The most important thing you can do as soon as you get your puppy is potty train them. Are you feeling overwhelmed and dont know where to start with the potty training process? With the help of Cornerstone Dog Training and their expertise they have figured out the secrets to potty training a puppy fast with these tips.

The crate is your #1 Potty Training tool

The crate is the best potty training tool there is!! Crate training and potty training go hand in hand. For a dog, the crate is their safe space. You will use the crate throughout their lifetime so we highly reccomend investing in a good crate. For more helpful tips on crate training visit here!

food schedule is key

Controlling the times when your puppy eats and drinks is key for potty training. The American Kennel Club reccomends, “Controling the diet, and to break up the puppy feeding schedule into three small meals.” If you feed your puppy around the same time each day your puppy’s body will establish a more predictable bathroom schedule.

Give Regular Potty Breaks

Take your puppy outside frequently. When should you? Before playtime, right after play, first thing in the morning, potty 20-30 minutes after a meal, potty a couples times before bed.. you get the idea!

supervise, supervise, supervise

Keep a close eye on your puppy. Anytime it’s outside of the crate it needs to be on a leash or closely supervised. It’s like letting your baby crawl around the house without a diaper and expecting there to be no accidents. When you can’t supervise, use the crate!

Don’t use puppy pads

At Matthews Legacy Farm our puppies are raised on an 8 week puppy curriculum where we do an intro to potty and crate training and more. Our puppies are used to going on grass at a young age! This helps speed up the potty training process tremendously. Do not use puppy pads. Puppies learn quickly that the pad absorbs pee and is a lazy convenience for them.

Night is for sleep, not play

Potty time should be simple and to the point. Keep your talk and touch very minimal. After your pup goes potty immediately put them back into the crate. Your well rested self will thank us for this tip!

downtime is essential.. give your dog breaks

New puppy owners often overstimulate their dog. An overstimulated and overtired puppy is going to have a hard time learning a new skill such as potty training. Similar to babies, puppies need lots of time to rest. Rest up pup!!

evaluate the accident, dont punish

Dogs live completely in the moment. Whatever a dog is currently doing is what they’re thinking about. It wont make sense to your puppy if you try to punish it for a potty accident that happened 10 minutes prior. All you can do is evaluate and try to take actions to prevent future accients. This can be done through more frequent potty breaks and implementing boundaries.

when an accident happens give calm and clear feedback

Since potty training requires very close supervision, you will hopefully catch the moment when your dog starts to go pee or poo inside. Immediately grab their leash, and quickly take them outside. Overtime your dog will understand to go to the bathroom outside. Dogs are SO smart and will catch on quickly if you are consistent! Speaking of which…

consistency is the biggest key to potty training

Puppyhood doesn’t last forever but the lessons you instill endure a lifetime. Consistency in potty training is cruical because it helps puppies understand what is expected of them. Being consistent with potty training will help you potty train your puppy fast!! You got this!