Potty Training 101
- Deb Stone
- Sep 25
- 14 min read
Updated: Sep 25
Welcome to Potty Training 101, where I take you through my tips and tricks for successfully potty training your dog! These tips are applicable for both puppies and adult dogs who are new to potty training.
When teaching a dog where to go potty and where not to go, there are several key factors we need to consider:
Management - setting the environment up so that we reduce the chances of an accident in places we don't want and encourage going in the places we do want.
Schedule - having a routine is crucial when establishing potty training. Not only does this help build predictability, but we can plan our potty breaks strategically to optimize success!
Communication - we want the dog to understand where we would like them to go as well as being able to tell us WHEN they need to go.
Troubleshooting - what to do when you've followed all the steps but your dog is still having accidents!
Let's break each of these down further!
MANAGEMENT
Management is a term we dog trainers like to use to describe the process of changing the environment to optimize learning outcomes - think dog proofing your home!
The goal of management is to set the dog up to make the right choices, and minimizing the chances they will make undesirable ones.
Trust me when I say, it is well worth your time and effort to utilize management in the early stages of potty training. As the saying goes - an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!
When it comes to management, there are no hard and fast rules, because ultimately it is what will work best in your home and for your family. That said, here are some general tips when considering how to set up your home for successful potty training:
Limit access to carpeted flooring. Dogs prefer to go to the bathroom on absorbent surfaces such as carpet, rugs and bedding. I use baby gates, x-pens and barricades to block access to parts of the home with carpet and only let the dogs in those areas after potty breaks and when I can supervise closely. I will also temporarily pick up rugs in areas where the dog will have access - or ensure they are easy rugs to toss in the wash in case there is an accident.
Set up the dog's primary area in a place with flooring that is easy to clean should they make a mess.
**Pro-Tip: If your home only has carpet, you can purchase sheets of vinyl flooring from the hardware store for fairly reasonable and use this to cover up carpet during the potty training stage, then roll it up and put it in storage or donate it when you're done.
Residual odor from past messes can increase the chances that the dog soils in the same area again - so clean up messes thoroughly and use an enzymatic cleaner designed for pet messes to help break down the mess and reduce residual odor.
Utilize kennels, play pens, and gates to confine dogs to a smaller area when unsupervised and over night. Dogs are not as likely to go to the bathroom in places they rest and eat so confining them to a small area helps minimize the chances they will go to the bathroom.
When applicable - have potty pads, litter boxes or grass pads. Some living situations such as apartments can have the added difficulty of limited yard access. This can be challenging with younger puppies, especially when their bladders can only hold so long. I find it's worth having a potty pad available when I can't quickly go out to a yard and have a dog who cannot hold it for long periods yet. These can be faded out later as the dog matures and adjusts to the long term-schedule.
Now that we have the environment preped, we need to establish a schedule!
SCHEDULE
In addition to management, one of the most important things we can do for potty training is having a consistent schedule. If we know when our dogs are most likely to use the bathroom we can time our potty breaks accordingly, leading to higher chances of success and fewer accidents!
This is especially crucial for puppies who are not able to hold it as long as adult dogs and may need more frequent potty breaks (see notes on puppies below).
How to build a schedule for potty training:
Determine the maximum time the dog can hold it between breaks for the age of the dog (see chart below for puppies). Puppies will have different needs than adult dogs and this will gradually increase until they fully mature and can hold it like an adult dog. For an adult dog who has no potty training I start with every 2-4 hours during the day and gradually build up as needed to suit my long term schedule.
Once fully potty trained I try not to exceed 6-8 hours between breaks during the day unless absolutely neccessary. While many dogs are capable of holding it for longer, it can become uncomfortable and lead to health problems like urinary tract infections (UTI) over time.
When to schedule breaks:
After sleeping - this is applicable for naps as well as first thing in the morning.
After eating and drinking, it is normal for dogs to have the urge to go immediately following eating or drinking a large amount. Even if you just took them to potty before their meal, it is always worth trying again after, or if they took a big drink of water.
