Dog Potty Training Guide: 6 Easy Steps

Potty training sounds simple, until you’re scrubbing the carpet at 2 a.m. after your puppy’s “oops.” When I brought Freya home, those late-night accidents tested my patience fast. But they also taught me something important: puppies don’t automatically know where to go. They need structure, routine, and guidance.

That’s why the American Kennel Club stresses consistency, patience, and positive reinforcement. Their advice is simple but powerful: give frequent potty breaks, reward successes right away, and use crates to help prevent accidents.

Why Potty Training Feels Harder Than It Is

On paper, potty training sounded simple: take my puppy outside, praise her when she went, add a treat, and eventually she’d connect the dots. In reality, it was anything but straightforward. Freya was still figuring out her world and her tiny bladder didn’t give much warning. Accidents weren’t a sign that she was “stubborn” or that I was doing something wrong; they were simply part of the learning curve.

What made it even trickier was that potty training felt like I was training myself just as much as I was training her. I had to learn her signals, build a routine, and stay patient when setbacks happened. It was easy to feel like nothing was working and even though progress was happening, just more slowly than I wanted.

The truth is, every puppy learns at their own pace. Some catch on quickly, while others take a little longer. For me, the most important lesson has been remembering that potty training isn’t about perfection, it’s about building habits and routines that pay off in the long run.

Freya, as wonderful as she is, had one of the hardest times with potty training. To be honest, even now we haven’t made it a full two weeks without an accident, but every little improvement is still a win worth celebrating

The Power of Routine

When it came to potty training, I quickly realized that routine was my most powerful tool. Dogs thrive on structure because it helps them understand what to expect and when to expect it. A predictable schedule set Freya up for success and made it easier for me to prevent accidents before they happened.

I’ll admit, I’ve never been great at keeping my own schedule, sometimes work runs late, sometimes I skip the gym, but the more consistent I stayed with Freya, the faster she started to pick up the habit.

Here are the key times I always took her outside:

• First thing in the morning – before anything else. As a non-morning person, this was brutal. Freya wakes up at 5:30 a.m. pretty consistently, which means I wake up at 5:30 a.m. pretty consistently.

• After meals or water breaks – digestion happens fast in puppies. As soon as Freya finished eating, I’d take her outside and wait. The downside? She wasn’t interested in treats right after a meal, so I relied on over-the-top praise in the highest pitch voice I could manage without cracking my voice.

• After playtime – After playtime always triggered the need to go. This was tricky, though, because once we were outside, she often got distracted and forgot to potty, which dragged things out quite a bit.

• After naps – waking up almost always meant it was time to potty. I’d praise her for a good nap in the crate, then take her straight outside and wait.

• Before bed – this one was a lifesaver. Depending on what time I went to bed, Freya and I found that a late evening walk helped her potty and also sleep better through the night.

Keeping her feeding times consistent also made a huge difference. If meals happened at random, accidents were more likely to happen at random too.

Over time, this routine became second nature for both of us. And once Freya started signaling to me, sniffing near the door or pacing, I knew the training was clicking. Of course, sometimes I’d get up from working, open the door for her, and she’d just stand there pondering life. But even that was a sign of progress: she was learning how to tell me she needed something.

Tools That Made Potty Training Easier

I learned quickly that potty training is a lot smoother when you have the right tools. They don’t replace patience and consistency, but they definitely make the process easier for both me and Freya.

1. Crate
   
   The crate turned out to be one of the most effective tools for us. Dogs are actually clean creature according to the AKC, and when using a proper sized crate, dogs naturally avoid going where they sleep, the crate helped Freya learn to “hold it” until I let her outside. I like to think of it as a time extension, if she napped in her crate, I knew I needed to be ready to take her straight outside as soon as she woke up.
   
   
2. Playpen or Gates
   
   There were times I didn’t want Freya crated all the time, so playpens and baby gates came in handy. They gave her more space while still keeping accidents contained. Limiting her freedom early on made it much easier to prevent mistakes.
   
   
3. Piddle Pads
   
   I’ll be honest, piddle pads saved me in the beginning. They’re especially useful for apartment living or with very young puppies who can’t always make it outside in time. Still, I treated them as temporary. If you train your pup to use a pad, you’ll eventually have to transition them to going outside, which means retraining all over again.
   
