6 Puppy Potty-Training Mistakes to Avoid

Potty training accidents are one of the most irritating problems people face with their puppy or dog. And it’s not something they’re likely to get relief from as the puppy gets older. If anything, it becomes a life-long problem.

If you’ve consulted my how to potty train your puppy post and are still having trouble getting the accidents to stop, take a look at some of these common house-training mistakes and make sure your efforts aren’t getting sabotaged.

1) Sending your puppy to the backyard alone

Prediction is the most crucial part of house-training: unless you know when your puppy needs to potty, it’s difficult to get him in the right place at the right time.

Sending your puppy out to toilet alone makes prediction virtually impossible because you have no way of knowing whether or not he went. Instead, go outside with him every single time.

2) Giving your puppy a treat inside the house

Treats are useful and definitely speed up the house-training process. Just make sure to give the treat outside, 1-2 seconds after he finishes toileting. When you give the treats inside, your puppy thinks he’s getting a treat for coming indoors. Oops!

3) Using a doggy door

Doggy doors are great for giving the puppy unlimited access to the yard, but there’s no guarantee he’ll use it when he needs to toilet. The unlimited backyard access also means he’s going to be out in the backyard alone which makes prediction and accurate reinforcement impossible (see points #1 and #2).

During the house-training process, you have to be that weird person who goes out and watches their puppy toilet. Every single time.

4) Allowing your puppy to wander the house unsupervised

Supervision supports prediction.

By keeping an eye on your puppy, you may be able to interrupt an accident and get him outside to finish. And if he does have an accident, you’ll know when it happened so you can predict the next toilet break.

If you really want to eliminate accidents and get the house-training finished, keep your eyes on your puppy when he’s awake. Baby gates, expens and crates make this much easier.

5) Waiting for the puppy to tell you he needs to go

If you’ve ever toilet trained a toddler, you know that waiting for her to come tell you she needs to go is just asking for an accident. Same thing with puppies.

If you’re house-training a puppy, waiting usually results in an accident because there may be very little time between, “I’m fine” and, “I need to go RIGHT. NOW.”

During house-training, your responsibility is to keep track of the elapsed time and take puppy out before it becomes an emergency.

6) Swatting your puppy, or rubbing his nose in the accidents

Punishing the puppy for accidents is just messy. Instead of teaching him to potty outside, punishment teaches him to hide from you when it toilets (a MAJOR problem) or stay away from you in general. And don’t be fooled into thinking he knows he did wrong when he “looks guilty.” The guilty look is actually just his automatic body language response to a perceived threat.

If your puppy does have an accident, put him in his crate or behind a baby gate while you thoroughly clean with an enzymatic cleanser like Nature’s Miracle.

If you’re at your wits end with the accidents and your puppy can’t seem to get it, consider booking a Puppy Potty-Training Consultation with me!