How To Potty Train A Puppy: The Ultimate Step-By-Step Guide

By Norma Jeanne Laurette ​

Introduction

​​Potty training also known as housebreaking or house training is one of the first and most important lessons for any new puppy. Dogs don’t instinctively know where you want them to eliminate or why, meaning that clear, positive and consistent training is essential.

The Right Mindset For Successful Housebreaking

​Dogs don’t understand right from wrong. Punishing a puppy for having an accident teaches it nothing, except that its person can be scary and unpredictable. It’s unfair and counterproductive, causes fear and damages the human/canine trust bond. It often causes dogs to hide when they need to go, making the house training process more difficult than it needs to be.

Instead, focus on prevention, supervision and rewarding the behavior you want. By repeating a successful pattern again and again over a period of time, eliminating outside becomes a deeply rooted habit. Remember that good habits are just as hard to break as bad habits.

Four Rules Of Thumb

• Every elimination in the right spot strengthens the desired habit.
• Every accident caught and quickly, gently and quietly redirected outside (not reprimanded) is a valuable learning opportunity.
• Every missed accident reinforces the unwanted behavior and is not the puppy’s fault.
• Every punished accident sets training back, causes fear, erodes trust and harms the puppy’s temperament and emotional wellbeing.

Take Your Puppy Out On This Schedule

• First thing when you bring it home
• Last thing before bed
• First thing in the morning
• After eating or drinking
• After waking from a nap
• After play or chewing
• When sniffing the floor
• When circling, squatting or lifting a leg
• After leaving its crate or confined area
• Every 15 minutes when it’s awake at the beginning

If the pup doesn’t get out immediately in the above cases, it may be too late and you may have a preventable accident.

Step-By-Step Housebreaking Procedure

• Always leash your puppy and bring high-value treats when going out.
• At the door, use a consistent verbal cue such as “Outside”.
• Teach your puppy to ring a bell to let you know it needs to go out.
• Always go to the exact same elimination spot.
• Stay calm and patient. Repeat your cue softly for up to 5 minutes.
• Praise calmly and quietly (“good dog”) while the puppy is eliminating, then celebrate with treats, play and lots of love and attention immediately after it finishes.
• If the puppy doesn’t eliminate, return inside and either keep it with you on leash or confined for 10 minutes before trying again.

Supervision Is Crucial – Your puppy must be within sight at all times when loose in the house until reliably house trained. Use a proper-sized crate, exercise pen or long-term confinement area with the floor covered in newspaper or puppy pee pads when you can’t watch.

Teaching A Puppy To Ring A Bell To Go Outside

​Start by hanging a set of bells on a string right by the door at nose level. Every time you take your puppy out for a potty break, gently guide its paw to touch the bell while using your “outside” cue in a happy voice, then immediately open the door and praise your puppy for going out. Consistently repeat this pattern every time your puppy goes outside to eliminate. It will soon start nudging the bell on its own when it realizes it will open the door. When your puppy touches the bell without assistance, reward it with treats and praise then immediately open the door. It usually takes a week or two of consistent repetitions for the puppy to ring the bell when it needs to eliminate.

Handling Accidents & Physical Causes

​If you catch your puppy in the act, quickly, calmly and quietly interrupt it with “outside” and immediately take it out. If it finishes outside, immediately reward it after it’s finished. If it doesn’t, quietly bring it back inside.

If your puppy is constantly urinating or your previously house-trained dog starts having accidents, there is almost always an underlying cause, which can be medical, stress-induced, changes in the home, etc.

Urinary tract infections are not uncommon in puppies (especially females) and should be looked at as a possible cause if you notice a regression in house training, increase in urination, straining, blood in the urine, strong or foul smelling urine, excess licking of the genital area, dribbling or leaking urine. Less common symptoms include lethargy, loss of appetite, fever and increased thirst.

