Episode #211 Five Things You NEED to Know to Stop Your Dog From Peeing in the House

Are you struggling with potty training your puppy? You're not alone! In this episode, I'll share FIVE essential tips that will help you keep your puppy from peeing in the house. These tried-and-true methods are perfect for first-time puppy parents or anyone needing a refresher.  

Here's what you'll learn:  
1️⃣ **Management:** Set your puppy up for success with the right tools and strategies.  
2️⃣ **Consistency:** Why sticking to a routine is critical for your puppy's learning process.  
3️⃣ **Time Limits:** Understand how long your puppy can hold it and avoid accidents.  
4️⃣ **Recognizing Signals:** Learn to spot the subtle signs that your pup needs to go outside.  
5️⃣ **Positive Reinforcement:** How to make housetraining a rewarding and encouraging experience for your puppy.  

💡 Remember: Patience and positivity are key to successful potty training! Your puppy is learning, and every step counts.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
In today's episode, we are tackling a big challenge
that so many dog parents facehouse training.
Specifically, I'm going toshare the five things you need
to know to stop your dog frompeeing in the house.
Whether you have a new puppy, arescue dog or even an older dog
who's had a few accidents,these tips will help you create
a solid plan for success.
Welcome to the Puppy TrainingPodcast.

(00:23):
I'm Amy Jensen, founder ofBaxter Bella, the online puppy
school.
Here we are all about helpingyou create the best possible
experience raising a puppy, fromtraining tips to practical
tricks, all aimed at fostering ahappy, well-behaved dog who
truly feels like part of thefamily.
So if you are ready to enjoythe journey and strengthen the

(00:45):
bond with your dog, let's getstarted.
Hello everybody, Thank you fortuning in to the podcast today.
We try to make dog trainingsimple and fun, but also
effective.
So if you haven't been herebefore, welcome.
If you're new.
I'm Amy Jensen.
I run Baxter and Bella, theOnline Puppy School, and we like

(01:07):
to talk about all things dogshere.
So today, as I mentioned, we'retalking about house training.
I'm going to leave you withfive tips that you need to know
to be successful with this.
House training is one of thosethings that when you get a dog,
it has to be addressed prettyearly.
One of the first things you'refocused on is house training and
if this goes well, most peoplekeep their dogs.

(01:29):
If this goes poorly, a lot ofpeople don't want to keep their
dogs and my goal is to keep asmany dogs in loving homes with
families they adore as possible.
So let's get started First onthe list number one, management.
Started First on the listnumber one, management.
We pair this with training.
They go hand in hand.
Management is so effective insetting your dog up for success

(01:52):
and training quickly andefficiently, All right.
If we don't manage, we just letour puppy do whatever they want
.
Bad habits tend to form andthose are much harder to undo
than to just set good habitsfrom the beginning.
So this is all about settingyour dog up for success by
controlling their environment.
Dogs aren't born knowing whereto go to the bathroom.
If they're given free reign ofyour house, they might have

(02:15):
accidents simply because theydon't know any better and they
see it as spaces.
So if you put them in a four byfour pen, even they could say
you know what this corner is forpotting and I'll play in that
corner, I'll eat my food in thiscorner.
I have plenty of space to doall of those things and so we
need to teach them.
And it starts with management.
So we want to use tools likecrates, play pens, baby gates to

(02:38):
limit our puppies access toareas where accidents might
happen.
If you're not activelysupervising them meaning
watching your dog like a hawk100% of the time, they need to
be in a safe, confined space.
Now crates they'll be able tohold it for several hours at a
time and then they're going toneed a break.
If they're in an exercise pen,I would take them out every 20,

(02:59):
30 minutes.
With an eight-week-old puppy,If they're a little older.
They with an eight week oldpuppy, If they're a little older
, they could possibly hold itlonger.
But if they're in that pen,again, that's big enough that
they might potty in the corner.
So I've got to be somewhatsupervising.
If they're laying down, chewingsomething and I can kind of see
them out of the peripheralvision or I kind of hear what
they're doing, I know whatthey're up to.
You don't have to watch them asclosely as if they were just

(03:20):
running freely through your home.
So that exercise pen is helpful, but in the beginning you wanna
make sure you're giving themfaster breaks in that pen so
that they're going to thebathroom outside and they're
keeping that pen clean Once theycan keep that pen clean.
Okay, now we're practicing.
Let's start with one room ofour house and let's just spend
every day, even from the get-go,a few hours in that one room,

(03:42):
closely supervised as the get-go.
A few hours in that one room,closely supervised, as your dog
matures and grows and thetraining starts to become habit.
Then we can introduce thesecond room and the third room
and the fourth room of our home,etc.
I know some people feelhesitant about using a crate,
but when introduced correctly,it becomes a really cozy bedroom
for your dog.
Plus, most dogs naturally avoidgoing potty in their sleeping

(04:03):
area, so a crate helps themlearn to hold it until it's time
to go and we give them plentyof breaks throughout the day.
Now, management isn't forever.
It's just a way to prevent badhabits while you work on
building good ones.
Think of it as your safety net.
Number two is create a routine.
Dogs are creatures of habit andthey thrive on consistency.
If you are serious aboutstopping these indoor accidents.

