How to Potty Train a Siberian Husky Puppy

Establish a strict potty training schedule by taking the puppy out every two hours, as well as after eating, sleeping or playing. A puppy that soils the crate overnight must be taken out in the middle of the night also. Set your clock to get up before the pup has an accident: pick a time that is halfway through the night and then adjust the time as needed until you are getting up and getting the puppy out before there is an accident. It’s a rough schedule at the beginning when the pup is very young, but the rewards are worth the effort. By 6 months old, most puppies will be able to hold it overnight or will soon learn as long as you keep up a good schedule. Don’t veer from your schedule. Hire pet sitters if needed to keep the pup on a strict schedule while you are busy.

Confine your husky puppy to the crate whenever you can’t supervise closely, but never leave the pup there past the scheduled potty time. A puppy's instinct will be to not soil its den, but if you keep it waiting, the pup will have no choice. Every accident is another step toward developing or continuing bad habits. Habits are hard to break.

Work with your puppy on obedience and establish yourself as the leader. Siberian huskies have strong dominance tendencies and this can interfere with potty training. The dog has to earn all attention, food, walks and play. For example, have your dog sit before putting on the leash to go for a walk. Have the leash in your hand but don't put it on until the pup sits--no sit means no walk. Do not use force or punishment. The dog must always sit, lie down or similar command for everything it wants, whether a treat, belly rub or ride in the car. The one exception is potty training. If your puppy has to go potty, don't wait to make him sit before going out to potty or he may have an accident.

Feed the puppy on a regular schedule and take him out about 30 minutes after a meal. This will vary from 15 minutes after a meal up to an hour for individual puppies, but 30 minutes is a good starting point for a 6-month-old puppy.

Walk the puppy on leash to the same potty spot each time. When you clean up after the puppy, leave a trace behind so that the odor attracts the puppy back to that spot. Give a tiny treat and praise while your puppy is actually going potty--not after it finishes. You want to connect the treat to the act, not to something after the act.

Supervise constantly when your puppy is loose in the house. This is the key to proper potty training. If you are distracted for even a moment or two, the puppy will have an accident and begin developing the habit of going potty inside. If you cannot supervise at the moment, the puppy should be in its crate. Think of the crate the way you would think of a playpen for a human baby.

Watch for signs that the pup has to go potty, such as sniffing the floor while walking in a circle, walking in a slightly stiff-legged manner or leaving the room. Immediately rush the puppy outside to the spot. Have the leash always close at hand for these times.

Clean all accidents thoroughly with an enzyme cleaner. Follow the directions carefully, and if the odor remains, call the company for help with difficult odor problems–many enzyme cleaners have a toll-free help line number on the bottle.

Increase the length of time between potty breaks gradually, in increments of 30 minutes. Do not increase the time too fast. If the puppy seems to regress, you have increased the time too quickly, so back up to a point where the pup has no accidents and stay at that level till you are sure your puppy is ready to advance.