One of the most important first steps whenyou adopt a puppy is house training them.

The process of training a puppy to learnthe appropriate time and place to eliminate takes determination and patience.The key is to remember that successful potty training is based on repetitionand positive reinforcement instead of punishment.

So, how do you potty train a puppy? Andwhat if you have adopted an adult dog that is not potty trained? Here’s how tosave your floors.

How to Potty Train a Puppy

Potty training should begin with developinga schedule that both you and your puppy can follow. You may also wish to use arepeatable phrase, such as “bathroom,” or “potty,” each time you take your dogto the elimination area, so they learn to associate that word with the action.

Follow these tips, and you’ll have yourpuppy or dog potty trained before you know it!

Tips for Potty Training Puppies

1. Take Your Puppy Out Often

New puppies, especially those under 12weeks of age, should be taken outside every one to two hours. This highfrequency is because puppies 12 weeks and younger are still developing theirbladder control and are more likely to have accidents in the house. It’salso a good habit to take your puppy out after sleeping, playing, eating, or drinking.

2. Stick to a Feeding Schedule

Typically, it’s recommended to feed yourpuppy three meals a day. Feed your dog each meal at the same time each day.They will naturally eliminate shortly after eating, so developing a consistentfeeding schedule can avoid confusion and accidents in the house.

3. Use Crate Training as an Aid to PottyTraining

Crate training is a very effectivetool to help not only with potty training your puppy, but also with creating asafe place for your puppy to call home. Dogs are naturally den animals, sotheir instincts will tell them to find a quiet place to eat and rest.

Dogs do not like to eliminate where theysleep or eat, so training your puppy to be comfortable in a crate isa great way to prevent them from having accidents inside. The crate shouldnever be used as punishment, but it should be used whenever your puppy cannotbe directly supervised, and for naptime and bedtime.

Choosing the correct crate size isextremely important, especially for large-breed dogs that grow rapidly duringpuppyhood. Keep in mind that your puppy should only have enough room to standup, turn around, and lie down comfortably—any more room will give your dog roomto rest in one corner and pee or poop in the other. Many crates come with adivider that can be moved as your puppy grows.

4. Always Practice Positive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement teaches your puppythat they get rewarded for going to the bathroom outside, and it’s the key tosuccessful potty training.

Each time your puppy eliminates outside,immediately reward them with verbal praise, treats, or a favorite toy. Thereward should immediately follow the event so that your puppy makes a positiveassociation with eliminating outside.

5. Recognize When Your Puppy Needs to GoOut

Constant supervision is another importantpart of successful potty training a puppy. Learning the clues or signals thatindicate your puppy needs to eliminate will prevent unnecessary accidents inthe house. Most dogs will sniff, make circles, wander off, whine, or sit by thedoor to indicate they need to go to the bathroom.

6. Put Your Puppy on a Leash for PottyBreaks

You should always put your puppy on aleash when you go outside for a potty break. This will not only help getthem comfortable with being on a leash, but you will also be right there toreward the good behavior. After giving a positive reward, play with your puppyoutside for a few minutes to avoid creating a negative connection withreturning inside.

What Not To Do When Potty Training a Puppy

You may have heard some conflicting adviceon house training a puppy. Here’s what you shouldn’t do.

1. Use Potty Pads

Puppy pee pads should not be used as asubstitute for going outside, unless you have a special situation such asliving in a high-rise apartment or have limited mobility. Allowing puppies toeliminate on potty pads inside the house can confuse them about where they’reallowed to eliminate. This may slow down the potty-training process and shouldbe avoided, if possible.

2. Use Punishment Instead of PositiveReinforcement

Punishment is never an acceptableor successful training method. Dogs do not associate these behaviorswith doing something wrong. Instead, punishment teaches your puppy to becomefearful of their human parents or other people who try to punish them.

Remember that potty training takes patienceand kindness!

3. Keep Inconsistent Schedules

Failing to adhere to a consistent pottybreak and feeding schedule can create confusion for your puppy, thereforeleading to more accidents in the house.

Having a puppy is a big responsibility, andit’s your job to stick with the schedule and constant supervision—just as youwould with a child. The more frequent trips outside, the better! The more oftenyour puppy is allowed to successfully eliminate outside, the more quickly theywill become potty trained.

How Long Does It Take to Potty Train aPuppy?

Every puppy is different, and someunderstand potty training faster than others.

However, with consistency and following allthe steps listed above, most dogs will be nearly fully house trained within oneto two weeks.

How To Potty Traina Puppy FAQs

How long can puppies hold their pee?

Puppies can reliably hold their urine onemore hour than they are months old. So, a 6-week-old puppy can hold two and ahalf hours, and an 8-week-old puppy can hold for three hours.

Are some dogs easier to potty train thanothers?

Absolutely!   Some dogs—and somebreeds—catch on to the expectations faster than others. Even though your GoldenRetriever might have trained in two weeks, your Beagle pup mighttake twice that long.

This isn’t a bad thing—it’s just naturalvariation. If your pup is taking longer than you expect, however, read backover the steps above and see if you are skipping any, or not being consistent.Most of the time, failure to potty train means the humans are doing somethingthat confuses the pup.

Can you potty train a puppy in seven days?

Yes! In fact, with attention to details andcareful consistency, most puppies will be reliably house trained in seven to 14days.