Potty Training Puppies Guide

Tether/Umbilical Training (Supervised Time in the House)

Prevent accidents and teach your puppy to hold it on a schedule.

Keep your puppy leashed to you indoors (belt loop or hand).

  • Watch for signs they need to go: sniffing, circling, sudden stillness, whining.

  • Take them out immediately when you notice signs.

  • If you can’t supervise 100%, use a crate or outdoor kennel run.

    This method gives you real-time feedback and helps you learn your puppy’s individual potty cues.

Outdoor Kennel Run/Pen (Safe, Controlled Outdoor Time)

Let your puppy get fresh air and potty in a designated spot, without free access to the whole yard.

Why it matters: You can see if they actually go. Helps limit distractions and keeps potty time focused. Safer for unsupervised outdoor time with no digging or wandering.

  • Place your puppy in the pen after sleeping, eating, or playing.

  • Give them 5-10 minutes to potty.

  • If they go: praise and reward.

  • If not: return them to the crate and try again in 15-30 minutes. Repeat until they potty outside.

Make a Flexible Schedule (Based on Your Dog’s Needs)

While structure helps, every puppy is different. Some need to be out every 20 minutes, some every 2 hours. Build your schedule around your dog, not a fixed clock. If your dog goes, accident or not, write it down! Without that data you can't make a potty schedule.

Golden Rule: If your puppy is having accidents, they need to go out more frequently. If you take them out and they consistently don't need to go as much, start stretching the time between potty breaks. Adjust based on your dog’s needs.

Kennel/Crate Training (Essential for Structure & Safety)

Helps with bladder control and gives your puppy a calm, safe place to lea.

Use the right size crate: Just big enough for your puppy to stand, turn, and lie down comfortably. If it’s too big, they may potty in one corner and sleep in another.

  • Potty before and after crate time — always.

  • Use the crate during naps, nighttime, and unsupervised times.

  • Feed meals and offer long-lasting chews in the crate to make it positive.

  • Keep the crate somewhere calm but not isolated.Just big enough to stand, turn, and lie down comfortably. Too big of kennels can lead to accidents!

Pro Tips for Crate Success:

  • Tire out your puppy first — a short play session, walk, or quick training game helps them settle faster in the crate.

  • Keep crate time calm: no high-energy toys, play, or excitement right before.

  • If they fall asleep outside the crate, gently carry them in

  • If they cry Let them out and calmly take them to their potty spot (no playing). Crying is often communication, not disobedience.

Health Check: Rule Out Medical Issues

Sometimes potty accidents aren’t about training — they’re about health.
If your puppy is having frequent accidents, diarrhea, or urination that seems unusual, talk to your vet.

Ask your vet to rule out:

  • Giardia

  • Coccidia

  • Worms

  • Urinary tract infections (UTIs)

  • Digestive upset

Have your vet run a fecal test and possibly a urine test to check for underlying issues.

What If There’s an Accident?

  • Don’t punish. Calmly interrupt with “uh-uh” and take them outside immediately.

  • Clean up with an enzymatic cleaner (not just regular household cleaner).

  • Reflect on why it happened:

    • Were they off schedule?

    • Did they just eat, drink, or wake up?

    • Were they overstimulated or anxious?

    • Were they unsupervised? If the accident happened when you weren’t watching - that’s on you, not the dog.

Accidents aren’t failures - they’re feedback. Your puppy is telling you that they needed to be let out sooner. Adjust the plan and stay consistent.

—Why We Don’t Recommend Potty Pads!—

Potty pads might seem convenient - but they can actually cause more problems than they solve.

Mixed Messages

  • Teaching your puppy to go potty inside the house (even on a pad) sends a confusing message.

  • It becomes harder to later convince them that pottying indoors is wrong.

Habit-forming

  • Puppies develop a habit of looking for soft surfaces to relieve themselves on - like rugs, towels, and dog beds.

  • Even after you remove pads, many puppies continue to go in those spots.

Delays Outdoor Training

  • Potty pads often delay true housebreaking by encouraging dependence on them.

  • Some puppies never fully transition to going outside without accidents.

Scent confusion

  • Pads are scented to encourage peeing - but that scent lingers in your home, even after they’re removed.

  • Puppies may sniff out old potty areas and keep going there.

Final Takeaways:

  • Your dog sets the pace - let their needs dictate how often you take them out.

  • Act preventively, not reactionarily. Set your dog up for success.

  • Put in the hard work now, peeing and pooping inside can be a lifelong problem if aloud to turn into a habit.

  • Potty training is a short-term effort with long-term freedom and success.

Potty training a dog is a responsibility that falls solely on the owner.

While professional trainers can provide guidance, techniques, and support, the consistency and dedication required to successfully potty train a dog happens around the clock, every day.

Only the owner can implement the routine, monitor their dog closely, and respond promptly to their needs. This ongoing commitment is essential to establishing good habits and preventing accidents.

Without the owner's active participation, even the best advice will have limited impact.

Having issues outside of potty training? Let us help!