Give your puppy 15 minutes to do his business. If nothing happens, put him in his crate for another 15 minutes before trying again. If it's first thing in the morning, he will need to do both #1 and #2—so if he only urinates, return him to his crate for 15 minutes and try again.
Tip #2: Honor the 15-Minute Rule
A general rule of thumb for how long puppies can hold their bladders: one hour for every month of age, plus one. So if a puppy is two months old, he can wait up to three hours.
Potty Breaks for Young Puppies
Since young puppies have tiny bladders, you'll have to take them out for potty breaks often. Just make sure to keep outdoor bathroom breaks short to avoid contraction of any harmful bacteria or viruses.
Puppies can go outside from 8 weeks old in your backyard to potty train, exercise, play and learn, but taking them on visits to public places is a little trickier. New puppies need to be protected from infection. Vaccinations build a puppy's immunity, but they don't work straight away.
The reason puppies hold on outside and then pee immediately once they get back in is that the house is their happy place and the yard is not. As soon as they come inside, their parasympathetic tone increases and only then do they feel the urge to urinate. Your job is simple in theory: make outside a happy place too.
When to Begin House Training Puppy. Experts recommend that you begin house training your puppy when they are between 12 weeks and 16 weeks old. At that point, they have enough control of their bladder and bowel movements to learn to hold it.
For most, it will take between four to six months for your puppy to be fully reliable, but it will depend on their size, age and ability to learn. Some puppies can learn how to be toilet trained really quickly in only a few weeks, whereas for some dogs it may take longer and could be up to a year.
Parvo can be found in almost any environment. It is transmitted when a susceptible dog comes in contact with the virus. This includes contact with the feces of an infected dog, or objects that contain the virus (shoes, clothes, bedding, bowls, grass, carpets, floors, etc).
On walks, keep to paved surfaces like sidewalks and parking lots. Stay off of grass or dirt trails where the urine or feces of unvaccinated dogs are harder to avoid. Puppies who have had their second round of vaccinations can also visit the beach, just stick to locations or times of day that are less crowded.
Once the puppies reach about 6 weeks old, they should be going outside regularly to get used to pottying on grass. By the time you bring your puppy home from the breeder, even as early as 8 weeks old, he should prefer to potty outside, and prefer to not potty in his bed.
Keep to a regular routine of taking your puppy outside at least every two-to-four hours and after every change of activity. This is especially important during house training and will keep accidents to a minimum. Several short play sessions during the day are better for a puppy than one long one.
“Puppy breath usually fades by the age of 6 months, once all of their adult teeth are in,” Dr. Pagan said. The main reason for this is that puppies start teething at around 4 months of age, and their adult teeth are fully formed at around 6–8 months old.
A rule of thumb many trainers agree upon is that a puppy can hold her urine for the number of hours that corresponds to her age in months, plus one. So an eight-week-old puppy (two months) can hold it for three hours—but that is the most time she can hold it, so she may feel the urgency to eliminate before that.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, most puppies can actually sleep for up to seven hours without relieving themselves—so it definitely is possible.
Puppies can hold it a little longer while they are sleeping. You will still need to make (at least) one trip halfway through the night for puppies under 4 months old, and maybe a little after that for some pups. Remember to set a (gentle) alarm for 4-5 hours after your puppy's bedtime.
Never rub a dog's nose in urine or feces, or punish a dog for an “accident.” This will teach your dog to fear you, and he may hide when he has to “go.” It is not instinctive for dogs to relieve themselves outside; it is only natural for them to not go where they sleep.
You need to teach your puppy how to behave one room at a time. Allow your puppy to learn potty behavior in only one or two rooms at first. Keep the rest of the house off limits. Then once your puppy is no longer having accidents in those first rooms, you can start giving them access to a few more places.
The best way to house-train a puppy is to keep to a routine and take him out at regular intervals. For the first week you have him (9 weeks of age), you can take your puppy out every 30 minutes to an hour—this will help to avoid any potential accidents.
Six to eight weeks against parvovirus and distemper diseases.
Puppies are at the greatest risk for parvo between the ages of 6 weeks to 6 months. Puppies can receive their parvo vaccinations at 6, 8 and 12 weeks of age. They must receive a full series of vaccinations to ensure complete immunity. Puppies require a parvo booster vaccine between 14 and 16 weeks of age.
Some of the signs of parvovirus include lethargy; loss of appetite; abdominal pain and bloating; fever or low body temperature (hypothermia); vomiting; and severe, often bloody, diarrhea. Persistent vomiting and diarrhea can cause rapid dehydration, and damage to the intestines and immune system can cause septic shock.
They can be a useful aid for training, especially at the stage in your puppy's life when they need to go frequently. Maintenance and cleanup are as simple as tossing the previous pad and laying down another. Versatility is a plus as well: you can use pads part- or full-time to fit your pup's needs and your lifestyle.
Begin puppy potty training when your pup is 12 to 16 weeks old. This is when your puppy has begun to have more control of their bladder and bowel movements. Teaching a puppy when and where they can go from a young age is important for avoiding behavior problems down the road.