Potty Training Your Puppy
Potty training is one of the first things people work on after they bring home their new puppy. Bringing home your new puppy can feel overwhelming—so let me break down potty training into some simple “Do’s” and “Don’ts.”
Potty training is directly connected with crate training—we use the crate to prevent our puppies from going potty in the house when we aren’t paying attention to them.
Do:
Buy a crate that is adjustable in size — having a crate that is snug for a young puppy can help prevent them from going potty in their crate
Take your puppy to go potty after they wake up from a nap or finish playing/having the zoomies
Take your puppy potty before putting them in the crate
Take water away around 7:00 pm, so they are more likely to be able to make it through the night without needing to go potty
Take your puppy out to go potty 30-60 minutes after drinking a lot of water or eating
Be patient with yourself and your puppy! It’s normal for puppies to not be fully potty trained until about 6 months of age!
Don’t:
Punish your puppy for pottying in the house if you don’t catch them in the act — puppies and dogs only understand punishment in the moment.
Leave your puppy unattended, loose in the house, unless they have gone potty fully
Often times, puppies need to go pee a few times in the morning before being “finished.” After taking them for their initial potty, it’s best to put them in the crate, and then take them out again in about 30 minutes for one more potty run before letting them loose in the house.
Give your puppy unlimited amounts of large volumes of water. Many puppies need some degree of water regulation, because they will chug huge quantities of water after play, for example.
