Congratulations on your new addition to your household! It is fun to have a puppy in your house, but it can be challenging, especially when it comes time to house training. Puppies have to go potty. It’s teaching them where we want them to go that’s important. Potty training requires patience and consistency. The following procedures will help minimize house-soiling incidents, but please remember that it is normal for your puppy to have accidents in the house while they are learning. The more consistent you are in following the basic housetraining procedures, the faster your puppy will learn where to go. 

      • Like babies, puppies do best on a regular schedule. Take your puppy outside frequently, at least every hour and also after waking up and before and after a play session to ensure he has enough opportunities to eliminate outdoors. 

      • If you have taken your puppy out and you are sure he has to eliminate and he did not do so, do not allow him free access to the house. Hold him, confine him to his crate or play pen, or tether him to you for 10 minutes, then take him out and try again. Keep repeating until you are sure he has eliminated. 

      • Praise your puppy lavishly every time he eliminates outdoors and give him a treat. You must praise him and give him a treat immediately after he’s finished eliminating, not after he comes back inside the house. This step is vital, because rewarding your dog for eliminating outdoors is the only way he’ll know that's what you want him to do. 

       • Choose a location not too far from the door to be the bathroom spot. Always take your puppy, on a leash, directly to the bathroom spot. Take him for a walk or play with him only after he has eliminated. While your puppy is eliminating, use a word or phrase, like “go potty,” that you can eventually use before he eliminates to remind him of what he’s supposed to be doing. 

       • Put your puppy on a regular feeding schedule. Depending on their age, puppies usually need to be fed three or four times a day. Feeding your puppy at the same times each day will make it more likely that he'll eliminate at consistent times as well. This makes potty training easier for both of you. 

       Don’t give your puppy an opportunity to soil in the house. He should be watched at all times when he is indoors. You can tether him to you with a four or six-foot leash, or use baby gates to keep him in the room with you. Watch for signs that he needs to eliminate, like sniffing around or circling. When you see these signs, immediately take him outside, on a leash, to his bathroom spot. If he eliminates, praise him lavishly and reward him with a treat. 

Age Of Puppy ~~~~~~~~~~~~~Frequency Of Potty Breaks

6 – 14 weeks~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 8 – 10 times daily

14 – 20 weeks ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 6 – 8 times daily

20 – 30 weeks ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 4 –6 times daily

30 weeks and up ~~~~~~~~~~~ 3 – 4 times daily

Confinement 

       When you're unable to always watch your puppy, he should be confined to an area small enough that he won't want to eliminate there. It should be just big enough for him to comfortably stand, lie down, and turn around. This area could be a portion of a bathroom or laundry room, blocked off with boxes or baby gates. Or you may want to crate train your puppy and use the crate to confine him. Take him directly to his bathroom spot when you let him out of his crate/confined area and praise him when he eliminates. See our handout Crate Training Your Dog for more information

Oops! 

      Expect your puppy to have an accident in the house – it’s a normal part of housetraining. 

      • When you catch him in the act of eliminating in the house, say “oops” (be careful not to scare him). Immediately take him to his bathroom spot, praise him and give him a treat if he finishes eliminating there. 

      • Never punish your puppy for eliminating in the house. Do nothing but clean it up. Rubbing your puppy’s nose in it, taking him to the spot and scolding him, or any other punishment or discipline, will only make him afraid of you or afraid to eliminate in your presence which, going forward, can make potty training very difficult. 

       • Cleaning the soiled area is very important because puppies are highly motivated to continue soiling in areas that smell like urine or feces. Use an enzymatic cleaner to help ensure the scent is gone. 

It’s extremely important that you use the supervision and confinement procedures outlined above to minimize the number of accidents. If you allow your puppy to eliminate frequently in the house, he’ll get confused about where he’s supposed to eliminate which will prolong the housetraining process. 

       A puppy under six months of age cannot be expected to control his bladder for more than a few hours at a time. If you have to be away from home for more than four or five hours a day, you’ll need to train your puppy to eliminate in a specific place indoors. Choose a puppy-proof room to confine him. There needs to be enough room for a sleeping space, a playing space, and a separate place to eliminate. In the area designated as the elimination place, you can either use newspapers or potty-pads (absorbent pads designed for puppies). 