   
4. Signs and Cues
   
   Learning Freya’s signals was another huge part of the process. For her, it was sniffing. If she started sniffing the ground with intent, that was my biggest clue she needed to go. Every dog has their “tell,” and once you figure it out, it makes things a lot easier.
   
   
5. Enzyme Cleaner
   
   Accidents happened (and still do), and a good enzyme-based cleaner was essential. Regular cleaners didn’t cut it, the scent lingered, and Freya would go back to the same spot. An enzyme cleaner removed the odor completely, which stopped her from thinking, “Oh, this must be the potty area.”
   
   
6. Time, Size, and Breed
   
   I also learned that how long a puppy can “hold it” depends on their age, size, and even the situation. A good rule of thumb is one hour for every month of age. So at 20 weeks, Freya should have been able to hold it for about four hours. In reality, it was closer to three hours during the day. At night, though, she could usually make it all the way through as long as she was asleep.

Breed and size also make a difference. Smaller dogs often need more frequent potty breaks, while medium or larger dogs, like Freya (a German Shepherd mix), can usually go longer.

Handling Accidents the Right Way

No matter how consistent I was, accidents were always part of the potty-training process with Freya. What mattered most wasn’t the accident itself, it was how I handled it. Reacting the wrong way only confused her or made her nervous, while the right response kept training on track. And if I’m honest, I had to remind myself that getting frustrated only made it worse for both of us.

What I Did That Worked:

• Stayed calm. Freya didn’t understand anger the way I did, and if I got upset, it just made her more anxious (which usually led to more accidents).

• Interrupted gently if I caught her in the act. A simple clap or quiet “ah-ah” was enough. Then I’d take her straight outside to finish. If she went potty outside, I gave her tons of praise. This was hands down the #1 way she learned that outside = bathroom.

• Cleaned thoroughly. I always used an enzyme-based cleaner to remove the smell completely. If any scent lingered, Freya would go right back to that spot.

What I Avoided:

• Punishing after the fact. Rubbing her nose in it or scolding her later didn’t teach anything, it only created fear.

• Overreacting. Yelling or clapping too loudly only startled her and made her more nervous about the whole process.

In the end, I realized accidents weren’t stubbornness, they were just part of learning. Every mess was another chance to reinforce the lesson: outside is the place to go.

Signs of Success & Staying Consistent

Potty training didn’t happen overnight for me and Freya, but the little wins started to add up. Celebrating those small victories kept me patient when the process felt slow. Over time, I realized that enough small wins build momentum, and eventually the training clicks.

Here are the signs I noticed that Freya was starting to get it:

• Longer stretches between potty breaks. She was slowly able to go longer without accidents.

• Heading toward the door. This was my biggest clue that things were working. Freya started sniffing around near the door, and even if she just lingered close to it, I counted that as a win.

• Going right away outside. Instead of just playing in the yard, she began to potty first and play second.

• Using piddle pads consistently (when I used them). While I only relied on them early on, consistent use showed progress. I always reminded myself, though, that the long-term goal was outside.

Even with those signs of success, setbacks still happened, especially during growth spurts, changes in routine, or times of excitement. When that happened, the best thing I could do was stay consistent: keep to our schedule, celebrate the successes, and respond calmly to mistakes.

Over time, that routine became habit. With structure, patience, and consistency, Freya started to connect the dots: potty time happens outside, not on the carpet.

The Bottom Line

Potty training has been one of the most frustrating parts of raising Freya, but also one of the most rewarding. Every accident I cleaned and every late-night potty break brought her one step closer to understanding what I was asking of her.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that patience and consistency are everything. Some puppies catch on in just a few days, while others, like Freya, take longer. And that’s okay. Progress isn’t a straight line. What matters is showing up each day, sticking to the routine, and celebrating the small wins along the way.

At the end of the day, potty training isn’t just about keeping my floors clean (though I do love my clean floors). It’s about building trust, communication, and structure that will carry into every other part of training. This phase doesn’t last forever, and when I look back, I know the effort was worth it.