How to potty train a puppy

House-training your puppy is one of the most time consuming and energy draining activities there is.

Below you'll find an invaluable resource on puppy potty training tips for fast results (+videos):

• How to potty train a puppy video
• Do not use puppy pads and newspapers
• Stick to the puppy schedule as consistently as possible
• Make sure to set your alarm clock at night
• Shouting at a puppy is a no-go!
• Pressing a puppy's nose into its own urine is a no-go!
• Do not use a rule of thumb while potty training your puppy
• 5 most frequently asked potty training questions answered (in video!)
• Is it possible to potty train a puppy in 5 days?
• How do you potty train a puppy at night?
• How to potty train a puppy in winter?
• How to house-train an 8-week-old puppy?
• How to house-train a puppy in an apartment?
• Read the step-by-step puppy training guide

Many dog trainers stress that this approach can make it difficult to get a puppy 100% house-trained later on, making sure they actually pee and poop outside rather than on puppy pads or newspapers.

Using puppy pads or newspapers can be a handy solution for people living in apartments, however, preventing them from having to race downstairs to get their puppy outside when the urge becomes too much. Whatever you do, stick to the puppy schedule as consistently as possible. If your puppy absolutely can't delay any longer, use puppy pads or newspapers if you must. Make sure you learn from moments like these, however, to ensure that you'll take the puppy outside sooner next time.

If you manage to follow my puppy schedule consistently, you are sure to speed up the pace of getting your puppy house-trained.

For example, after playing a high-activity game together, and right after your puppy wakes up after a nap, be sure to take it outside straight away to allow it to relieve itself.

Click here to download my puppy schedule to view suggested feeding, playing, and napping times.

Imagine that your pup is sleeping beside your bed, and you notice it has wet its dog crate when you wake up in the morning. You didn't hear the pup when it had to go pee, so it would be wise to set your alarm clock the next night, to offer the pup an opportunity to relieve itself. Setting the alarm will prevent you from remaining asleep when your pup really needs to go pee or poop.

Shouting can have major effects, but these are always negative—you can be sure that using (verbal) aggression in training and communication will not help you in any way.

Since there are still people who think that this medieval technique will work, I am going to be very clear on this matter: it is definitely a bad decision to press your pup's nose into its own urine or feces! Every single one of the 24 professional dog trainers I interviewed agreed on the matter: “It's an absolute no-go!”

Some people use a rule of thumb in puppy house-training regimes. An example of such rules of thumb is the following: “a two-month-old pup can retain urine for three hours. For every month that it ages, add one hour to this number. This means that a pup aged three months can wait for four hours before having to pee.”

Despite what may be roughly accurate in general, the best advice is not to use a rule of thumb when rearing pups, including house-training regimes. Every single dog is unique, and all sorts of different factors affect the pace of the house-training process.

Below I give answers (in video!) to the questions I get most often.

1. Is it possible to potty train a puppy in 5 days?
2. How do you potty train a puppy at night?
3. How to potty train a puppy in winter?
4. How to house-train an 8-week-old puppy?
5. How to house-train a puppy in an apartment?

In this video below I’ll tell you whether or not you can potty train your puppy in 5 days. I will also tell you tactics so you know how you can potty train your puppy the fastest way. Furthermore I’ll explain what being house-trained means in my opinion and how long it will take for a puppy to become fully house-trained.

The first day and night you spend with your puppy are always the most thrilling ones. Everything is new; not only for your puppy but for you as a puppy owner too. Many people wonder: “Should I close the door to the dog crate this first night?”, or “Where should the puppy sleep?”, or “what if my puppy will not return to it’s dog crate after walking it at night?” or “What if my puppy pees inside his dog crate at night?”.

In this video below, I'll give you invaluable tips regarding these questions so you will know how to go about doing this. These tips come directly from my book How to House-Train Your Puppy: The Ultimate Guide, which I wrote in cooperation with 24 dog trainers and dog experts. 

In this video below I’ll give you 7 tips on how to potty train your puppy in those cold, windy and rainy winter days, weeks and months. These 7 tips are not only related to potty training. I also talk about the possible health risks regarding cold weather and puppies and dogs in general.

In this video below I’ll share 12 steps for making your puppy pee and poop outdoors as this is your main end goal in potty training your puppy. These 12 steps are perfectly suited for eight week old puppies.

These 12 steps come directly from my book How to House-Train Your Puppy: The Ultimate Guide, which I wrote in cooperation with 24 dog trainers and dog experts.

In this video below I’ll tell my advice for house-training your puppy when living in an apartment. I’ve raised my golden retriever dog in an apartment his first 7 months and I have also spoken to 24 dog trainers and dog experts regarding this topic.

So there you have it—I've given you some tips you can use to set out on a successful house-training process for your own puppy!

If you care about getting all the best expert knowledge and professional insights to support the training of your four-legged friend, you are very welcome to check out my step-by-step puppy training books. These books follows the new method of puppy training.

Other people with lots (20+ years) of dog experience also follow the the tips and advice in my books.

The information in my books is based on a comprehensive survey comprising no less than 255 questions, as well as on a series of in-depth interviews. A total of 30 professional dog trainers have completed the entire questionnaire, and their answers laid the foundation for the puppy training guide I created for you that can be considered a credible source of information.

Want to know more about my step-by-step puppy training books?

Click here and find out all you need to know about my step-by-step puppy training books.