Tips to Housetraining a puppy:

Puppies start to form surface preferences around 8 weeks of age, so it is extremely important to expose your puppy to appropriate surfaces, and reward them when they eliminate there.

Generally you can determine how long a puppy up to 6 months of age can go without a potty break by ADDING THE AGE IN MONTHS + 1 = amount of hours between breaks.

ex: 3 month puppy + 1 = 4 Hours Max.

  • As soon as you get home

  • Upon waking up (including naps)

  • 15-30 Minutes after drinking or eating

  • A few times throughout the night (depending on age)

  • Immediately after a ‘warning sign’

  • After playing or if puppy disengages with you

    WARNING SIGNS:

  • wining

  • pacing

  • barking

When should you take your puppy out to potty?

  • sniffing the floor

  • zooming around

  • stopping during an activity

When Going Potty

1. Take the dog out on a leash to help focus on going potty

2. Lead dog to desired area for elimination. Give the dog time to eliminate. You can give a cue like “go potty” before they go

3. Now go for a walk or allow the dog to play before going back inside. This teaches your dog that the fun doesn’t end after eliminating.

If the dog doesn’t go, put them back in their crate or other confinement and try again in 10-20 minutes.