Bringing your new pooch home for the first time is definitely exciting, but also filled with many challenges! But that excitement can decrease when you realize you need to know how to house train a puppy! I mean, no one wants a puppy peeing and pooping all over their house! In fact, the American Kennel Club reports that house soiling is the number one reason why dogs end up in shelters!
In this article, I’m going to tell you all about how to house train a puppy. Read through this guide to understand how to get your puppers up to speed with where to take their potty breaks!
What is House Training?
House training a puppy is when you teach your doggo where it is okay to go to the bathroom and where it is NOT okay to go to the bathroom. Obviously, you want your puppy to understand that they need to go outside to do their business, not go into your bedroom!
But house training a new puppy can be tough! They don’t know what’s right or wrong and they have tiny little bladders, especially when they are really young. It’s important that you approach house training just like any other behavior you are trying to teach your puppy – patiently and systematically! And keep in mind, you may have to clean up a few messes along the way as your pup learns!
Tools You Can Use for House Training A Puppy
When it comes to house training your puppy, there are some tools you’re going to want to have in your toolbox. These tools may not apply to every doggo, but knowing what’s out there can help you be more successful in your bathroom training. Let’s take a look at some of these tools:
Crate
I know it can seem mean to put your new puppy in a crate but using dog crates will not only make your life easier, they will also make your puppers feel safer! The crate becomes your puppy’s safe haven and no one wants to pee in their safe haven! By using a crate, your puppy is going to let you know when he or she needs to go outside instead of going right there in the crate! And, many crates come with dividers so you can make sure the amount of space available to your puppy is just right based on their size.
For more info on how to crate train your puppy, check out our recent blog post!
Pee pads
While puppy pads (or paper training) is not the ideal method for house training your pooch, there are some situations that make it a necessity. For example, if you live in an apartment and have to go down 7 flights of stairs in order to get outside, the pee pad may be a better option to use with your puppy while they are still too young to hold it for that race to the ground floor. In essence, you are going to teach your puppy where it is “acceptable” to go to the bathroom in the house by using the puppy pad. And, you can get some pretty fancy puppy training pads that even look like real grass!
Doggy Doorbell
For the advanced dogs out there, you can work your way up to teaching your pup to signal when they need to go outside. A bell or doorbell is placed by the door and your puppy pushes it when they have to relieve themselves. Keep in mind, this is a bit advanced for your brand new puppy but is something you can definitely work towards!
Pee Post
If you have a specific area in your backyard that you want your puppy to use for his or her bathroom breaks, you can try using the Pee Post! This little post goes into the ground and signals to your pup that this is the place to pee! Think of it like a fire hydrant … just smaller! And yes, you can even get a tiny fire hydrant for you pup!
How to House Train a Puppy
Creating a House Training Schedule
Puppies are similar to children (at least, that’s what they say!). And, just like children, a consistent schedule is vital to your success with house training your puppy.
Remember, puppies have tiny bladders. They basically drink water one minute and have to pee 3 minutes later! So, it’s important you give your puppy enough time to do what they need to do outside, many times a day.
Pro Tip: As a rule of thumb, a dog can hold its bladder for the number of hours corresponding to their age in months (up to about 9-12 months). That means, a 4 month old puppy can probably hold its bladder for no longer than 4 hours!
Over the first week of house training your puppy, pay attention to their habits and daily routines. Learn their behaviors and signals for when they need to go outside. And, until you know those signals, expect to take your puppy out:
- First thing in the morning
- Last thing at night
- After playing
- After being in the crate
- After waking up from a nap
- After eating
- After drinking
- After chewing on a toy
- After they get excited
Whenever your puppy does go to the door or pees outside, get excited!!! Just like any other training you are going to do with your pup, you want to do it with positive reinforcement. The days of rubbing your dog’s nose in its pee or poop are long gone (and good riddance!). Anytime your puppy does something good, let the whole world know!! Make your puppy feel like the king or queen of the world for having peed on the grass in the backyard. And, if your puppy is food motivated, give them a little treat as a reward! This will help reinforce that activity with your smart little doggo.
If you catch your puppy in the act of relieving themselves, make a loud noise (to get them to stop) and then grab them and run outside immediately. When they finish going to the bathroom outside, give them that praise we already talked about!
If you happen to not catch your puppy go to the bathroom indoors, don’t worry about it. Stay calm, don’t make a fuss and just clean it up. Your pup won’t be able to connect you being mad at them with something they did 5 or 10 minutes ago, so getting angry or scolding them won’t get you very far.
Do’s and Don’ts For House Training A Puppy
If you’re still looking for some advice when it comes to house training your furry friend, consider the following tips and tricks:
DO manage your expectations – Rome wasn’t built in a day and your puppy will not be perfect in a day. There are going to be accidents so try to roll with it as much as possible
DO invest in easy to use collars and leashes – Think about it, you’re going to be constantly going in and out of the house with your pup and you do not want to be fumbling with the leash when your puppers is a in a “must go now” situation
DO stock up on some carpet cleaners – Remember, accidents happen so making sure you have some stuff to clean up those accidents will help you get through it calmly!
DO put up gates and barriers – If there are certain areas you do not want your pup to get into, put up a child gate to block their access
DO use the 15 minute rule – Puppies are most likely go use the bathroom within 15 minutes of eating, drinking, playing, or waking up
DO check in with your vet – If you don’t see improvement with your pup, it’s a good idea to have your vet check for bladder infections that may be impacting the house training process.
DON’T get mad at your puppy – Be patient with them. Remember, they are learning and need time to understand what’s expected of them
DON’T forget to check your puppy’s behavior – They will tell you when they are starting to get a full bladder so pay attention for those signs (sniffing around, waddling when walking, etc)!
DON’T take too long – When you see your pup needs to go, move quickly! You want to help your puppy get outside and do his or her business in the right spot so you can get excited and reinforce that behavior. This is not the time for moving at a snail’s pace!
How Long Does House Training Take
There is no “one size fits all” answer for house training since each puppy is so unique. Some puppies get it within a few weeks (relatively consistently), while others take a month or even longer! On average, you will be working with your puppy for about 4-6 months until they are fully house trained and no longer having any accidents.
You're now multiple steps closer to knowing how to house train a puppy...soon to be expert level!
Getting a new puppy is a beautiful time, and it marks the beginning of an incredible bond. By taking the time to properly house train your pup, that bond is going to grow faster than ever.
Need more help?
For some people, working with an expert to train your pup helps you get a well-behaved dog much faster! If you hired a trainer to help you train your dog, you could expect to pay anywhere from $50-$100 per hour – that can add up quick!
But, the good news is there are other options that won’t cost you an arm and a leg! Check out Brain Training For Dogs – an online training program designed by an experienced dog trainer that helps you curb a dog’s bad behavior and teaches you how to use the right mental stimulation and training to become one of the best behaved and obedient dogs out there!
If you’re not sure if this program is for you, check out our brutally honest review for more information!
*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.