It’s always important to address the root cause of the problem while managing the symptoms, because all the training in the world will not work if there is an underlying condition causing or contributing to the problem.

Never Reward Your Puppy After Returning InsideNever reward your puppy after returning inside or it may not empty its bladder or bowels outside, but instead rush back inside to get the treat.

Never Punish

​Punishment can cause stress, anxiety, fear and a myriad of behavioral problems including aggression. As frustrating as accidents can be, it’s crucial to remain calm in order to nurture your puppy’s trust and respect. For more information about the affects of punishment in training see our first book Blueprint To A Happy Dog.
Track Your ProgressTrack your progress by marking accident-free days on a calendar as well as the number of accidents in each day. Gradually increase the length of time between outside breaks by 10 minutes at a time after achieving a few accident-free days.

Using A Crate Effectively

​Crate training works for some puppies because dogs tend to prefer not to soil their sleeping area. Keep sessions short and positive. Never use the crate for long-term confinement or punishment as it can cause stress, anxiety and a myriad of behavior issues.

Tips for Crate Success

​Tips for Crate Success

• Choose the right size (room to stand and turn around only).
• Make it a comfortable “den” with bedding and chews.
• Feed meals and chews inside to associate it with positive experiences.
• Gradually increase duration only when your puppy is relaxed.​

Passive Paper Training (Alternative Option)

​Some puppies panic when confined and respond better with more space. Passive paper training is another option when crate training isn’t suitable, such as for puppies that panic, high-energy puppies, puppies that soil the crate, when the puppy has to spend more than a very short period of time confined, etc.

Personally, I prefer passive paper training when I can’t watch my puppy because it’s less stressful for the pup. Set up an exercise pen or a secure, blocked off, puppy-proofed area (removing all inappropriate objects it could chew on). Cover the entire floor covered with newspaper and add a comfy bed, toys and chew options at one end. Gradually reduce the paper size over time as you achieve housebreaking success when the puppy is outside of the passive paper training area.

When it’s necessary to protect the floor under an exercise pen, place the exercise pen on top of a tarp with the edges of the tarp outside of the exercise pen to prevent the puppy from chewing on it.
For puppies that panic when alone, see my article Separation Anxiety.

Additional Success Tips

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• Don’t leave food or water down because what goes in must come out. If the puppy is constantly eating and drinking, it will be constantly defecating and urinating, making it difficult to create a housebreaking schedule.
• After feeding, pick up the food bowl until the next meal, as well as if the puppy walks away without finishing its food.
• Offer drinks of water hourly to prevent dehydration and take the puppy out immediately after drinking. This will make it much easier to predict when the puppy will need to urinate.
• No food or water 2 to 3 hours before bedtime, as an empty puppy is less likely to have accidents or wake up because it needs to eliminate.
• Provide plenty of safe canine enrichment opportunities and appropriate chew toys when alone or confined.
• Take your puppy for a walk or play with it just before bed, as a tired puppy is more likely to sleep through the night.
• Be patient. Some puppies are housebroken within a few weeks, while others take months. Every dog is different and consistency is the key.
• If accidents persist or return after successful housebreaking, or the rate of urination increases, consult a veterinarian to eliminate physical causes, as well as a qualified, positive dog behavior expert to make sure you are not missing any important aspects of the potty training program.

For 50 canine enrichment ideas see my article Best Canine Enrichment Options For Mental Stimulation & Boredom Prevention.

Summary

​Remember that house training is about building habits through repetition, consistency and kindness. With patience and positive training you can make the process faster and more enjoyable for both of you.

References

​(R1) Dunbar, Dr. Ian. Housetraining. James & Kenneth Publishers, 1986.
(R2) Dunbar, Dr. Ian. Housetraining Supplement. James & Kenneth Publishers, 1986.
(R3) International Animal Studies Behavior Course, 1994. (R4) Pryor, Karen. clickertraining.com/node/289.
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Photo By Norma Jeanne Laurette