If you get home and find that your puppy hasn’t quite gone potty on the paper (or walked through waste and tracked it around), just clean the area quietly and without a fuss. Remember, it is not okay to punish the puppy. 

       • Medical Problems: Check with your veterinarian to rule out any possibility of an underlying disease or illness. 

       • Submissive/Excitement Urination: Some dogs, especially young ones, temporarily lose control of their bladders when they become excited or feel threatened. This usually occurs during greetings or if they perceive they are about to be punished. The puppy is just trying to greet or appease you - so ignore him or distract him with a treat or toy. See our handout Dogs and Submissive or Excitement Urination

       •  in small amounts, to scent mark their territory. Both male and female dogs do this, and it most often occurs when they believe their territory has been invaded. See our handout Dealing with Your Dog’s Marking Behavior 

       • Fears or Phobias: When animals become frightened, they may lose control of their bladder and/or bowels. If your puppy is afraid (for example of loud noises, such as thunderstorms or fireworks), he may house soil when he’s exposed to these sounds. 

        • Anxiety: Dogs that become anxious may house soil as a result. Please seek professional help if you feel your puppy has anxiety. 

To Re-Cap 

~What To DO:

When you’re away from home…

        • DO keep puppy in a small, confined area (e.g. dog crate, bathroom, puppy pen) and make it appealing by providing toys, food, bedding, etc. Your puppy will come to see this as his “house,” which he will prefer not to soil. If you are gone for long periods of time in which your puppy physically cannot hold its bladder, make sure that the area is large enough that the puppy can get away from the mess. An example would be an exercise pen or small room, with the area for elimination set away from its food, water, and resting areas.

        • DO gradually expand the den area until the puppy can be trusted to eliminate appropriately while having access of the entire home.

        • DO remember the number of hours puppies can delay their elimination is strongly linked to their age.

When you’re at home…

        • DO have a schedule for taking your puppy to designated area to eliminate.

        •DO have a feeding schedule in which elimination breaks follow eating and drinking; this is a natural reflex in dogs. 

Elimination breaks should also follow napping/sleeping and exercise/play.

         • DO praise your puppy at the time he is eliminating in an appropriate place! You can also give him a small treat at that time.

        • DO constantly supervise puppy to prevent him from sneaking off and eliminating when you can’t correct him; try keeping him on a leash attached to your waist.

        • DO clean inappropriate eliminations thoroughly with enzymatic cleaner to remove residual smells that may entice puppy to revisit the area.

        • DO leave feces in desired areas of elimination, when appropriate, to reinforce that this is an appropriate area for performing this function.

        • DO take puppy to the same desired area every time; do not play with or excite him until he has eliminated. He should realize that elimination is his first and foremost duty (no pun intended!) and that playtime is secondary.

        • DO interrupt improper elimination by startling your puppy (e.g. clapping your hands) and redirect or carry him to the desired elimination area.

        • DO be consistent and patient until your puppy’s housetraining is complete.

        •Incomplete housetraining is a primary cause of house soiling as an adult dog.

What NOT To Do:

        • DO NOT punish your puppy for inappropriate elimination verbally or physically (e.g. hitting with rolled up newspaper, rubbing his nose in his mess, etc). This is ineffective and may lead to further and more serious behavioral problems.

        • DO NOT punish your puppy after you find it.

        • DO NOT leave puppy outside unsupervised. You may miss an opportunity to praise him for appropriate elimination behavior.

        • DO NOT make abrupt changes to your puppy’s diet unless instructed by your veterinarian.

        • DO NOT allow puppy to have free access to the house without direct supervision. Be especially aware if you think your puppy is going to sleep in the evenings…he may be sneaking off to eliminate.

        • DO NOT get discouraged – accidents will happen and should be expected!

                                                 Need help? Feel Free To call

                                                   High Desert Doodles & More

                                                           Phone: 541-216-8370

                                     Email: HighDesertDoodlesAndMore@gmail.com