Week 7 - The Potty Equation

Garth in his winter sweater playing outside.

Potty training a new puppy can be one messy undertaking, according to the horror stories I’d read online.  There are a plethora of contraptions to assist pet parents in this endeavor- piddle pads, fake grass, scented rocks, door bells… After doing a little research, I decided to use the crate training method.

All puppy parents should understand one point above all: a young puppy’s biology limits the amount of time he can “hold it”.  So no matter how hard you try, your puppy’s bladder can only do so much.   Do not lose your temper when his genetics do not coincide with your schedule.  This fact of life can actually work to your advantage, because you can predict your puppy’s potty schedule using this equation:

(Time in between potty breaks) = 

(Puppy’s age in weeks) x (15 minutes) 

*Valid up to 4 months of age

So for my 7 week old puppy, the time in between potty breaks could be no more than 7 x 15 minutes, or 1 hour and 45 minutes.  That meant that someone needed to take Garth outside every hour and 45 minutes to avoid any accidents.  This is where crate training comes into play; dogs will try very hard to avoid going potty in their crate.  It’s a natural instinct that humans can use to potty train.  The trick is to make sure your puppy is in his crate right before potty time, so that you can take him from his crate and straight outside. 

TIP: Schedule naptime so that your puppy is in his crate right before potty time.  This way you can take him straight outside after his nap, and he will most likely have to potty immediately.

We did have a few accidents, but they mostly occurred inside the back door while I was putting my shoes on.  I learned fast that when my puppy woke up from his nap, he had to go immediately.  This behavior improved with time, but for the first few weeks I’d suggest having your shoes on before you open the crate.

Because I stuck to a very strict schedule, which updated every week, we had very few potty accidents.  I also gave Garth little treats outside every time he did a potty, which is good to do in the first month or so of potty training.  For me, letting the puppy’s potty schedule control my life for a few weeks was much better than constantly cleaning up accidents and struggling with the dog for months.  I highly recommend using crate training along with the potty equation.