This can be applied to new puppies who are first coming home, new adult dogs who are new to a household environment, or dogs who have been having issues with pottying inappropriately in the house.
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It is important to note that you should always rule out a medical issue (such as a UTI) with your vet if your dog is having an ongoing housebreaking issue.
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Typically, a puppy can control its bladder for one hour for every month of age. So, if your puppy is 2 months old, they can hold it for about two hours. As the puppy gets a little older you can adjust the time in/out of the crate.
Time out of the crate should ALWAYS BE SUPERVISED. Potty training success is all about management—predicting and preventing accidents before they happen. Dogs typically are habitual in when and where they eliminate, so it is important to make sure they are going where you want them to learn to go. This is why we don't recommend puppy pads.
If you can stick to this protocol for at least 2 weeks (which is the average amount of time it takes for good habits to form) you can sleep better knowing your area rugs will be safe from diabolical discoveries of doggy doo-doo.
The potty journal (see below) is extremely useful for finding trends in how long it takes your dog to need to use the bathroom after eating and drinking, and how often during the day and night they need to go.
Begin the moment you take your puppy out of the crate first thing in the morning. This should be the first opportunity to have a bathroom break. Take the puppy (LEASHED) to the potty area and wait 5-10 minutes for the puppy to “go”.
If the puppy does not go, they should be walked or carried back to the crate (the amount of time you should wait before taking them out again will depend on the puppy’s age and size. We recommend anything between 10-45 minutes) and you will repeat this process of taking them out (leashed) to the potty area until the puppy successfully eliminates outside. Use the chart to track your progress.
The puppy can gain COMPLETELY SUPERVISED liberty in the house or outside only after they've "gone". It may be helpful to have the puppy drag a leash during liberty periods to help keep them near you to prevent accidents until they develop the habit of going outside.
THIS IS THE CRITICAL PART!!
You must not leave your dog unattended in the house until they’ve achieved about 14 days of success with no accidents. If your dog has an accident, you must start over. It’s a lot of work, but if you stick to it, it’s foolproof and it’s worth the investment
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Dogs quickly learn how to eliminate in the house when your back is turned or your attention is somewhere else. If they’ve already developed a habit of going inside, you MUST break the habit cycle and prevent the ability for them to have an accident. Using a crate will be a tremendous help, as most dogs will not feel comfortable going where they lie and gives you the ability to take your attention off them.
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You will also find using a crate easier, so that during periods when your dog has not gone, but you need to attend to other things, you can utilize the crate so that you don’t end up having to restart this program.
Mealtime/Training
We typically use the puppy's food during training, which should happen in short but frequent intervals throughout the day. Keep track of how much they eat or drink, and when you start/stop feeding. If the puppy is peeing in the house - don’t leave water available to the puppy at all times. You will need to physically provide opportunities for the puppy to drink throughout the day.
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Use the chart to help you document when you gave food and water. After the puppy has consumed food/water, begin the process of letting them out to the potty area (leashed), waiting 10-15 mins for them to go, and crating if they do not go.
If you successfully get both poo and pee, the puppy can gain supervised liberty in the house again.
a few more tips...
Keep in mind that sometimes puppies get a bit...well, distracted. It is not common for puppies to go outside and do a little "tinkle" instead of completely emptying their bladders only to have an accident 10 minutes later. Make sure your puppy fully empties their bladder during potty breaks.
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It's also not uncommon for puppies to "forget" to do their business; chasing leaves and sniffing the grass sometimes takes precedence over going to the bathroom. Make sure you set a time limit (5-10 minutes is usually adequate) in the potty area. If your puppy does not go, neutrally (as in, not as a punishment), put them back in their crate. Wait a bit, and try again. Reward the puppy for finally going outside with praise, but also with freedom and liberty in the yard and/or the house! This should start to illustrate to the puppy that completing their potties leads to free time.