Training your puppy how to go to the potty can be a frustrating process if your puppy is continually having accidents in your house.

I’m going to explain how to teach your puppy to go potty outside, even if you feel like they never like to go when they’re out there.

Common Potty Training Issues

Here are some common issues where people are really having some challenges:

• Your puppy doesn’t want to go potty when they are outside.
• You your puppy out in the backyard for 20 minutes, bring them back in, and then your puppy immediately goes to potty on the floor.
• Your puppy goes to the bathroom on the carpet after being taken out outside for a walk!

Squirrel! Squirrel!

Puppies are easily distracted by the environment around them — whether it’s a sight, a smell, or a sound, or even a leaf blowing by. Perhaps there are dogs barking nearby in the neighborhood.

If you’re moving around a lot with your puppy, there may be all sorts of interesting smells that they’re discovering.

These distractions can make the puppy forget that they’re outside to go to relieve themselves.

Tips To Potty Train Your Puppy

Upon Waking Up

The first time out of their crate in the morning is a great time to start your potty training. Typically in the morning, your puppy likely has to go.

Potty training after a fun play session or shortly following a meal are also really great times to  train your puppy some potty training.

Tips When Going Outside

Any time that your puppy goes outside, it’s really important that you go out with them and that you have them on-leash. You need to be able to guide the process and help them avoid any distractions, but you also need to really know whether they’ve actually gone or not.

Here are some tips you can use when taking your puppy outside:

• Try to find an environment with the least amount of distractions, whether it’s environmental sounds or smells, or whatever.
• Show your puppy exactly where you want them to go potty in the future. If you’re out there with your puppy on a leash, it’s easy to redirect them if they start to get distracted by a vehicle that drives by or some kids playing in the distance. Guide them around with your leash.
• Try to make it as boring as possible when you’re out there with your puppy. The last thing you wanna be doing is engaging them in play or using any sort of exciting language.
• Try to remain in a small area. Don’t move around too much. That way, your puppy will quickly become bored of the sights and smells and sounds in this little circle you’ve created, and they’re more likely to go potty.
• It’s really important that you give your puppy an appropriate amount of time to go when you’re out there. Don’t remain out there for 30 minutes. Give your puppy a handful of minutes.

What If Your Puppy Doesn’t Go Potty?

If your puppy doesn’t go, bring them right back inside and directly into their crate.

Don’t let your puppy sort of meander around the kitchen or wherever because that’s gives them the opportunity they may have been looking for to go potty.

Once they are back in their crate, wait a couple of minutes. Keep a close eye on your puppy. If your puppy has an accident in the crate, you’re there to supervise them. Mark that moment with an “oops” or a “hey,” and it can help interrupt that process entirely.

After those couple of minutes are up, take your puppy directly outside, and then repeat the process.

Follow these steps over and over again until your puppy realizes that the only place that’s appropriate to go potty is outside.

Remember, puppies are going to do whatever it is that they find rewarding. If they’re continuously making mistakes in your home, it’s not their mistake — it’s actually your mistake.

Happy potty training!