Minnesota Valley Humane Society

1. Keep a close eye on him at all times. If you cannot watch him, confine him. A crate works very well for this. A crate should be a pleasant place for your dog to retreat to in times of stress or too much household activity. Never force a dog into a crate or turn into a place of punishment. (See our “Crate Retraining” Fact Sheet.)

2. Give him lots of opportunities to potty outside. All dogs and puppies need to go out upon waking, after eating or drinking, and after playing. Go outside WITH your dog so you can be there to praise him or her during elimination. Give a treat reward directly after he gets up from squatting, not just for coming back in the house. Use a cue word when your dog is successfully completing his task. “Go potty” or “Hurry up” are common cues. If it was not successful within 5 minutes, go back inside and confine him, then try again in 10 to 15 minutes.

3. If your puppy or dog makes a mistake in your house: IT’S YOUR FAULT! It’s not his mistake because he doesn’t know any better. Please, do not punish him for this— just keep a closer eye on him in the future. If your dog is having accidents in the house frequently, he needs greater supervision and more chances to go outside. Set an egg timer if you can’t remember to let him out frequently enough.

4. If you catch your puppy or dog in the act inside, startle him by clapping your hands loudly and saying “Hey!” If it was a successful startle every sphincter in his body should tighten. Now take him outside and let him finish. Praise, Praise, Praise (and treat, if he goes. If you didn’t catch the accident “in-progress”, there is no reason to punish. Dogs live in the ”here and now” and do not understand that you are punishing them for something they did earlier, even if it was just 30 seconds beforehand. Don’t be too scary-sounding if you catch your dog in the act of pottying indoors – he may come to understand that you don’t want him to potty at all and he will hide and eliminate indoors when he has to go, because eliminating in front of you has become a dangerous activity. This can set the housetraining process back substantially.

5. Reward appropriate elimination with “free time” in the house. But still keep a constant eye on your new puppy or dog; he can and will get into everything. Consider tying his leash onto your belt if necessary.

6. Feed your dog or puppy a high-quality food with regularly scheduled feedings. What goes in on schedule must come out on schedule.

7. Holding it all night is a big step towards successful housetraining. Most puppies can accomplish this by 5-6 months. Adult dogs can adapt within a few weeks.

Accidents mean too much freedom!
The key to a housetrained dog is giving lots of praise, praise, praise (and some treats) for a job well-done.

Return to Dog Behavior and Care Fact Sheet List