Help potty training a puppy
I have a 5-month-old puppy and I’m really overwhelmed with potty training. I feel like I’m taking her outside every hour to try and avoid accidents and half of the time we just end up staring at each other while she whimpers. I just have no idea if I’m doing this right or not. I’ve watched videos and stuff about rewards and reinforcement but it just feels like nothing is really sticking? Any advice?
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Expert Comments
If you are giving them all the chances in the world to go outside and you’re limiting the chances of any accidents in the home by doing things like restricting their space and minimizing how long they spend unsupervised, you’re setting your dog up for success. Just give it time and keep doing what you’re doing. Your dog will eventually catch on to what they’re supposed to be doing.
The key to potty training is to allow your dog to experience the habit of holding their bladder inside, and doing things like crating them or putting them in a small pen will allow them to practice being inside without accidents. The only thing is your dog isn’t as smart as you, so it will take a bit longer than you’d think for your dog to understand the whole process. Just keep at it!
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The key to potty training is to allow your dog to experience the habit of holding their bladder inside, and doing things like crating them or putting them in a small pen will allow them to practice being inside without accidents. The only thing is your dog isn’t as smart as you, so it will take a bit longer than you’d think for your dog to understand the whole process. Just keep at it!
Hi, I'm going through the same thing with my 4 month old puppy. I take her out constantly but she's chosen a spot in my living room & I'm finding it hard to make her unlearn this. She has a playpen (where she sleeps happily) but she's peeing in there also so I can't even lock her in there to limit accidents. I wouldn't like her to keep doing her business in the playpen as an alternative to my living room :S not sure what to do now!
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Here's my advice for what to do:
1.) The most important factor here is that ALL puppies need to be supervised 24/7 if they're in an area where they can be destructive, hurt themselves or make a mess. No puppy should be held responsible for any kind of destruction or mess-making until they're at least a year old. The better we are at true canine understanding and training the better this will go, but the results will be determined by several important factors. First and most importantly will always be OUR ability to train them. If we were perfect, they would learn everything VERY quickly!! Secondly, growth and developmental phases are going to be slightly different for every dog. Other variables are proper feeding and watering times and amounts. Most people mistakenly overwater their dogs AND just let them graze, instead of giving them specific times and amounts to eat. All dogs, but especially puppies, NEED to be fed on a schedule 1-3 times a day depending on their age and other variables. Once a dog is a year old, I personally feed them once a day, but that's a personal choice. Some people feed their dogs twice a day for their entire lifetime. Either is fine, although there are consequences for both.
2.) Once you have embraced the fact that you must be watching them all the time (not just when it's convenient) then you'll be able to teach them properly. Keep in mind a dog is never going to understand our inability to do things their (the proper true canine) way. No matter what you have ever heard, read, or what anybody ever tells you, unlike humans a dog CANNOT choose to do the wrong thing so WHATEVER they are doing is exactly what they believe is the right thing to do. A dog's instincts literally mandate this. If you see your dog going into the bathroom in the wrong place, gently say no and take them to where you want them to go and have them go there, and then praise them when they do go. Praising should be strictly limited to verbal and physical only, no treats or bribes or any of that – it just leads to more problems.
3.) Schedule your feeding and watering times so that you start learning when your dog needs to go to the bathroom before they need to go, and then schedule taking them out for a walk to the proper spot you want them to go and stay there with them until they actually go, and then give them lots of praises and hugs. If they still haven't gone and you can't stay there any longer, take them back inside and watch them like a hawk. The second they start to do it in the wrong place, start back at the beginning by telling them no and take them back out to go where they're supposed to go. Eventually, they will pick up on this and they will start learning that the only place they are ever allowed to go is the place where you are praising them.
Having a proper foundation with your dog is going to make all of this work better, of course. A "proper foundation" means that the dog owner has properly established the position that they're making the rules for their dog, which happens through built and established trust and respect. Most dog owners benefit from quality instruction from somebody who does not use any bribe or prevention-based methods (i.e. no training collar, treats, clickers, choke chains, or anything like that–just a solid true canine philosophy).
Best of luck out there and be good to your dog– remember, a dog is probably the only true unconditional loyalty that a human will ever experience!!