(04:25):
You need to create a schedulethat your dog can count on.
We want to take them outside atthe same time every day, if
possible, or pretty close whenthey wake up after meals, after
naps, after playtime anddefinitely before bed.
Make sure they've gone Now.
For puppies, this might meantaking them out every hour or
two.
For adult dogs, every four tosix hours might work.
The key Think of it like thisthe more predictable the routine

(04:50):
, the easier it is for your dogto learn when and where to go.
Over time they'll start toanticipate potty breaks, which
means fewer accidents insideyour home.
Tip number three is to respectyour dog's time limits.
This is especially importantfor puppies or newly adopted
dogs who might not yet have fullbladder control and recognize
when they first come to yourhome they're in a state of

(05:12):
anxiousness.
Your dog can be experiencing alot of stress during their
transition period, so for one totwo weeks their bathroom
routines might be a little bitoff.
So do your best to set aregular schedule for them,
something that's predictable andthey will feel more safe.
Here's a good guideline Puppiescan usually hold their bladder
for one hour per month of age.

(05:33):
So a two-month-old puppy, aneight-week-old puppy can go
about two hours in their cratebefore needing a potty break.
A three-month-old puppy threehours and so on.
Now, of course, this isn't setin stone.
Activity, water intake andexcitement can all shorten that
time.
So if your puppy's out of thecrate, if they're in an exercise
pen, I wouldn't expect them tohold it for two hours.
I'd take them out every 45minutes to an hour or even, in

(05:55):
the very beginning, possibly 20to 30 minutes if they're a
little puppy.
I'm never leaving my dogs incrates longer than four hours.
So no matter their age, even ifthey're five or six months old,
at four hours I'm letting themout, giving them a break.
We're having a play session, atraining session, we're going
for a walk.
They're getting interactionwith me.
Tip number four is to watch forsigns.
Your dog needs to go.
This is such an important skillbecause dogs often tell us when

(06:16):
they need to go.
They just don't use words.
They don't speak English, right, they speak dog.
So what should you watch for?
Common signs include sniffingthe floor, pacing, circling or
suddenly stopping whateverthey're doing.
Maybe they were busy playingwith a toy and suddenly they
stop and pause.
They might need to go.
Some dogs will even go to yourdoor or maybe start whining.

(06:38):
If they've learned that that'show they get outside, Maybe they
start to bark at the door orsit at the door.
They'll start to show you hey,I need to get outside to that
area.
The more training you've done,the more they'll start to
gravitate towards that door toshow you they need to go.
If you notice any of thesesignals, stop what you're doing
and take them out immediately.
Being proactive here canprevent a lot of accidents.

(06:59):
Tip number five is keep itpositive.
Positive reinforcement is yourbest friend when it comes to
house training a dog.
When your dog does theirbusiness outside, throw a party.
Or if you live in an apartmentand you have an indoor potty
area, if your dog uses thatindoor bathroom, throw a party.
We want this to be a good thing.
We want our dogs to realizethat, hey, going to the bathroom

(07:21):
, where the humans want me to doit, is a highly rewarding
activity.
So praise them enthusiastically.
Offer them a high value foodreward, Play a quick game.
If they love games, maybepraise them, pet them, whatever
they love.
Dogs thrive on rewards and bymaking that experience fun and
positive, you are reinforcingthe behavior you want.

(07:42):
And here's something just asimportant we want to avoid
punishing our dog.
Accidents are going to happen.
We want to limit them as muchas possible, but when one does
happen, we don't want to punishthem, as that can confuse our
dogs and even make them afraidto go potty in front of us,
which really leads to themrunning off and hiding and doing
it somewhere where we don'twant them to.
So instead, simply clean up theaccident calmly, focus on

(08:05):
rewarding your dog when they doget it right, and maybe just
take them out more often andremind yourself hey, I've got to
do better supervising my puppy.
All right, that's it for today.
Five tips to keep your puppyfrom peeing in your house.
Remember, this takes patienceand consistency, but I promise
you and your dog can do this.
Thanks for tuning in to thepuppy training podcast.

(08:26):
I hope today's tips help youfeel more confident and excited
about raising your dog.
Remember, with a littlepatience and consistency, you
can create a loving bond and awell-behaved pup who's a joy to
have in your family.
If you found this episodehelpful, be sure to subscribe,
leave a review and share it withfellow puppy parents.
For more resources, visitBaxter and Bella online.

(08:50):
Until next time, happy training.