After vigorous exercise or play. Nothing loosens things up like a bit of play! It is quite common for dogs to have the urge to go after a play session. Usually, you will see them stop playing and begin to sniff around—a sure sign they are getting ready to go to the bathroom! Take them out to potty as soon as you notice the play beginning to die down. Some dogs give no indication and just pop a squat as soon as the urge strikes them, so it is never a bad idea to pause play and take a potty break, especially for puppies!
Before rest periods or when they need to be alone for long breaks.
Integrate potty breaks into your daily routine and build duration between breaks gradually over time until you find a consistent routine that works for your schedule.
Example Routine for a dog starting potty training:
In this example I am assuming the dog is capable of holding it throught the night, and can hold it for up to 4 hours during the day.
Time | Activity | Notes |
7:00 AM | Wake up, potty break | Always potty first thing upon getting up. For young puppies, I will carry them out first thing so they don't stop and potty as they are walking outside. |
7:30 AM | Eat breakfast, potty break | Even though there was just a break, many dogs feel the urge to go again immediately after eating especially a number 2! |
7:45AM-8:30AM | Play/enrichment time | Play and enrichment can include anything from vigerous play with another dog to simply self entertaining with a toy. |
8:30AM | Potty break, then nap | Potty after play and before a long rest period |
12:30PM | Wake up from nap, potty break | Potty break first thing after rest |
12:45PM - 1:15PM | Play/enrichment | |
1:30PM | Potty break, then nap | Potty after play and before a long rest period |
5:30 PM | Wake up from nap, potty break | Potty break first thing after rest |
6:30PM | Eat Dinner, potty break | Potty after eating |
6:45PM | Evening play/enrichment | |
8:00PM | Potty break | Potty after play and last break was 2.5 hours ago |
10:00PM | Last potty break before bed |
You will notice in this example schedule that I have breaks more frequently than every 4 hours. This is because 4 hours is the MAXIMUM duration between breaks. I find that more frequent breaks, especially in the beginning, help reduce the chances of accidents happening. I always err on the side of caution and offer more breaks than I think are needed, and gradually back off as I feel the dog progresses. Notice also the timing of the breaks and how they correspond to the activities I mentioned above - after waking up, after eating, after play, and just before long breaks.
Over time, as the dog matures and gains a better understanding of when and where it is appropriate to use the bathroom, you can increase the duration between breaks and will have more flexibility in timing.
Special Considerations for Puppies
When potty training puppies who cannot hold it through the night, you will need to schedule breaks at night. The frequency of the breaks will be based on the age of the puppy. A good rule of thumb is 1 hour for every month of age.
How long can puppies hold it? A general rule of thumb is one hour for every month of age while awake.
Here is a chart to better illustrate this:
Age (months) | Age (weeks) | Maximum time |
2 Months | 8 Weeks | 2 hours |
3 Months | 12 Weeks | 3 hours |
4 Months | 16 Weeks | 4 hours |
5 Months | 18 Weeks | 5 hours |
6 Months | 22 Weeks | 6 hours |
At 6 months and older many puppies can begin to hold it through the night - some get here sooner and some later so it will depend on your individual dog.
I set alarms at the estimated time intervals and take the puppy out to potty regardless of if they are awake or not. Over time we work on building up time between intervals until we no longer need to wake up in the middle of the night. If the puppy cries sooner than your scheduled interval, I would try a potty break - better safe than sorry and this builds into our communication piece nicely.
COMMUNICATION
Where to go, and where not to go...that is the question - for the dog that is!
A crucial piece of information we are trying to impart to the dog is where it is and is not appropriate to eliminate. We have limited their choices inside, as well as timed breaks outside to optimize going outside instead of inside, but we can further imprint that going outside is the 'correct' choice by reinforcing it.
Remember that for a behavior to be repeated, it must be reinforced. Therefore, if we want the dog to repeat the behavior of going potty outside, we need to reinforce this behavior. Most of us know this by now, but it is still worth bringing up in this blog because it is so important!
