How to Potty Train a Puppy Fast & Easy

You brought home your new puppy, took him outside to show him where to go potty and he sniffs, plays, but doesn’t potty. So you take him inside and he squats and pees! Sound familiar? Welcome to puppyhood!

Potty accidents are part of adopting a puppy, so I’m sure you want to potty train her fast will likely be your number one priority.

If you have an adult dog that is having potty accidents, please make sure your dog is healthy before assuming he is not potty trained.

Potty training is a lot of work, it takes a lot of patience, but easy when you follow the four steps below.

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To potty train a puppy fast, you will need a leash, crate, rewards, consistency, and a ton of patience! Take your puppy outside every hour. Limit his freedom inside, using a leash or crate. Reward with treats and praise every single time he does potty outside. Pick up your puppies body language signals to know when he does have to potty. Be consistent and you will have a potty trained puppy in no time.

Need more help? Check out Mastering Potty Training by SpiritDog Training. It’s a full course that will help you and your puppy master potty training.

4 Easy Steps to Potty Train Your Puppy as Fast

A few years ago, we fostered two 12-week old puppies at the same time! (You can read our foster tails about them by clicking here.)

This past spring we added a border collie puppy to our pack. He was only 8 weeks when we brought him home. Potty training an 8-week-old puppy is easy if you follow my 4 steps below.

We have adopted several dogs over the years, some as young as 4-6 months old, and still not potty trained for various reasons. My experience with potty training spans puppies and dogs of all ages… yes even adult dogs. Potty training my dogs fast is always my top priority!

1. Keep your puppy on a leash with you at all times until he is fully potty trained

This will alleviate the temptation for your puppy to wander off to the other room and have an accident. When you can’t watch him closely, use a crate. In fact, I always recommend keeping any new dog, potty trained or not, in a small portion of your house.

Don’t give your puppy free reign of your house until he is completely trained. This will also help with chewing and general mischievousness… you would never let a baby or toddler roam your house without supervision would you?

2. Take your puppy outside every hour or so

Puppy’s bladders are small, they can’t hold it for long… in fact it is recommended that the age in months your puppy is, is how long he can hold it. So for example, if he’s 3 months old, he should be able to not have an account inside for 3 hours. 4 months old, 4 hours…

When he is 6 months old, he should be able to wait 6 hours. Although sometimes you will feel like he has to go outside every 10 minutes!

Take him outside often! Avoid playing before he goes potty, take him outside calmly, avoiding any distractions and tell him to “potty”.

Giving a verbal command will help as you he learns what you want from him. You can play AFTER he goes potty, this will be his reward for doing what you want.

This is why so many people adopt a puppy in the spring and summer. Winter makes it more difficult, but it’s so important to show your puppy that outside for potty is the ONLY place he can go. Don’t give him the opportunity to go potty inside the house.

Note the time you feed him and then take him outside 10-20 minutes from the time he is done eating.

If you live in an apartment or a home where it’s not easy to quickly take you dog outside, then I recommend trying a natural indoor puppy potty.

3. Reward, Reward and Reward

Potty training is the perfect opportunity to use treats and a lot of praise. As soon as your puppy squats to pee or poop, say “good boy”, being careful not to get too excited to make him stop his business.

Immediately when he finishes, treat him and get super excited at this point. He will very quickly pick up the idea that if he goes outside to pee or poop he gets treats and love.

4. Schedule. Routine. Consistency. And a ton of Patience!

Be very patient and consistent. Do not scold or punish your young puppy for having accidents in the house, it really is inevitable that he will have a potty accident. Just as babies aren’t born potty trained, neither are puppies… so it is your job to train him.

Accidents will happen

If you should catch your puppy circling for a spot inside to go potty, or even starting to squat… say NO in a firm voice. Then immediately take him outside, and tell him to go potty.

If your puppy somehow escaped your watch and had an accident in the house already, you can bring him over to the mess and say NO in your firm voice. There really isn’t much you can do if you didn’t catch him in the act, but let him know you are not happy with the pee or poop inside is okay, just don’t hit or punish him.

IMPORTANT: It is always possible your puppy can have an infection or other health issues that causes him to not be able to hold it. If you have any doubts, contact your vet to discuss any health concerns.

If you practice these steps, your puppy will be potty trained in no time at all! Every puppy is different, so I can’t guarantee that in 3 days your puppy will be potty trained. But stay positive and be consistent and before you know it you will be passed the potty training phase. Phew, what a relief 🙂

If you haven’t read our Bring Your New Dog Home post yet, head over there now to get some great tips on your first few months with your puppy.

How to get dog pee out of carpet

Sorry to tell you, but it’s not a matter of IF your puppy will pee on your carpet, but a matter of WHEN. And when he pees on your floor, you MUST clean it thoroughly and as soon as possible.

Removing the smell is extremely important part of house training any dog. Think about it… a dog’s sense of smell can be 100,000 times stronger than a human’s.

There are several options when it comes to removing the stain and smell of urine. You can create an all natural mixture or buy a pre-made enzyme cleaner.

I highly recommend testing a small area of carpet before using any of these techniques. I used the baking soda/vinegar trick once on a cream color carpet and it bleach the spot! Thank goodness it was in the basement.

TIP: If you suspect your dog has urinated in places unknown to you, I suggest buying a UV light to find all the hidden spots.

Removing dog pee stains with vinegar and water

1. Soak up anything wet by blotting with paper towels or a white rag. Do not scrub the urine into the carpet. Blot only! You do not want to work the urine deeper into the fibers of the carpet.
2. Mix a solution of 50% vinegar, 50% water.  
3. Pour the vinegar/water onto the urine stain. Scrub using a white rag. The vinegar will help to neutralize the ammonia in the urine.
4. Firmly blot the urine stain using a clean rag or paper towel. I usually step on it with all my weight.
5. When the carpet is completely dry, generously sprinkle baking soda on the stain.
6. Once dry, vacuum the area. 

Here is another all-natural deodorizer you can make for your carpet:

• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups of warm water
• 1 spray bottle

Using a professional enzyme cleaner to remove dog pee

1. Wipe up as much of the stain as possible, then thoroughly soak the stain.
2. Allow to sit and work for 10 minutes.
3. Blot up stain with a clean cloth. Allow area to dry for 24 hours.

Use baking soda to remove the smell of pee

Baking soda works by absorbing moisture and trapping odor. Generously sprinkle baking soda onto the carpet, working it into the fibers of the carpet. Let it sit overnight before vacuuming the next day. Repeat as necessary.

Read in more options on how to clean pee out of your carpet here: How can I remove dog urine odor from carpet?

My favorite enzyme cleaners that are proven to work

These are the brands proven to work within my foster network.

• Nature’s Miracle
• Rocco & Roxie
• OdoBan Multipurpose Cleaner

As a side note, I use Odoban for cleaning everything in my house. It not only cleans, but disinfects, sanitizes and deodorizes. OdoBan eliminates unpleasant odors on washable surfaces such as upholstery, carpets, bedding, showers, walls and floors.

If you want to learn more about how to keep your house from smelling like dog, read my 21 Secrets To Keeping My House From Smelling Like Dog.

Recommended for you to read next: 

• 5 Simple Ways to Stop Your Dog’s Pee from Killing Your Grass
• 5 Proven Home Remedies for Your Dog with Diarrhea

P.S.If you still need more help with potty training, check out Mastering Potty Training by SpiritDog Training. It’s a full course that will help you and your puppy master potty training.