When is a puppy potty trained, and how do you help him?
Most puppies are potty trained during the day around six months old. The sphincters he needs to hold his bladder only begin to develop around thirteen weeks, and until that six month mark accidents are normal, in some dogs for longer. Getting potty trained is not a matter of obedience but of maturation plus good guidance: one regular potty spot close to the house, a rhythm of potty breaks, and one hard rule: never punish your puppy for peeing or pooping indoors. Punishment only teaches your puppy that going to the bathroom near you is unsafe, and then he starts looking for a quiet corner.
In short
From around 13 weeks the sphincters start to work; until about 6 months, accidents come with the territory.
One regular potty spot close to the house (yard, balcony, or an indoor dog potty) works better than heading out to the street every time.
Go to the potty spot after sleeping, after eating, after and during play, and otherwise every one to two hours.
Clean up accidents without giving them any attention. Never punish, never take away water.
A setback always has a cause: a urinary tract infection, teething, a fear period, overstimulation, or greeting pees.
A puppy shows you before he has to go. Learning to read those signals starts in the free webinar.
The schedule by age
Age | What the body can do | How often to the potty spot | What is normal |
|---|---|---|---|
8 to 13 weeks | The sphincters are not mature yet; he cannot consciously hold his bladder | After sleeping, after eating (fifteen to thirty minutes later), after and during play, otherwise every one to two hours, and the moment he starts looking for a spot. At night as soon as he lets you know | Daily accidents. No sign that you are doing anything wrong |
13 weeks to 4 months | The sphincters start to work | Same rhythm; he begins to tell you himself that he has to go | Holding it a little longer each time, still regular accidents. Teething (from around three months) can cause a setback |
4 to 6 months | He can hold it longer and signals more clearly | Keep the rhythm; nights get longer on their own | Most puppies become potty trained during the day in this period |
From 6 months | Mature | Set walking and potty times | Accidents are rare; if they come back, look for the cause (see setbacks) |
In summary: from 8 to 13 weeks the sphincters are not mature yet and you go to the potty spot after every nap, meal, drink, and play session, with daily accidents being normal; from 13 weeks to 4 months the sphincters start working and he begins to signal it himself; from 4 to 6 months he can hold it longer and most puppies become potty trained during the day; from 6 months he is mature and accidents are rare, and if they return, you look for the cause.
How to help your puppy get potty trained
1. Pick one regular potty spot close to the house. In the yard, on the balcony, or an indoor dog potty with grass, moss, or sand. Having to go out to the street every time is too stimulating for a young puppy and actually slows potty training down. An indoor dog potty can be moved step by step toward the door and then outside.
2. Keep the rhythm from the table: after sleeping, after eating, after and during play, otherwise every one to two hours while your puppy is awake, and the moment he starts looking for a spot or restlessly circling around.
3. Do the same thing at night. Let your puppy sleep close to you so you can hear him, and set an alarm for the first few days if you need to.
4. Clean up accidents without giving them any attention. No sigh, no “no,” no nose in it. Just clean it up and go to the potty spot sooner next time.
5. Keep potty training and learning to walk separate. Those are two different learning processes. Until about twelve weeks you are not taking real walks yet; outside is for sitting, watching, and discovering the world. A puppy who has to pee on the street and process the world at the same time will not do either one well.
What you never do
Punish. For a pee, a poop, or soiling his bed. Punishment only teaches your puppy that going to the bathroom near you is unsafe, so he starts doing it secretly in a corner. A tap on the nose or a stern talking to damages the bond of trust and makes you unpredictable. How to guide behavior instead is covered in Training a puppy without punishment.
Take away water to get fewer accidents. Thirst causes stress, stress raises water regulation (so actually more peeing), and it can create an obsession with water. Water is always available.
A closed crate to force him to hold it. In a crate that is too small, a puppy holds his bladder out of fear of soiling his nest, which brings stress and physical problems with it. That is not potty training. Read Crate training a puppy: why we advise against it.
Going out to the street too early for every pee. Too much stimulation slows the process down.
Setbacks: look for the cause
Was your puppy already reliable for a while and suddenly it goes wrong again? Then there is a cause, and you go looking for it instead of getting stricter:
A urinary tract infection. Lots of small pees, or peeing that looks painful. Catch a sample with a soup ladle (in a low stimulation spot, and remove it quickly so your puppy does not step in it) and take it to the vet in a clean container.
Teething. From around three months. Alongside loose teeth and more biting, you often see a setback in potty training and sometimes looser stools.
A fear period. Normal and healthy, around 8 weeks, between 12 and 16 weeks, between 8 and 9 months, and sometimes later. Introduce nothing new during those weeks and offer calm and safety.
Overstimulation. A busy day, a lot of visitors, a new place. An overstimulated puppy forgets his potty spot.
Greeting pees. A little pee during a greeting is not an accident but a signal of excitement or insecurity. Greet calmly, low, and from the side, and do not make a thing of it.
From our practice
More than 30,000 dog parents have taken a Stressless Dogs course, and the question that comes up most often about potty training is this one: “My puppy still pees indoors, what am I doing wrong?” The answer is almost always: probably nothing. At the breeder, your puppy peed and pooped wherever he was standing, and in the beginning his mother even cleaned it up. What you do in these months does not determine whether your puppy gets potty trained (he will either way), but how he feels about it and how quickly it happens.
When to get help
If you suspect a urinary tract infection or you see diarrhea, go to the vet. If your puppy keeps peeing indoors well past six months while the rhythm is right and his body is healthy, or if he mostly pees out of fear (when someone approaches him, for example), have a welfare focused behavior consultant take a look. Do not see that as failing, but as something good that you learn from.
Frequently asked questions
My puppy still pees indoors. What am I doing wrong?
Probably nothing. A puppy cannot hold his bladder for long yet. Go to the regular potty spot very frequently, clean up accidents without attention, and never punish. If he is doing lots of small pees or it looks painful, have a urine sample checked.
Should I say “no” when I see him peeing indoors?
No. Any reaction to the peeing, including a stern “no,” teaches your puppy that going to the bathroom around you is unsafe. Calmly take him to the potty spot and reward him there.
Do puppy pads or an indoor dog potty help?
Yes, as a regular potty spot close to the house. An indoor dog potty with grass, moss, or sand can be moved step by step toward the door and then outside, so the transition to going outside happens on its own.
How often do I have to get up at night?
In the beginning, as often as your puppy lets you know. Let him sleep close to you so you can hear him, and set an alarm for the first few days. As the sphincters mature, the nights get longer on their own.
Sources
American Kennel Club. How to Potty Train a Puppy. On how often a puppy needs to go out: in the beginning at least every two hours, and after sleeping, eating, and playing.
Read next
Crate training a puppy: why we advise against it and what works instead
Training a puppy without punishment: the four ways to guide behavior
Your puppy shows you before it happens
Looking for a spot, restlessly circling, suddenly stopping play to sniff around: your puppy is telling you he has to go, we just do not say it in his language. Anyone who learns to read those small signals is at the potty spot before things go wrong, and that goes for far more than peeing alone. In the free webinar Communicating With Your Dog you learn to recognize your puppy’s first signals, from “I have to go” to “this is too much for me.”
Want to get through the whole puppy period with love and without stress, from potty training and sleep to biting and being alone? Then the Stressless Communication Course was made for the two of you.
Thank you for reading, on behalf of me and all the dogs.
Dog Behavior Consultant & Natural Dog Trainer