For many of us Puppy owner potty training can be Roof! Trying to figure out when a puppy needs to go can be challenging! But there are a few simple steps to avoid finding random accidents around your house. But even with these tips it’s most important to remember patients because sometimes puppies don’t know when they need to go. They don’t have full control of their bladder and could just go on a whim.
Timing
The When Is going to be the one of the most important things to consider when you potty training a puppy. It is important that you be proactive and give your puppy as many opportunities as possible to successfully go potty in the right place rather that’s the pee pad or the garden. These are the top 5 times when you should go on a potty break for you with your dog.
- As soon as they wake up.
Like Most of us when we wake up after a night of sleep you pup will also need to go to the restroom so its highly recommended that in the morning you immediately leash your dog and take them outside or to the pee pad to do their morning business. This will be the easiest time of the day to give you pup successful potty-training sessions. So make sure you have everything ready, especially treats, to let them know when they have done a good job.
These rules don’t only apply to the morning time. Most likely your pup will have a few naps throughout the day so be sure to take them out when they wake up from any naps as well.
- Before Crate time.
It is also very important to remember that puppies’ bladders are small and unpredictable. So if you have to leave your puppy in its crate for a long period of time remember to make sure they go potty before you put them in. Also remember the age rule as well for each month they are is how long they can hold their bladder. 4 months – 4 hours (in general) and you should try to avoid leaving them there for long periods of time when they’re young because potty accidents in the crate could have negative impacts on crate training.
- After eating.
A full tummy could lead to a full bladder quickly with a tiny puppy so giving them an opportunity to go right after eating is usually a good idea especially because puppies eat a lot!
- After Play time!
The more active your puppy is the more potty breaks they will need. Exercise keeps the puppy metabolism going so after playtime give your puppy a chance for a water and potty break. This applies with older dogs as well. I have a small dog who is super active and he is a pooping machine who usually needs to go out 3 times a day.
- Bonus
If you are having a hard time having a puppy getting puppy to go potty and waiting a long time, remember to not interact much with puppy when its time for potty say go potty and just wait for it to happen. Puppies are easily distracted and always want to play so try not to be too distracted. If they do not go and you know they should have to go by now. Try putting them in their crate for 1-5 minutes and take them out and try again. This will hopefully stop those moments where you take your puppy out for potty just for them to come inside and pee on your rug instead.
No Scolding
Listen, I know it’s very frustrating and a little bit of a pain when an accident happens in the house with the clean-up. But if your puppy pops a squat in front of you ignore it because it will be 10x worse to find surprise potty accidents in random places later. When you scold your puppy for going potty you can scare them. Since they know that it upsets you when they need to go potty, they will instead go when you are not looking. So just remember when they have an accident in the house that they’re just a baby.
Praise.
Praise is very important! Potty training with treats and praise can sometimes speed up the potty-training process. So, whenever your Pup gets it right be sure to give a treat. Timing is key I recommend giving while they are in the middle of doing their business in the right place, so they Really know what they are getting praised for. The puppy will then make a positive association with going potty in the right spot. Keep doing this and until you’re confident that your puppy really knows.
Warning signs (sniffing)
What to look for to avoid try to avoid potty accidents. Each puppy is different but before going potty there are a few warning signs that you can look for. Remember to stay calm and act quickly if you see your puppy displaying any of these behaviors.
- Distracted
If you are playing with your puppy and you notice they are not playing any more and kind of wondering off that might be a sign that puppy is looking for a place to take a potty break.
- Sniffing!
A lot of dogs’ sniffs before doing their business so if you notice a lot of sniffing that could be a sign to pick up your pup and rush over to the pee pad/ backyard.
- Whining If your pup is whining and you have no idea why always assume it’s an urgent call for the bathroom unless of course they just went to the potty like 30 seconds ago. But if you can’t recall the last time your pup went to the bathroom or maybe you can recall that it was an hour ago just give your pup the chance to go.
Roaming without supervision
Keeping your puppy in a safe area in your house where they can’t get into trouble is very helpful when potty training so you don’t randomly find surprises anywhere in the house. Letting your pup explore unsupervised can cause them to feel overwhelmed and gives them more opportunities to fail rather that’s a potty accident or getting into something they are not supposed to. It is best to keep them in a puppy proof area where you can give them access to pee pads and have room for other necessities like toys and water.
Bonus Tip
Controlling your dog’s water Intake can help you reduce potty breaks (to some extent.) Knowing when your dog drinks water can help predict potty breaks. So I suggest you offer water when you offer food ,after playtime or any long exercise. But I think it’s most important to cut off water a couple 1 or two hours before bed. Especially for puppies who are just starting to be able to sleep through the night. Of course, when they are really young you’re still going to have a few midnight potty breaks. But once your puppy is able to sleep through the night without waking up for potty it’s really going to help to have the cut off time for water so they don’t regress.
Conclusion
Hopefully these tips can help the potty-training process! But just remember after knowing all these tips my pup still had a few accidents in the house. It’s to be expected and it’s ok they are still learning and one day you’ll realize wow puppy hasn’t accident in like a week. Or you’ll get so excited to see the puppy go potty on his pee pad all by himself! Time does fly when you have a puppy and so will the potty-training days.