Potty Training a Puppy

What to do

1. Start the day your puppy comes home, and keep the routine the same every day.
2. Take it out first thing in the morning, right after naps, 5 to 30 minutes after meals, after play, and last thing at night.
3. While it's awake, go out every 1 to 2 hours, every half hour during busy play, and at least every 4 hours even when it's resting.
4. Praise it and give a small treat as soon as it finishes, while you're still outside.
5. When you can't watch, use a crate just big enough to stand, turn and lie down in, for no more than about 3 hours at a time.
6. Expect night trips until about 5 months. Keeping the crate near your bed helps you hear your puppy.
7. If you catch an accident starting, calmly interrupt without scaring your puppy and take it outside. Clean the spot with an enzyme cleaner.
8. Learn its signals: sniffing, circling, restlessness, or suddenly stopping play to squat.

When to call your vet

• Accidents start again after your puppy was reliably trained
• Little progress after weeks of steady training
• Your puppy seems unable to control its pee or poop

Why

Young puppies can only hold it for a short time, and they learn fastest from a steady routine and rewards. As a rough guide, a puppy can hold it for about one hour per month of age, plus one hour at the very most.