Young puppies are a joy to have. There’s nothing more wonderful than raising a dog into a sleek, well trained adult. Raising a puppy also comes with a necessary period of adjustment, where the youngster must learn the rules of the house. Potty training is part of that. Teaching a puppy where it’s okay to soil can be difficult, but sticking to a few simple rules will result in a well trained dog.

Place Limits

The more room you give your puppy to move around, the more room he’ll have to make mistakes in. Kennel your puppy when ever you can’t watch him, and always supervise him when he’s out. If you find the idea of putting him in a kennel unpleasant, an X-pen with paper on one end and his bed on the other is another option.

Set a Timer

Puppies can’t “hold it” the way adult dogs can. Your puppy needs to go out at least every two hours, and that includes at night. Set your alarm clock during the night, and take him out for an extra potty during the day. Most puppies also need to go out an hour or so after being fed.

Follow Your Instinct

If your puppy dutifully sniffs around when you take him out, but doesn’t go potty (and you know he should!) kennel him for ten minutes and then try again. Don’t make your carpet a choice for soiling. If you take him out after ten minutes and he still doesn’t go potty, put him away again for another ten minutes, and so on until he goes potty.

Don’t Make Night Time Potty Fun

That’s not to say you should be mean to your puppy when you take him out, but don’t greet him joyously as he comes out of the kennel or play a few rounds of ball before going in. The last thing you want to do is teach him that 2AM potty time is really 2AM-roughhouse-and-not-go-potty.

Clean Up After Your Dog

And not just a quick wipe, but a thorough cleaning with an enzymatic cleaner.

Be Consistent

Just because your puppy hasn’t had an accident in 3 days does not mean he is potty trained. Every time you relax your standards, you open the puppy up for an accident and prolong the potty training habit. If your puppy has had no accidents at all for six weeks, you can probably relax your standards a little bit. If he had that one accident, but otherwise he’s been pretty good…he’s not potty trained. Stick with it and you will have a potty trained dog.