Aren’t you just excited to welcome a member of your family into the house? But what most pupper parents miss out on is that raising a puppy is not an easy ordeal. It requires giving your valuable time and attention to the little guy, giving them regular baths, having them vaccinated, and whatnot! For someone taking it on for the first time, it might be an overwhelming task. Each puppy might have a different personality to them, making every raising a new event.

There are numerous things that you need before you ask “how to potty train a puppy?” like what kind of temperature is correct, what kind of food suits them, and what kind of environment is most suitable for them in order to feel comfortable and relaxed. As a parent, it is your job to make sure that the decor of your dog’s room fits according to their needs, judgments, and personalities. 

However, what is most dreaded by all the hoomans out there is “potty training.” We’ve got to make sure that your new fancy carpet doesn’t smell like litter, right?  

But there is no need to be overwhelmed, I have curated a list of the 7 most surefire tips on how to potty train a puppy, making your life with your new furry friend just a tad bit more fun.

Before you embark on this journey

But before we go on this journey, we need to inform you that potty training your puppy is a very sensitive task and needs to be done in a correct manner so as to not encourage bad habits in your puppies. It is just like raising a baby and should be done right while paying attention to pet behaviors that need to be taken seriously

I have also seen people asking, “ how long does it take to potty train a puppy?”  or “ how to potty train a puppy quickly?” The right use of techniques will take an adequate amount of time, which will depend on the circumstances that the puppy was in before coming to you. However, patience is the key to making sure that they will have the perfect training and no accidents take place!

  1. Taking the first steps

The first time you bring a new puppy home is a really special feeling that can’t be expressed in words. It is like your whole family is flushed with a new feeling of happiness. But there are some necessary steps that need to be taken to ensure that your new puppy feels comfortable and de-stressed.

So the first step that you need to take is to exhaust your puppy, take them out to parks, play with them, and make sure that they eliminate before you take them to your home.

What this does is that when it gets home, it feels sleepy, and the position where it sleeps is forever connected in its mind to its sleeping place, and dogs like to keep their area of rest clean, which would eliminate all the probability of accidents occurring.

The next step is to ensure that when the dog needs to go for the first time, it goes outside. 

This is the most essential step on how to potty train a puppy to go outside. Some of the signs may include squatting and a generally low tone. You may pick them up and take them to your designated area. 

  1. Get a crate

To find the best tips on how to potty train a puppy, I spoke with some of the top veterinarians and dog trainers, who recommended getting a crate for your dog. A crate that your puppy can identify with in their comfortable home is the best choice for them. As I mentioned before, they tend not to soil their resting places, and therefore, they will learn to signal to you when they need to go! 

This will not only keep your puppy’s feces off of your new sofas, but it will also break the communication barrier. Once they get used to the crate, it will also help you manage them. Simultaneously, they’ll learn to be more independent and walk themselves to their little palaces.

Make sure you get them the perfect crate, keeping their potential for growth in mind. If it’s too small, they will be unable to move around it, and if it’s too big, they may find a corner to constantly poop and pee in. We recommend an adjustable size one you can get cheaply on any internet market, with which you can alter its size depending on how big the puppy grows.

  1. Have your pups on a routine

The biggest struggle a pet parent goes through is finding the time to raise their puppy. They might also find raising a pet a daunting task because of the schedule on which the puppy needs to relieve itself. What might be useful in this case is that you build a personalized routine for the puppy based on common conveniences. This will not only ensure that you have time for other things in your life but will also get the puppy’s mind in a cycle where it can identify when it is time to go.

With the use of this activity, it will even teach the puppy to control its bladder and recognize when it needs to go. I have listed all the activities that should be a significant part of its daily routine. Make sure all the members of your family are familiar with it and prevent breaking it.

  • Feeding times (at the same time each day) 
  • Potty breaks
  • Crate or confinement time
  • Playtime
  • Sleep time 
  1. Train them to a verbal clue

A puppy has the same energy as a toddler and is more focused on verbal clues than humans. Spontaneous loud noises like claps and “nos” are proven methods that are known to work. But it’s important that you make sure that they associate those noises with something that is wrong and that they are not being a good boy.

This also works excellently when you want to know how to potty train a puppy. Get them assigned to a sound, which means that they are free to eliminate and relieve themselves. It will also help you prevent many accidents around the house and keep it a puppy-safe area.

  1. Reward! Reward! Reward!

Usually, when someone does a great job at something, we appreciate them for their efforts and give them a gift to congratulate them, right? Well, the same has to be done with puppies that are undergoing potty training. When your furbaby goes and finally finishes a successful job, reward them with lots of pats and good boys! 

However, you really need to be careful with this method so as not to treat them during a walk or just while doing nothing. It will teach them that they can be treated for other activities too. When done correctly, this method works about 99 percent of the time and ends almost all the answers to “ how to potty train a puppy.”  

  1. Accidents? No worries

Accidents, especially with those topics, are not uncommon, even among the best of us, I am sure! This is true for both your puppies and your adult dogs. But you have to make sure that you deal with it correctly and do not punish your puppy or rub their noses in it.

The correct way to deal with it is to clean it up as soon as you can without the puppy watching you and make sure that you use a strong enzyme cleaner, which will get rid of the scent of it too. If you are unable to clean it up as soon as you can and the stench is still there, the doggo might return to it again and use it as their personal lavatory. Don’t forget to reward them if they don’t mess up again and go relieve themselves in the proper location.

  1. Identify the signs! 

Every puppy or adult dog always has telltale signs for each of their feelings, and you get to identify them once you spend enough quality time with them and bond with them. And once you can understand them, it becomes easier, as you can tell exactly what they are feeling. 

When you are experienced in raising puppies and can understand their body language, you can change their routines according to yours.

From convenience to hygiene, there are many reasons why people are confused about how to potty train a puppy, but I hope that this list of tips will help you with the new puppy that you are about to welcome or have just welcomed into your life. It will be stressful and fun at the same time, plus I am sure that you will make a load of happy memories too that will be filled with accidents. I can assure you that now you have read this article, all your “How to potty train a puppy” questions would have been answered, and are hopefully a master in the art. Happy raising and good luck!