Litter Box and Potty Training

Dog Potty Training

The word "dog" can be substituted for puppy in most of the following document. A puppy will learn house-training on their own time frame. To some extent, so will an adult, but their ability (even if they have lived outdoors and don't know it) to hold their urine and feces will give you a HUGE advantage over potty-training a puppy. Some will learn faster than others. The key is patience, persistence and plenty of paper towels. A healthy puppy will defecate no more than 4 to 5 times a day. Due to poor bladder control, a puppy urinates frequently throughout the day.

Keep in mind three things while house-training your puppy or dog:

• Time: It takes time to secure a leash and navigate to his assigned potty area. It takes time to wait for the light bulb to go off in your puppy’s head. Remember house-training can take days, weeks or months. Commit to the time house-training takes and make doing it right a priority. Your attitude will help ease your dog’s misunderstanding. While it can be frustrating at times, try not to let your tension stress out the dog.

• Direction: A puppy does not immediately know where you want him to go potty at. Even a house-trained dog needs some direction regarding the designated potty area. Select an area inside or out (out for adults, unless you live in a high-rise and are fostering a very small dog haha or take your first foster during a blizzard haha), and direct your puppy there with a specific word each time you bring him to that spot. Direct him frequently and further help your puppy by associating the act of eliminating with another direction, such as “Go potty” which you she while he’s in the process of going. Soon the pup will know when and where to go simply by hearing these directions.

• Consistency: Consistency is the most important part of training especially house-training. Everyone in your household should know the following:

  • Where to take the puppy to potty (such as a designated area of the yard)

  • When to take the puppy to potty

  • What are the puppy’s signals (such as pacing) before he potties.

  • Your route to the potty area (including any sound cues as ringing a bell)

  • Your catchphrase for potty (“go potty” for example)

To create a consistent routine, you might want to use the following as guidelines:

• Regulate attention and walks. When your puppy gets up from a nap, take him for a potty break before any playtime or cuddle time.

• Blaze a trail: always follow the same path to the potty area. Encourage everyone to follow the same route. Go out the same door consistency until your pup is house-trained.

• No roaming: With little puppies, when you arrive at the designated potty area, ignore the puppy until he eliminates.

• Create behavioral memory: As the puppy is eliminating, use a second command such as “Go Potty”. After a month of saying this phrase while he’s in the process of pottying, your puppy should be able to go on cue.

• Don’t forget the praise: When the puppy is done, greet, praise and walk him as usual.

Potty Schedule

The number of potty breaks a small puppy needs will depend on his age. Puppies that are 8 weeks old may need to urinate every 60-75 minutes. By time a pup reaches 12 weeks old, they can usually last 90-120 minutes. Once the pup reaches 18 weeks old, they should be able to hold their urine 3-4 hours. They also need to eliminate shortly after waking, after eating, playing and about 20 minutes after drinking. Remember that you may not have a great deal of success potty training puppies under 10 weeks old because they have little bowel and bladder control, a good deal of the work will be done by adopters. If you are not home during the day and are fostering young puppies, it is suggested that you build a "yard" around the puppy's crate with an ex-pen, etc. and line it with potty pads so that they can hopefully sleep in their crate and potty outside of it while you are gone. It's a good idea to remind adopters that a young puppy may not be able to hold their potty for an entire work day until they are 7-10 months old (and sometimes older), and suggest that if possible, someone come home from work for a potty break at lunchtime or they hire a dog walker for a mid-day break, etc.

Here’s sample of a times to take the dog outside for potty:

• Early morning wake up

• Breakfast

• Lunch break feeding and walk

• Mid-afternoon (Recommend for young puppies)

• Arrival home after work

• Dinnertime (4 to 6 pm)

• 7:30 pm

• Before bed

• Middle of the night (Recommended for young puppies)

Communicating Your Puppy’s Need to Go

When a need presses, a young puppy often whines, circles or nips. Nipping is the most common reaction. While you will want to teach him a more civilized signal later, be mindful that a young puppy’s nip might signal that he needs to potty. Direct him with an “Outside!”

An older puppy will have increased bladder control and will be able to identify a need when it’s pressing. At this point you can teach your puppy some signals.

• Ring a bell or chime: Secure a bell or chime to your puppy’s nose level, raising it was he grows. Tap the bell just before you go outside on a potty run. If your puppy has access to the door, hang it there. Otherwise, start by handing it next to the gate that encloses him. Ring the bell for or with him for a week. If the puppy doesn’t catch on, discreetly smear butter or cheese on the bell before you approach it first thing in the morning. When he goes forward to lick it, open the door immediately and reward him with a treat.

• Bark near his area: If your puppy is a barker, teach him to bark on cue. As you approach the exit area for the potty trip, encourage him to “speak.” When he does, praising him and go outside for the potty trip.

Basic Tips for House-Training

• Start with a small confinement area. Most young or untrained dogs will not soil the area right around them. If given access to upstairs or another room, the puppy will be happy to relieve themselves in the different area.

• Neutralize the odor. Puppies and dogs have acute senses of smell. If the odor isn't neutralized properly, the dog will automatically return to areas where his smell is concentrated. The best results often come from using an enzyme-based cleaner. These can be purchased at most large grocery stores or big-box stores in addition to pet stores but they can be quite expensive. Some people use a 50/50 mixture of water and vinegar to remove the scent. We like to recommend this brand form Amazon.

• Know when corrections count. If you catch the puppy in the process of eliminating in the house, startle him. Clap your hands or shake a can with a few pennies in it. Keep in mind you want to get the puppy’s attention and not scare him. Once you have interrupted your pup, relax and calmly direct him to the appropriate potty area as if nothing happened. When the puppy is done, praise him for finishing.

• Maintain a stable diet. Avoid changing dog food brands unless directed by a vet. A sudden change in dog food may result in increased bowel movements or stomach distress resulting in loose stool or diarrhea.

• If your dog or older puppy is pooping in the house, lay off food treats. If you give food sporadically throughout the day, the pup’s elimination habits will also be random. However, very small puppies under 8 weeks old should be free-fed or fed 3-4 times at least, and puppies should be fed 3 times a day until they are 14-18 weeks old, at which point their meals can be decreased to twice a day. Try to feed puppies their last meal SEVERAL hours before bedtime to avoid accidents during the night.