents, consider using a crate, pen, barrier, or leash to control the areas your puppy has access to.

• The area around the crate should not exceed 1.2-1.8m when your puppy is small. This area can gradually increase as your puppy masters their potty skills and as they grow into an adult size. The more control the puppy demonstrates, the more freedom they will earn.

Allow your pet some freedom inside while wearing a leash under supervision. Only increase the amount of free time when you're confident your puppy will signal when it needs to go outside. This process should take no more than two weeks for your puppy to understand.

Don’t be surprised by "regression". Your puppy might have accidents inside the house even after they’ve been trained. This can happen for various reasons, such as sexual maturity, routine changes, or curiosity overriding the usual potty schedule. Return to the consistent potty training routine you used earlier. They will soon resume the learned behavior.

Install a small pet door. A dog door is useful if your home has a fence (one that your puppy cannot crawl under or jump over) and a gate. Even if you already have a fence, it's important to be aware of local wildlife that could harm your puppy, such as coyotes, etc.

• Never leave your puppy unsupervised outdoors for extended periods.

Use newspaper for your puppy. If you don't have a backyard, a dog door, or someone to take the puppy outside while you're away, you can still train them to potty in a designated area using newspaper. This is a backup plan for when your puppy needs to relieve itself and can't wait for you to come home. Spread newspaper or prepare a small, easy-to-use box for your pet. Since puppies often prefer to relieve themselves where they've previously left waste, you can place their waste-soiled cloth in the box.

• Some believe using newspaper may make puppies think it’s acceptable to potty indoors, so they avoid it and simply clean up the mess. All dog owners need to start somewhere. If that means cleaning up waste, then it’s the best approach for your puppy and your family.
• Using newspaper may slow down the training process a bit, but by gradually reducing the area covered with paper and thoroughly cleaning the waste from the designated area, you'll still succeed. Simply reduce the area where your puppy can roam inside the house.

Ask someone to look after your pet. If you're going away, arrange for someone to care for your puppy. If you live with family or friends, you can ask them to watch your pup. If the entire household is away, you can find someone knowledgeable about puppies to come and take care of them. Make sure the caregiver is aware of your puppy’s routine, their sleeping arrangements, what foods are safe or unsafe, and so on. Alternatively, you can also look into pet boarding services while you’re away.

• Keep in mind that if your puppy is "forced" to potty in a kennel according to their schedule, you will need to repeat the potty training process. Both options have their pros and cons, so consider what works best for your situation.

• When training your puppy to potty outside, take them to the same spot every time. This will establish the location as the "potty spot", and the training process will progress much more quickly.
• Always reward good behavior with praise and affection. Ignore undesirable behavior as much as possible. Your puppy will learn that good behavior brings them closer to you, and they will strive to repeat it.
• In the early stages, rewards are crucial to ensure your puppy learns the correct behavior. Once the behavior becomes consistent, you can phase out the treats while still offering praise. This way, your puppy won’t do the behavior just for food.
• If your puppy barks excessively at first, don’t encourage them by giving them too much attention. You can move the crate next to your bed, and play soft background music to help soothe them. Place their favorite toy inside the crate to distract them.
• Remember that the first few nights are an adjustment period for both you and your puppy. With a new puppy in the house, don’t expect both of you to sleep soundly right away.
• Don’t get frustrated with your puppy. Remember to take them outside regularly and be kind to your new companion. Soon enough, they’ll master their potty skills!
• Every time you take your puppy outside, use the same door.
• If your puppy doesn’t seem to grasp the lesson, be patient! Don’t scold them for not listening, simply continue with the steps and never hit them. (Hitting will make them aggressive toward you and others, and is both harmful and abusive.)
• Start training your puppy with rewards by asking them to sit while holding a treat. When your puppy follows the command, give them the treat. A clicker can also be a helpful tool in this process.
• Never hit your puppy, and be patient with them and the training process.

• Remember that your puppy will adapt to your schedule. Therefore, even on weekends, you must take your puppy outside at the same time as usual. Dogs are animals that thrive on a strict routine.
• If you choose to crate train your puppy, be sure to do so humanely. You can research how to properly crate train a puppy.