How Old Before a Puppy Is Fully Potty Trained?

Puppies are not born understanding when and where it is acceptable to relieve themselves. The process of potty training a puppy requires dedication and focus on your part and can still take a number of months to complete successfully. Knowing what to expect and when to expect it can make the process easier for your puppy and provide you with the hope that there is a light at the end of that tunnel.

  1. New Puppies

    • Puppies who are raised by their mothers are accustomed to being cleaned after relieving themselves. They never smell waste where they sleep or live and so they do not develop the habit of returning to the same place (in your home) to relieve themselves. They also learn to go outside to eliminate as their mother does and so this built-in training mechanism can have things under control within a few months and with very little assistance from you. It is when puppies are raised without the presence of a mother that things become a bit more tricky.

    Averages

    • Puppy potty training should begin a few weeks after birth when the puppy is able to move about on his own with confidence. Since your puppy's brain may develop a bit faster than his muscle control, there may be periods when your training methods have gotten through but the results are not yet showing. Stick to it and within four to six months most dogs will be housebroken. In some cases the process can take longer, up to one year for slower learning dogs and those with limited bladder control.

    Mistakes

    • Mistakes can range from an elimination due to excitement over seeing a master, to the occasional slip up for no real reason at all. Mistakes occur with puppies who are fully potty trained and even adult dogs who've been doing things the right way for years. You may manage to break this habit by avoiding dominant behavior that can make the dog nervous or submissive. If you greet your dog with less fanfare and a more stoic attitude, you will help to reduce the overreaction that leads to many mistakes. With the proper practices, you should be able to eliminate mistakes altogether by the time your dog reaches 2 years of age.

    When It's Done

    • You will know all your hard work has finally paid off when you begin to see your dog display certain behaviors. Mistakes dwindle down to few if any, and your dog will begin to urinate when you make it clear it is OK to do so. Your dog will eventually begin to indicate to you that he needs to be let into the yard. Once your dog starts to understand that a need to go equals a trip to the appropriate area, he can convey the message to you clearly and eliminate the need for guesswork.