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1.) The most important factor here is that ALL puppies need to be supervised 24/7 if they're in an area where they can be destructive, hurt themselves or make a mess. No puppy should be held responsible for any kind of destruction or mess-making until they're at least a year old. The better we are at true canine understanding and training the better this will go, but the results will be determined by several important factors. First and most importantly will always be OUR ability to train them. If we were perfect, they would learn everything VERY quickly!! Secondly, growth and developmental phases are going to be slightly different for every dog. Other variables are proper feeding and watering times and amounts. Most people mistakenly overwater their dogs AND just let them graze, instead of giving them specific times and amounts to eat. All dogs, but especially puppies, NEED to be fed on a schedule 1-3 times a day depending on their age and other variables. Once a dog is a year old, I personally feed them once a day, but that's a personal choice. Some people feed their dogs twice a day for their entire lifetime. Either is fine, although there are consequences for both.
2.) Once you have embraced the fact that you must be watching them all the time (not just when it's convenient) then you'll be able to teach them properly. Keep in mind a dog is never going to understand our inability to do things their (the proper true canine) way. No matter what you have ever heard, read, or what anybody ever tells you, unlike humans a dog CANNOT choose to do the wrong thing so WHATEVER they are doing is exactly what they believe is the right thing to do. A dog's instincts literally mandate this. If you see your dog going into the bathroom in the wrong place, gently say no and take them to where you want them to go and have them go there, and then praise them when they do go. Praising should be strictly limited to verbal and physical only, no treats or bribes or any of that – it just leads to more problems.
3.) Schedule your feeding and watering times so that you start learning when your dog needs to go to the bathroom before they need to go, and then schedule taking them out for a walk to the proper spot you want them to go and stay there with them until they actually go, and then give them lots of praises and hugs. If they still haven't gone and you can't stay there any longer, take them back inside and watch them like a hawk. The second they start to do it in the wrong place, start back at the beginning by telling them no and take them back out to go where they're supposed to go. Eventually, they will pick up on this and they will start learning that the only place they are ever allowed to go is the place where you are praising them.
Having a proper foundation with your dog is going to make all of this work better, of course. A "proper foundation" means that the dog owner has properly established the position that they're making the rules for their dog, which happens through built and established trust and respect. Most dog owners benefit from quality instruction from somebody who does not use any bribe or prevention-based methods (i.e. no training collar, treats, clickers, choke chains, or anything like that–just a solid true canine philosophy).
Best of luck out there and be good to your dog– remember, a dog is probably the only true unconditional loyalty that a human will ever experience!!
Hi Shawn thank you for your reply & feedback. I must say the last few days have been so much better :) I take her out really often and I would say 80% of her pees or poos are outdoors. For the rest of the time while she’s inside, I’m keeping her in her playpen (she goes in happily & is really calm inside - it’s a large playpen & I’m always nearby). I was told puppies shouldn’t have free rein of the house for now. So each time she’s released from the pen, I take her for bathroom trips outside. I’m not sure when I should start leaving her for longer periods inside (out of her pen/ free). When I do leave her ‘free’ she does have accidents (which is totally fine, I don’t expect perfection - she’s only been with us for 8 days). But when she does have an accident I worry slightly that she isn’t really learning ‘outside’ is her toilet place - it’s just that I only give her those opportunities to go. Not sure you get what I mean 😆
On another note, a friend of mine told me her food & water should be with her in her pen. I decided to put her food elsewhere to avoid eating in her pen & needing to poop straight away. Any thoughts on this?
Thanks again! This page is super helpful :)
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On another note, a friend of mine told me her food & water should be with her in her pen. I decided to put her food elsewhere to avoid eating in her pen & needing to poop straight away. Any thoughts on this?
Thanks again! This page is super helpful :)
Well for one thing I only feed on a schedule not exactly at the same time every day but within the same hour or so for each feeding time depending on the age of the dog wants to three times a day,. When I do I typically feed my dogs in a separate area usually outside.... And by the way most people overwater their dogs by leaving water out for them to drink anytime they like. I have a water supply outside when I take them to go to the bathroom or let them out to play they can drink all they want when they're out there or when I'm taking them for a walk either going in or out. Keep something in mind when the intake is on a schedule we will also have a lot better understanding of when they need to go to the bathroom. Just remember to keep track of everything until you know and it will be old hat. Dogs are very regular if they eat at the same time every day they will probably need to poop at the same times more or less every day also the older they get the more this will be true. Same more or less with drinking.
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Reader Comments
When my gf and I were potty training our puppy, we put up a whiteboard where we'd document what times the puppy successfully used the restroom and what times she had an accident. This allowed us to recognize patterns and shift things around to minimize accidents.
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When the puppy is having an accident, don't give them any reaction. I know some people will advise you to go "no!" but this can accidentally teach the puppy not to pee in front of YOU, and so it'll end up peeing in hidden spots around the house. I also found it helpful to positively reinforce good behavior. When my puppy used the bathroom outside I would praise him and give him treats.
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