Please try to understand that puppy physiology, anatomy and behavioral needs are different from people. Learning about natural canine instincts will help you understand better how to help your puppy learn quickly and easily – by 12 weeks of age – to eliminate in a chosen place at times acceptable to you. It’s rewarding to understand and reinforce natural instincts for a puppy to want to please you.

Puppies learn best from birth to 16 weeks of age.

   Puppies have a strong natural instinct to eliminate – “pee and poop” – away from their den or resting places. Use this natural instinct in your home to prevent unwanted elimination by confining puppy to a den or small area where puppy will try not to eliminate. But, we should not confine longer than is appropriate for his age – the length of time they can hold their urine. Most puppies at 4 weeks need to eliminate every 2 to 3 hours. But by 8 weeks they may have control to hold urine for up to 4 to 5 hours. By 12 to 16 weeks they have control up to 8 hours and can sleep through the night without eliminating. By 5 to 6 months of age, they have bladder control to hold urine for 10 to 14 hours, depending on the amount and the time of liquid intake.

The optimal period for housetraining is from 4 to 16 weeks of age.

   Prevent house soiling accidents by keeping puppy in view at all times when not confined. Confine in a den or a small area when you cannot keep puppy in view. Do not let your puppy wander out of your eyesight. Use a 10-foot cord or special indoor lead to keep puppy in view and near you. But, when puppy sniffs and circles around or starts to squat, quickly take puppy to a desired elimination area. Most soiling accidents occur at natural times for puppy elimination – shortly after resting or sleeping, after eating or drinking, after playing or exercise or after taking them out of their den.

Be prepared to start housetraining when you bring your puppy home at 7 to 8 weeks of age.

   Natural instincts encourage puppies to eliminate in an area where you can smell odors of previous elimination. Use this to encourage puppy to urinate and defecate in a place you choose. That is why it is so important to prevent elimination in unwanted places in the home because each unwanted elimination/accident encourages puppy to try again in the unwanted place. Prevention of the unwanted behavior is the key to success – puppy should not be allowed to leave urine odor or find a previous urine odor in an unwanted area inside your home.

Keep puppy confined or in view at all times to prevent accidents.

   If you fail to prevent your puppy from having a soiling accident

DON’T SCOLD – DON’T RUB HIS NOSE IN IT

Do quietly clean up and remove odor from the soiled area

Remember – it’s a family responsibility to prevent future soiling accidents

   Puppies respond eagerly and quickly to rewards that motivate. Use this natural response to reward puppy as he starts to eliminate in your chosen area and as puppy is finishing. If you love and care for your puppy, use the motivation of rewards such as praise, petting and food to help puppy learn elimination behaviors acceptable to you while using natural instincts of your puppy

Prevention is the key to successful, quick and easy housetraining.