Here’s a little video I posted on youtube some time back. It’s about how to potty train your puppy, all the essentials in a 4 minute video.

• What are the two times you always need to take a puppy outside? And the two other times you probably should take him out?
• Why create a special phrase for while he’s doing his business?
• Why shouldn’t you take the dog right back inside?
• What could a puppy learn if you yell at him when he makes a mistake?
• How to help him get through the night?
• These and other topics are covered!

This was the first video I made, and I was thrilled when it was viewed almost 3,000 times in the first 10 weeks it was up. I commented on my blog, “That’s a lot of people with puppies!” Now it has been seen over 350,000 times. And yes, I know my voice came out very soft. But the information is there.

If you’d rather read than watch a video, here are some of the main points:

Very young puppies, like very young humans, have to mature before they can “hold it” for any length of time. This varies among breeds and among puppies of the same breed.

The two times when you always need to take a puppy out for a pit stop are when he or she wakes up from a nap and when the pup has finished eating, say a few minutes later.

Other times when it’s a good idea are if the puppy has been playing vigorously or if it has just been a while. You’ll get to know how long your puppy can wait before needing to have a potty break, and that will increase with maturing.

When you take your puppy outside, take him right to the area that you want him to consider his toilet area. It could be in your yard or if you live in an apartment, choose a good strip of land nearby and always clean up any poop!

If you have him in a place where he doesn’t need to have a leash on, that’s great… but if he wanders around and seems as though he is going to consider your whole back yard as his bathroom, then next time you take the puppy out, put a leash on him so you can easily confine him to the area you have in mind. Eventually he will form the habit of using that location.

Just as he is going potty, I like to say, “Do your stuff!” whether he is peeing or pooping. That will then become a phase I can use in the future when he is taking his time.

Here’s something that I consider quite important in the housetraining process: Once the puppy has gone potty, there is a natural tendency in humans to head right back inside to whatever they were doing before they went out. But don’t go back in right away, because you don’t want the puppy to conclude that as soon as he produces, he will have to leave the enchantments of the great out of doors and go back inside. Let him play a while.

When the puppy makes a mistake indoors, don’t yell. If you catch him as he is going or about to go, take him outside if you can. Use an enzymatic product to clean up inside, so he won’t get used to the smell there. I use  Nature’s Miracle.

What about getting through the night? Take your puppy out just before bed and have a flashlight, leash, bathrobe and slippers ready for middle-of-the-night outings, that is, if they are safe where you live. Another option is crate training, and that link goes to my article about it… just about the most popular article on this website! There’s another article here that goes through a lot of detail on housetraining or potty training dogs. Puppies too of course!

Here’s a warm and friendly book on how to potty train your puppy, from a man with a lot of experience: