Potty Training Dogs for Dummies

While it is never a fun task to housebreak a dog, leaving your dog untrained is even more difficult for everyone involved. People dislike untrained dogs that eliminate all over and many dogs end up in shelters for that reason. Fortunately, potty training doesn't need to be an ordeal. Following a few simple rules makes potty training simple for you and your puppy.

  1. Inside or Outside: The First Potty Training Decision

    • Dogs trained to use papers or pads inside the house are "housetrained." Housetrained dogs know where to potty inside the house and use those areas exclusively. Should those areas become extremely soiled, however, housetrained dogs may select inappropriate places to "do their business."

      Dogs trained to go potty outside are "housebroken." Housebroken dogs signal their owners when they have to eliminate, usually by whining or scratching at the door. Ignoring signals leads to avoidable "accidents" inside.

      Sometimes a combination of these methods is helpful; that is, training your dog to signal that it has to potty and providing a place to potty inside to prevent accidents.

    Keep Potty Training Age-Appropriate

    • Help your puppy succeed at pottying in the right place. Keep it confined to a crate or a puppy-proof area, especially when you are not home. Take your puppy to its potty area immediately after eating or drinking. Offer water frequently during the day, but do not provide free-choice water until training is complete. Be prepared to reinforce your commands many times -- repetition and happy praise are key.

    Maintain a Schedule

    • Puppies must eat and drink at regularly scheduled times. A regular schedule trains your puppy's bowels and bladder to eliminate at certain times of the day. An age-appropriate schedule consists of bringing your puppy to the potty area every 2 hours if it is 2 months old, every 3 hours if it is 3 months old, and every 4 hours if it is 4 months old. As your puppy gets older, it can go 1 additional hour without pottying for every month of its age, up until it is 1 year old.

    Retraining an Adolescent or an Adult Dog

    • Adolescent or adult dogs may need to be retrained, particularly post-surgery or if they come from a shelter or rescue. Begin training as you would a puppy, feeding small meals several times a day and bringing it to the potty area immediately afterward.