How do you stop a dog from peeing and pooping in the house
Cleaning up accidents is probably the grossest part of having a new dog. But, it doesn’t have to be that way!
Your puppy or adult dog can learn where to potty and over time, develop the muscles to hold everything in until they’re in an appropriate place for them to eliminate.
4 Ways to Potty Train Your New Dog
Piddle pads
Piddle pads are a great option for giving your dog an appropriate place to eliminate when they’re stuck indoors for long periods of time.
Simply put piddle pads near your dog’s area or in their enclosed space, but away from their food and bed. As your dog gets the hang of pottying on the piddle pads, you will slowly move the piddle pads to the front door and then outside to transition your dog from pottying indoors on pads, to outdoors in the grass.
Pros: great for travel, people that live in apartments,
Cons: some dogs learn that they can potty on anything that looks like a piddle pad
Crate Training
Our recommendation Most dogs have a natural instinct to not want to potty where they eat and sleep. If your dog is always confined during meals or when you’re unable to supervise them, you can quickly take them out of their crate and outdoors to allow them to eliminate.
For full steps on how to choose a crate, and how to completely crate train your dog, check out our blog post on crate training!
Pros: crates are easy to travel with, no chances that your dog learns to potty indoors
Cons: not all dogs enjoy being crated
Litter box or indoor potty station
You can set up a litter box in your pet’s station, and gradually move the litter box from their confinement area to the permanent place you’ll keep the litter box. Set the litter box up with grass, dirt, and kitty litter so that it is similar to your dog pottying outside.
Put pottying outside on a cue
To train your dog to potty on a cue, you will first need to get them on a potty schedule so that you can anticipate their need to eliminate. When you know your dog needs to eliminate, take them outside on a leash to their “potty spot” and tell them to “go potty” over and over until they start to potty. When your dog is about to be finished, say “yes!” and give them a treat, as well as lots of praise to reinforce pottying outside. Over time, your dog will learn that “go potty” means to eliminate!
Sample New Dog/Puppy Schedule
6 AM- Wake up & potty
6:30 AM- Breakfast
6:45 AM- Potty outside
6-50 AM-9 AM: Long term confinement area
9 AM: Walk & or training session + potty break
9:30 AM: Long term confinement area
11:30 AM: Potty outside
11:35-2:30 PM: Long term confinement area
2:30 PM: walk & training session + potty outside
3:00 PM: Long term confinement area/hanging out supervised
4:00 PM: Dinner
4:15 PM: Potty outside
4:20-6:30 PM: Long term confinement area/hanging out supervised
6:30 PM: Potty outside
6:35-9:00 PM: Long term confinement area/hanging out supervised
9:00 PM: Potty outside
**Young puppies under 10 weeks:
12:00 AM: Potty outside
3:00 AM: Potty outside
FAQ About Puppies
When should I start potty training my dog? Start potty training as soon as possible!
When will my dog finally understand how to potty outside? Most puppies that begin early potty training start to “get it” around 16 weeks of age. Occasional accidents up to a year of age are completely normal. Keep in mind your dog has to develop their sphincter muscles to be able to hold everything in!
How do I know my dog needs to potty? If your dog starts pacing, sniffing around on the ground indoors, or suddenly stops what they’re doing while playing or eating, these are all signs they need to go potty outside. Immediately tell them “potty outside” and lead them to their outdoor potty area.
How often should I take my dog outside? The longest your dog can possibly hold it, if nothing exciting or stimulating is happening such as playtime, coming out of their crate, or having just eaten, is their age in months plus one. So a four month old puppy can only be expected to hold it for 5 hours maximum if nothing exciting is happening. If something stimulating is happening in the environment, watch for sniffing, wandering, and distressed behavior. It most likely means your dog needs to go outside!
What’s the best way to clean up potty accidents? If your dog goes potty indoors, we highly recommend using enzymatic cleaners such as the ones sold by Nature’s Miracle. The enzymes eat away at the urine molecules which effectively rids the area of the smell of urine. This is extremely important because the smell of urine can trigger your dog to eliminate in that same spot over and over again. If your dog has an accident on your bedding or theirs’, we recommend the laundry detergent booster by Nature’s Miracle to rid the bedding of that urine odor!
What should I do when I catch my dog going potty inside? Anything but punish your dog! No, really. You can call your dog’s name excitedly to positively interrupt them going to the bathroom, you can grab a toy to distract them, calmly pick them up, or put a treat on their nose and lead them outside. Whatever you do, don’t scare your dog or make them feel uncomfortable. Make the interruption positive, and quickly escort your dog outdoors to their potty spot to cue them to potty outside. Of course, when they do potty outside, quickly reward them with a treat and praise!
What should I do if I have to leave my puppy or new dog alone all day? If you have to leave your dog alone for longer than your dog can reasonably hold it, set up a long term confinement space. A long term confinement space would be a sizable area enclosed by an exercise pen attached to a crate that has piddle pads or a litter box inside of it, away from your dog’s bed and eating area. You should provide your dog with water, and plenty of stimulating toys!
Why can my dog hold it overnight, but not during the day? Your dog or young puppy can hold it overnight because they’re not eating or drinking and they’re also not active! During the day they’re awake, consuming food, and generally fairly active, all which stimulate the need to eliminate.
For more help with potty training, leash walking, crate training, and other problem behaviors check out Urban Pawsibilities group puppy classes in SE Portland, Oregon!
Need a good crate for your puppy?
We usually recommend this one by iCrate.
iCrate single-door dog crates by MidWest Homes for Pets are the Inclusive Home Training System designed completely around the safety, security, and comfort of your dog.
Features include safe and secure slide-bolt latches, rounded corners, and a removable, washable plastic pan for easy cleanup in the event of an accident.