Have a party when your dog goes potty outside! Praise generously and offer a food reward. We want the dog to learn that going potty outside leads to good things.
You can also teach your dog to go potty on cue by saying your 'go potty' cue right before they go! Over time, they will associate the cue with the action of going potty and will start to go when you ask (if they need to go).
I continue to praise and reinforce every single potty outside for a long time - I keep this up until my dog is consistently going potty outside, and even after. Eventually, we don't need to praise every time the dog goes and can transition to soft praise, but in the beginning, it helps the dog understand that we like when they go to the bathroom OUTSIDE.
A note on accidents:
If the dog does have an accident inside—which you should see because the dog should be supervised unless contained—interrupt and take them outside immediately. I am not harsh and I do not reprimand the dog for going inside; after all, they don't know this is not where they are supposed to go, they are just relieving themselves. If we are too harsh, it can not only cause your dog to feel afraid of you, but it can also cause them to seek out quiet places to go where you don't see them, rather than teaching them the skills we want them to have. Neutrally interrupt and immediately take the dog outside, then clean up the mess. See the section on troubleshooting if you are having frequent accidents.
Consistently reinforcing the behavior of eliminating outside, and reducing rehersal of going inside ultimately leads to a dog that understands going outside is desirable and going inside is not. There is no need to punish the dog for making a mistake.
How do I know when the dog needs to go?
Dogs do not innately understand how to tell us when they have to go, this process is a learned one.
This is often the piece my clients struggle with the most and I think it boils down to expectations - again, your dog does not know they need to tell you when they have to go. We have to teach this, this is communication!
Teaching the dog to communicate they need to go is not a novel idea - in fact most people are familiar with the use of a bell for this purpose. If you want to teach your dog to use a bell, there are instructional videos for this on YouTube.
While there are lots of ways we can teach the dog to communicate, I find the simplest and easiest solution is to teach the dog to stand by the door they go out of to go potty. Many dogs automatically pick up on this over time, but some do not and for those who don't we can teach them!
To teach this:
Teach the dog to go to the door
Grab some treats and walk to the door, stand next the door
when the dog approaches you and the door praise and offer a food reward.
TIP: I like to deliver the food reward in my hand right in front of the door or directly on the floor in front of the door as a way to help emphasize this game is about being by the door.
Reset by walking away from the door
Repeat A-C for 10 reps to establish a clear pattern of going to the door = reward for the dog. You can always do this longer than 10 reps if you feel like your dog is not understanding the pattern just yet! Just be sure to master this before moving on.
Add a verbal cue for going outside, such as 'outside' and say the cue just before walking to the door. Repeat the pattern as before (A-C), but add your verbal cue at the beginning each time. Continue this pattern to pair the cue with the behavior of being by the door.
By now your dog should understand the 'outside' cue predicts going to the door for a food reward. We next want to transfer this cue to predicting going outside.
Teach the dog that standing in front of the door can lead to going outside.
Say your 'outside' cue and go to the door
When the dog approaches you and the door, open the door and go outside
Praise and reward the dog when they follow you outside.
Reset by going back inside and closing the door
Repeat A-D 10-20 times to establish a pattern. 'Outside' cue > go to door > open door and walk outside > reward dog.
Vary your reinfocement by changing what happens on the other side of the door - sometimes it's a single treat, sometimes its multiple treats, sometimes we walk around and explore, sometimes we play a game ect.
Now your dog should understand that the cue 'outside' predicts going through the door to do something on the other side. The next step is to pair it with your potty routine!
Integrate your cue into potty breaks
Each time before taking your dog outside to potty, say your 'outside' cue and take the dog outside.
Once outside follow your normal routines for potty breaks.
Teach the dog they can 'ask' to go outside
At some point your dog will catch on to the idea that going to the door leads to oustide, and they may take the initiative to 'ask' by going to the door on their own without you. Reinforce this behavior by letting them go outside.
