Potty Training 101

            Potty training is probably the hardest part of having a puppy. It leads to sleepless nights, little free time and a whole bunch of stress. I know puppies that have been potty trained faster than Bee, and I know puppies that have never gotten the hang of potty training. So, I am in no way saying we are experts in this category; however, one of our most frequently asked questions is “how did you potty train Bee?” So, I am here to answer that question. But, I want to preface this article by saying that this is my approach and my opinion. Everyone is entitled to their way of raising a puppy just as with raising a child. If your opinion differs, I respect it, and it is yours. 

            My first policy when it came to potty training was that any mistake was probably my fault and not Bee’s. This mindset helped me to not resent Bee for his accidents and helped me to learn from my mistakes as a puppy-mama. So, when Bee had an accident, I thought to myself, “how did I enable this?” Usually, the answer was laziness. I would be working on my computer, see that I should take him out soon, decide to work for another ten minutes, and see an accident happen moments later. But, it is what I did after the accident that helped with potty training. First, I would clean the mess up right away using an enzyme cleaner to digest the urine molecules that he would be able to smell. This was important because if Bee could smell the accident, he would associate that spot with where to go potty. Second, I would take him outside right away to make sure he didn’t have to go again. And lastly, and most importantly, I would figure out what the accident meant and learn from the mistake. Most accidents with Bee happened because he couldn’t hold his pee for the length of time that I was asking him to. 

            The rule of thumb for puppy potty training is that they can hold their pee for their age in months. So, if Bee was 2 months, he could hold his pee a max of 2 hours. Through the night can sometimes be an exception to this rule. That being said, that calculation is the max time a puppy can usually hold it. I don’t know about you, but I would not like holding my pee in to my limit. So, I like to take him out more to prevent any discomfort. We tried to keep a good schedule of going potty every 45 minutes for the first 3 weeks with him. Usually at night he woke up 2-3 times to go potty. He began holding his pee through the night around 11 weeks old. Another time when I always took him potty was during transitions like after eating, after a nap, or after playtime. As you can imagine, this meant there were a lot of potty breaks. It was exhausting which is why most accidents happened out of laziness. However, I had the time to be this attentive to Bee, and I was motivated to have him potty trained. Overall, we rarely had more than 2 accidents in one day. He was fully potty trained by 13 weeks old.

            However, we also moved across the country when Bee was 16 weeks. This meant that his way of telling me that he needed to go no longer worked. He couldn’t bark at the glass door that looked out at his grass. We are now living in an apartment building where he needs to tell me in the apartment and hold his pee down the elevator to the dog park. Luckily when looking at apartments, I was able to live in one that has a huge dog community and plenty of dog amenities. We receded in our potty training a bit when we moved, but Bee was able to get back at it after a week and a half. We had a few accidents at the new apartment, but I am grateful for Bee’s adaptability and how quickly he transitioned. For re-potty training in the apartment, we went back to our original system but with 2-3 hours between potty breaks because of his ability to hold his pee longer. This routine helped Bee to learn the new protocol for the apartment, and he picked it up fast. 

            I also want to say that although Bee is potty trained, he is not perfect. He has accidents, but they are very rare and usually due to an external factor. We get an accident maybe once every month when Bee eats something that upsets his tummy. It is all a learning process for him and for me. Moreover, I am touching the surface on everything potty-training related. I suggest reading Puppy’s First Steps: A proven approach to raising a happy, healthy, well-behaved companion for a complete detailing on how to potty train. We followed the book as best we could and used all the advice it had to offer. It is an incredible resource for everything dog-related, and we cannot recommend enough. 

            One thing, and probably the most important thing is that no matter how frustrated I was at the accident, I never got mad at Bee. After all, he had to go potty and he was still learning the right way to do that. In the book that we will recommend forever, Puppy’s First Steps: A proven approach to raising a happy, healthy, well-behaved companion, there is a whole section on potty training. Moreover, one thing mentioned throughout the book is the importance of not getting mad at your puppy. Getting angry only weakens the respect your pup has for you and hurts your bond. It may teach them a lesson as a side effect, but is that worth damaging your precious relationship? In light of this angry attitude that can sometimes seep into potty training, I want to discuss a dog’s cognitive train of thought. The book mentioned above discusses that “dogs just don’t sequence events in their minds the way humans do” (pg. 192). They do not process time like a human, so it’s hard for the dog to understand that the poop is what is making you yell. The book summarizes it perfectly, stating: 

“If you find the pup has piddled or pooped in another room and then let her have it, she won’t have a clue what you are making a fuss about. Even if you take her to the mess and stick her face in it, she won’t get it. Remember, dogs just don’t sequence events in their minds the way humans do. Yelling about something even a couple minutes after the fact will prove a total disconnect for her. Besides, as we’ve now said numerous times, yelling is counterproductive. It only makes a dog feel afraid of you. It doesn’t teach her to obey you” (Pgs. 192-193)

I take the time to point out this angry mindset because it is something that I am strongly against. We did not use it to train Bee, and he was still able to become potty trained by 13 weeks old. Moreover, our relationship is full of respect and love, and I would never risk our relationship in the form of getting angry. Even in the worst accidents, *cough* peeing on mama’s new mattress *cough*, I would go to another room and chill out before handling the situation in order to always approach him with love and understanding. And, in the mattress situation, what did I learn? With dogs, it’s important to have a waterproof mattress cover. There is always a lesson to be learned, and it is never necessary to get angry. Go forth and potty train that pup!