Potty Training Essentials: The Short Version

Many dogs end up outside the house because they soil the home with pee and poo.

The good news? Owners have actual power to change this through potty training. 

You can teaching your dog where and when to potty. This is one of our top responsibilities as dog owners, and it is the first thing we need to train as soon as our dog comes home with us. We just need to know the basics below and practice them with consistency, patience, and positive reinforcement.

A. The Three S’s of Potty Training

1. Schedule – Take your dog out just around the time they are likely to feel like pottying. These are highly predictable times. To help you stay consistent, set reminders on your phone or on an alarm clock. These are the usual times and it would be good to follow them closely.

1. First thing in the morning - before anything else and usually between 4:30 or 5:00 am.
2. Any time after your dog gets up from a nap or an extended rest. 
3. After eating meals or drinking water - within 5 to 15 minutes.
4. Every 3 hours for adults; more often for puppies.
5. Before bed (around 10PM).
6. In the middle of activity or excitement like play, running around, training.
7. When faced with anything new - a new place, new people, arriving guests, etc. 

Knowing this schedule, you can get ahead of an accident by taking your dog out to its potty area on schedule or just around the time it is likely to want to potty. In addition, a quick potty break before entering a new place (vet, mall, restaurant, field), meeting new people, or having guests arrive will help avoid accidents and keep them comfortable.

2. Surface – Dogs develop surface preferences. The default for all dogs is soil and grass. Unfortunately, many puppies from breeders or shops have been forced, and learned, to eliminate inside their crate, on their beddings, or on tiled surfaces. So they will look for similar surfaces to do their business. You can still teach a new preference by bringing your dog to the chosen potty area, around the time it needs to potty and generally following this protocol. Until your dog is fully trained, keep it on a leash while waiting for it to potty. This way you can prevent accidents. 

3. Supervision – Stay with your dog while it potties. If it doesn't go within 5 minutes, bring it back inside, but keep it on a leash and watch for signs (sniffing, circling). Act quickly but calmly to prevent accidents by bringing it to the potty area.

B. The Power of Rewards

To reinforce good potty habits, reward your dog immediately after it finishes eliminating at the correct spot. Offer three small, high-value treats (e.g., diced liver, chicken heart, cheese) while praising warmly. Timing is crucial—reward only after it is completely done.

C. Putting Potty on Cue

Once your dog starts to potty in the right place at the right time, introduce a verbal cue like "Go potty." Say this as your dog starts to eliminate and reward your dog when it finishes. Over time, use the cue earlier in the routine until your dog reliably responds, even in new locations.

With patience and consistency, your dog will learn where and when to go—making life easier for both of you.

D. The Inevitable Accident

If an accident happens, do not punish your dog. The accident is almost always due to your oversight or that of the person you left in charge of your dog. In any case, you cannot punish your dog for doing something completely natural and biologically driven. If it is poo, pick it up with a poop bag or paper, and mop up the area where it was deposited. If it was pee, mop or wipe up the liquid. If it the accident was on a rug, you may need to use a vacuum cleaner to remove as much moisture as possible. Follow both up with a mild disinfectant and deodorizing solution like a water-vinegar solution (4:1). Spray that on the area, leave it for 5 minutes, and then wipe or mop up. If any smell lingers after this, sprinkle the area with bicarbonate of soda. Leave it on for about 10 minutes and sweep or vacuum it up.