Whenever your dog goes to the door on their own, take them outside. By this point you do not need to reinforce them for going outside, we used the reinforcement previously to teach a pattern and connect that pattern to a word that has an action. Remember that for most dogs, the action of going outside is in and of itself reinforcing so we don't need to continue to add the extra reinforcement. You should still continue to reinforce your dog when they go potty though!
TROUBLESHOOTING
Now that we know the potty training basics, let's address some common problems my clients come to me with when potty training.
Make sure before you follow these steps that you have already exhausted your management, adjusted your schedule and worked to adequately reinforce your dog for going potty outside.
"My dog doesn't go potty outside!"
OR
"My dog potties outside but then they go again as soon as we get inside!"
Remember that outside can be overstimulating and for some dogs, even overwhelming. In the beginning, it is not uncommon for puppies or new rescues to need some time to get used to their new situation and relax enough to go potty. Puppies especially have a tendency to get swept away in their curiousity about all the new things in their environment.
What should you do?
Spend some more time outside (weather permitting) to give them time to adjust and realize they may need to go potty. Praise and reward them when they finally do go.
If you have waited for reasonable amount of time (10-15 minutes), then take them inside and put them right into their play pen or kennel and wait 10-15 minutes before taking them out again. We want to discourage them going inside so use containment to help reduce the chances they do. Repeat the cycle until they do eventually go potty outside.
For a dog who is overwhelmed by outside (we see this more in rescues who are new to home life), you may need to have an indoor potty spot inside during the beginning stages while you work on getting them used to being outside. If you are still struggling to have them potty outside after a week or 2 of trying, it's time to contact a professional for some assitance!
"My dog was doing really good and now they started having accidents inside again! " Some dogs will be doing great and then experience a sudden regression in their potty training and this could happen for a couple of reasons.
In the case of a sudden change and increased frequency of potty accidents inside, I always reccommend getting the dog checked out by your vet for a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) - in most cases this is the cause of the behavior change. It makes sense - it's uncomfortable to hold it and they feel the urge to go more frequently. If a UTI has been ruled out, you might also consider if it is a marking behavior - especially in adolecent male dogs, though some females will do this as well. Usually they will hike their legs and pee on a vertical surface when marking.
If it is a marking behavior, it sometimes resolves after the dog is nuetured (but not always). If the dog is already neutered, my approach is to up my management and to utilize a belly band or dog diaper to prevent the dog marking inside. Just as in the inital potty training stage, consistently preventing the undesired behavior inside while reinforcing going outside is your ticket to changing this behavior long term. If the behavior persists after several weeks in spite of your best management effort, it is time contact a professional.
"My dog keeps going potty in their kennel/play pen"
Some dogs will urnate and defacate in their kennel and just don't seem to be bothered by it. Some of these dogs may have previous history of going in their kennel because they had no choice - some rescues, especially ones that come out of puppy mills have spent their life confined to a cage and don't know anything different. In other cases there could be other factors at play.
What should you do?
In the case of dogs with prior learning histroy - be patient and consistent. These dogs often just need more time to learn and adjust to their new way of life. Try to offer potty breaks more fequently than you think you need, and make your set up as easy to clean and maintain as possible.
Rule out health issues - a dog with a UTI or chonic gut issues may just need to go more frequently because of what is happening inside their bodies. Once the health issue is addressed, the behavior tends to go away.
Rule out separation distress. Dogs who are stressed often will urniate and defacate as a stress response. If the only time your dog is going to the bathroom in their space is when you are gone, as well as showing signs of excessive drooling, panting or vocalizing when alone these are all tell tale signs of separation distress. Separation anxiety and separation distress can become severe and needs professional guidance. Find a separation anxiety expert!
Always remeber that your dog is not going potty inside to be spitefull, vengefull or out of rage.
Your dog is simply relieving themselves, and they don't always understand that it matters to us where they go. Be kind and be curious when your dog has an accident. Evaluate your management and schedule on a regular basis, and if you run into problems, review the troubleshooting section again. If you are still struggling, contact a professional!
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