You must monitor how often your puppy’s bladder fills up and be conscientious about taking it outdoors to potty. Puppies cannot control their bladders, so it is up to you to manage this for them.

When you know the time between bladder emptying, you can predict the halfway mark and know when your puppy’s bladder is nearly full. Take your puppy out now and wait for it to potty before you allow it back indoors.

Some puppies will not go in front of you as this distracts them. If your pup doesn’t empty its bladder while you are watching, try moving away and allowing your puppy alone time to relieve itself.

By establishing this pattern, your pup will understand the need to relieve itself before the situation becomes desperate. Take your pup back to the same place each time; it will sniff and use the same spot.

Small breeds of dogs have smaller bladders, and the urge to empty their bladders may be far sooner than a larger breed. Take these into account when planning your puppy’s toilet breaks.

Puppies are entirely dependent on you for food, water, and guidance. When you are pleased with your pup, it feels good about itself. A reward is a great way to accomplish this.

Many pet owners make the mistake of rewarding their pets with treats. This becomes a habit that could lead to food treats being the only motivation for good behavior.

There are many ways to reward a pup; playtime, petting, verbal praise, toys, and walks. You are responsible for establishing what works best for your pet and using that as a reward. Dogs love your attention just as much as they love snacks. Reward your pet immediately after it has relieved itself. This creates an association between toileting outside and good behavior.

When your pet understands the rules around toileting, start slowing down on the rewards. Ultimately your pet must relieve itself outside when it needs to.

Pet owners often show irritation when a puppy potties inside. A puppy owner must not do this. A negative reaction indicates to a pet that it must not potty in front of you or where you can see its mess. Your pet may learn that this upsets you, but not that this habit is inappropriate.

Reprimanding a puppy for relieving itself indoors teaches it to hide this from you. You may find that your pup goes behind furniture or out-of-sight places, not to upset you.

Never reprimand your pet if you haven’t seen it pee or poop indoors; your pup will not understand the reason for your reprimand and will most likely do the same again.

Any form of punishment, as slight as it may be or even a raised voice, distresses your pup and indicates that its behavior is inappropriate. Dogs love to please, and at this early stage, they can’t discern what of their behavior you disapprove of.

The best practice is to snap your fingers to interrupt the puppy and then take it outside to continue. Take your pup to the same place each time to condition its behavior.

Establishing an interruption technique without raising your voice is useful as a cue for any other behavior modification.

If your pup messes inside, do not make a fuss about it. Please clean up the mess but clean it up very well. The most important is to rid the spot of any urine or poop smell. Dogs return to places with these smells, so don’t tempt your puppy to do what it shouldn’t.

Many household cleaning products contain ammonia which resembles a dog’s urine smell. Rather opt for odorless cleaning products.

The best way to clean mess up is to:

Although not every pet owner is fond of crate training, it is helpful for potty training your pup. You will need to get your pup used to its crate, though.

The first step is to buy an appropriately sized crate. A large crate is not effective, particularly when it comes to potty training. You will need a smaller crate.

Start crate training by coaxing your pup into the crate with a toy or chew object. Do this until the pup is comfortable moving in and out of the crate. Closing your pup in a crate before it’s comfortable is not acceptable and detrimental to your pet.

When your pet is accustomed to its crate, start letting it stay in the crate for very short periods until you are sure that the pet is happy with the experience. Leaving your pet in a crate is a temporary solution, as your pet needs exercise and fresh air.

Crates work really well for potty training, especially at night. If you use a crate for training, only crate your pet for up to four continuous hours at night. Your pup considers its crate a den, and animals generally won’t soil their dens. It is then up to you to take your pup out at night to potty outside and bring it back into the safety of its crate.

The challenge with taking your puppy out at night is that you must wait. Please don’t leave it alone outside. Your pet needs you to validate good behavior.

You can use crates for shorter periods during the day if you need to, but you must ensure your pup has toys or chew things to keep it occupied. Even if your pup is crated, still listen out for scratching, restlessness, or whining, as this may indicate that your pet wants to potty.

Puppies that soil their crates often do so because the crate is too big and does not feel like a safe den.

Important crating guidelines:

After your pup learns to control toilet habits, your job is still ongoing. Your pup will start showing signs it needs to potty. Potty signs include: