How to Potty Train a Puppy

By Goody DoggyBased on AKC and ASPCA guidance

This guide gives you a potty training plan for your puppy, from the first morning to the first accident. The American Kennel Club (AKC) says housetraining starts as soon as your puppy comes home and relies on consistency, supervision, a predictable schedule, and positive reinforcement.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) says no formula or timetable works for every dog. What matters is making it a positive experience.

Some puppies learn within days, and others need several months. If your puppy just came home, our guide to the first week with a puppy covers the rest of that week.

Before you start

• Pick a potty spotChoose one spot that will become the potty spot, and take your puppy to it every time. Use the same door each time.
• Set up a small areaKeep your puppy in the one or two rooms where you can see them at all times. A crate can help, and AKC calls crates among the most effective housetraining tools.
• Buy an odor-neutralizing cleanerAKC suggests keeping enzymatic pet stain cleaners on hand. Lingering smells can attract your puppy back to the same spot.
• Plan the scheduleFeed meals at the same time each day, since AKC says this helps regulate when your puppy needs to go. Keep small treats ready for rewards.

If your day makes frequent trips outside hard, AKC suggests asking a trusted friend or dog walker to help. If you want to use a crate, our crate training guide shows how to introduce one.

Potty training a puppy, step by step

1. Start the day your puppy comes home

   AKC says potty training should begin the day your puppy comes home, since puppies start learning household routines right away.

   Many puppies arrive around 8 weeks old, when their bladder control is at its weakest. They need frequent trips outside, and they can hold it longer as they grow.

2. Take your puppy out on a schedule

   Start each day by taking your puppy from the crate straight outside. AKC says not to stop for coffee or email first.

   Go out again after naps, meals, drinks of water, chewing, play, and time in the crate, and last thing at night. After a meal, wait only 5 to 30 minutes, and go sooner if your puppy is very young.

   Depending on your puppy’s age, this could mean a dozen trips or more each day.

3. Go to the same spot and wait

   Keep your puppy on a leash outside, even in a fenced yard, so you can see what’s happening and react right away. Stand quietly until your puppy is ready.

   If nothing happens, take your puppy inside and come back out in a few minutes. Even after they go, they may need to head back out soon.

4. Add a word and a reward

   Choose a simple phrase such as “Go potty” and say it calmly as your puppy starts to go. As soon as they finish, praise them and give a treat.

   Then play with your puppy for a few minutes before you go back inside.

5. Watch for signals and keep your puppy close

   Sniffing the ground, circling, suddenly stopping play, whining or scratching at a door, and restlessness all mean your puppy may need to go. Take them to the potty spot right away.

   Add more space slowly as training takes hold. AKC says giving freedom gradually tends to work better than unrestricted access too early.

6. Handle accidents calmly

   If you catch your puppy in the act, say “uh-oh” to get their attention. Gently pick them up and take them outside, then praise them when they finish.

   If you find a mess later, don’t make a fuss. Clean it with an odor-neutralizing product and move on.

7. Plan for time away and bedtime

   AKC offers a month-plus-one rule. Take your puppy’s age in months and add one, and that’s the maximum number of hours they should be able to comfortably hold it. A 3-month-old puppy plus one equals 4 hours.

   Take your puppy out one last time before bed, and avoid feeding within 2 hours of bedtime. Keeping the crate in or near your bedroom lets you hear a whimper if your puppy needs to go out.

Common potty training mistakes

• Blaming your puppy for an earlier messASPCA says a dog won’t learn anything from being scolded for a past accident, even one a few minutes old. Clean it up and move on.
• Pointing your puppy to the messASPCA says not to rub a dog’s face in it, because that makes your dog fear you. Your puppy can’t connect it to going indoors, and may only get sneakier about hiding it.
• Giving freedom too soonAKC says many owners expand access to the home too quickly. Keep your routine and supervision until the habit is firmly set.
• Skipping the right cleanerDogs often return to areas that still smell like past accidents. Follow the product instructions to remove the odor completely.
• Heading back inside too soonDogs can need a little time to sniff around and check things out before they go. Stay out long enough to give them the chance.

Potty training an adult or rescue dog

AKC says adult dogs bond just as readily as puppies, and housetraining is often an easier process for them. An adult dog can hold it for several hours, but you shouldn’t force them to.

An older dog may not be house trained if they were never trained or never lived indoors. Some spent a long time in a place where they could only go on concrete or on paper in a pen.

Start with a firm routine and feed meals at regular times. AKC says to pick up the dish 10 to 15 minutes after you put it down, and to skip leaving food out all day.

Go outside with your dog on a leash instead of letting them out alone. Take them out first thing in the morning, after breakfast, after dinner, a few times during the day, and before bedtime.

If your dog doesn’t go, bring them back inside and put them in the crate for 10 minutes before trying again. Don’t let them loose indoors if they haven’t gone outside. Reward generously with treats and praise when they do.

Pacing, whining, circling, sniffing with purpose, and leaving the room can all mean a dog needs to go out. Any time you can’t supervise, use a crate or pen, a small room behind a baby gate, or a leash to keep your dog near you.

Over a few weeks, you can allow a little freedom 10 or 15 minutes after your dog goes outside. There may be an accident, and AKC says not to punish the dog, since a frightened dog may sneak off to go somewhere else.

Some dogs have only gone on concrete and have a hard time with grass or dirt. AKC suggests a trip to a quiet park, or a visit from a friend’s dog, since dogs often go where other dogs have gone. Our rescue dog first weeks guide covers the rest of settling in.

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When to get help

If accidents keep happening even with a steady routine, see your vet. AKC says persistent housetraining problems may need a veterinary evaluation, and that a dog who is hard to housetrain despite consistent training should get one.

If your vet rules out health concerns, AKC says working with an experienced trainer or behaviorist may be the next step. Not sure what to look for in a trainer? See what dog trainer certifications mean.

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