Hi there Hooman who just got done cleaning the dog pee for the umpteenth time in the day! Your exasperation is understandable and relatable by thousands all across the globe as we speak at this moment. I’m not going to waste any more of your time by telling you how vital it is to potty train a puppy for a healthy, happy and peaceful coexistence. I won’t even repeat for the nth time that don’t give up just yet; you’re halfway there. Neither do I want to be the hundredth person telling you to start early and be consistent while house training your dog… Oh, Wait.. Oops! 😉
6 sure shot ways to potty train a puppy
Watch like a hawk The first couple of weeks of getting a puppy is the most crucial part of potty training. Keep a very strict observation on the puppy while he’s active and moving. In a few days, you should be able to identify the pre-pee/potty signs. They usually involve suddenly sniffing excessively, circling in a spot, wandering off during play, whining and barking. As soon as you see these signs, guide your puppy towards his designated spot
1. Timing is everything
A puppy relieves himself several times a day. To the human mind and eyes, it appears to be at random times. However, dogs are a little more disciplined than we think of them to be. They usually feel the need to pee after sleeping, drinking, eating and any kind of physical exertion. The timings that I generally recommend to my clients are as follows – Immediately after waking up from any nap (especially early in the morning) – 20-25 mins after drinking water – 20-25 mins after eating meals – 20-25 mins into physical activity (walking, running, playing) – Last thing before going to bed Scheduling the puppy’s routine to match the timings would ease the process to a great extent. Eg – Feeding the puppy every day at the same time would give you an idea about what time he’d pee after eating every day. Setting aside a fixed time to play and keeping it constant day in and day out would help your puppy relieve himself at a designated time every day.
2. Crate train and give freedom as a reward
To a lot of people, keeping a track of their puppy’s schedule as per the timings mentioned above can be quite tedious. In such cases, crate training your puppy would help you a great deal in avoiding puppy accidents around the house. Your puppy’s age in months + 1 would be the no of hours your pup can hold his bladder. Eg – If my puppy is 2 months of age, he can hold his bladder for 2+1 = 3 hours. If your puppy has peed/ pooped in the right spot, he can be allowed to play outside the crate for a while as a reward. If the pup has not peed after getting out of the crate, wait for a few minutes and put him back into the crate and try again in a few minutes. Make sure your puppy is provided with ample water, food and interactive toys inside the crate.
3. Restrict access in other rooms
If you’re training your puppy to pee on the pee pad which is kept in the living room, your puppy needs to be able to track it easily from wherever he is. If not, he’s bound to have accidents. Similarly, if you’re training your dog to pee in the backyard, it’s important that he spends most of his time in the room that has the entrance/exit to the backyard. He’s too little to track the backyard door through the kitchen all the way from the bedroom upstairs. The bedroom carpet then becomes an easier option. Restrict access to only one room to your puppy till he effectively starts either tracking his pee spot or giving obvious signs like barking or ringing the bell to go out to relieve himself.
4. Designate a spot and reward
If your puppy finds pee pads everywhere in the house, he IS going to be peeing EVERYWHERE in the house. Ideally, it’s best to have One spot (indoors or outdoors) where your dog should be relieving himself. Although, a lot of people prefer having a spot indoors and a spot outdoors just in case they’re unable to take the dog out for any reason. Designating a spot speeds up the potty training process fourfold as, over time, it becomes easier for the dog to track the spot from wherever he is and starts associating the place with relieving. Don’t forget to keep a jar of his favorite treats ready at ALL times. Treats are the biggest and the only differentiator for your dog to pee in the right place vs the wrong. As soon as he pees in the right spot, he MUST be rewarded.
5. Add a command
Adding a command makes it easier for the dog to wait for the right time to relieve himself wherever he might be with you. Start by adding a command (Pee, hurry up, Do it etc) WHILE your dog is peeing and keep repeating in soft, positive tones till the time he’s done. Over time, your dog starts associating the command with the behaviour and starts doing the behaviour when you say the command. The funniest I’ve come across is by one of my clients who use Harry Potter spells as commands to train his dog. The pee command for his dog, Dark Lord, is “Aguamenti” (the spell to shoot water from the wand). The dog below is Dark Lord, btw.
6. Don’t punish the dog for accidents
Rubbing your dog’s nose into his pee puddle, hitting the dog, scolding the dog for accidents are all ways and means to let your puppy know what an insane bunch of morons we humans are. Your puppy is at his most vulnerable (kind of defenseless) when he is relieving himself. If he can’t do so in peace in front of you, he’s just going to do it behind your back. All those people who keep finding accidents when you’re not looking at your puppy – Yes, I’m talking to you. 
Potty training a puppy can be a roller coaster of hits and misses. Rejoice the success and take the accidents with a pinch of salt. Alright, I’ll now end it here before you doze off on my life lesson.