How To Stop a Puppy From Peeing in the House
WRITTEN BYBrittany Grenus, DVM Veterinarian Dr. Brittany Grenus graduated from Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in 2018 with her doctorate in veterinary medicine and a…,Having a new puppy at home is exciting, but it can also come with challenges. One of the biggest hurdles: house-training your puppy. Fortunately, many dogs want nothing more than to please their human—this means they actually want to learn to be house-trained. But if you’ve been working on potty training for what feels like ages and your pup is still having accidents, you’re probably desperate to learn how to stop your puppy from peeing in the house. Here’s what to know. How Often Should Puppies Go Out to Pee? When puppies are little, they don’t have great control of their bladder—just like human babies. But as they get older, bladder control in puppies improves and they’re able to hold their urine for much longer. When you first bring home a puppy, usually at around 8 weeks old, take her out every 30–60 minutes for the first week or two. This will help to prevent the puppy from peeing in the house and also help her get used to going to the bathroom outside. In general, the number of hours puppies can hold their urine is equal to their age (in months) plus one. So, a 2-month-old puppy can theoretically hold her bladder for about three hours. Puppy Bladder Control Chart Age Frequency of Potty Breaks 2 months old Every 2–3 hours 3 months old Every 3–4 hours 4 months old Every 4–5 hours In general, by the time your puppy is 4-6 months old, she should have full control of her bladder (which means you can finally start sleeping through the night again!). Once your puppy has bladder control, she should still go out several times a day (three to five total) for bathroom breaks.
