The key to potty training is to prevent accidents before they happen. We do this by using good management - creating a safe area where your puppy can hang out instead of giving her access to the entire house.

We also want to take the puppy outside to potty super often. As a rule, take puppy out after each of these events:

• Eating
• Drinking
• Playing
• Napping

When your puppy successfully goes outside, use LOTS of praise and treat her EVERY time! Use a special, extra tasty treat.

When your puppy has accidents, you can gently redirect her outside to finish if you catch her in the act. Otherwise, use a good cleanser to get any stains out. Nature's Miracle is the product I clumsily recommend in the video - you can find it at pretty much any pet store!

Tip: Keep your puppy on a leash for those bathroom breaks so she stays on task. Then, when she's gone potty you can make the experience EXTRA rewarding by letting her off leash to explore as well as paying her with those special treats.

Tip: Your puppy can only hold her bladder for about 1 hour per month of life. So a three month old puppy can only hold it about 3 hours maximum. Err on the side of caution and take her out even more often than that.

Tip: If your puppy has gone potty outside, you can give a little more supervised exploration time in the house or in a part of the house. Set a timer on your phone so that you can take her back outside or put her in her safe area and avoid accidents.

Have a new rescue or shelter dog?

Although your new dog can hold it longer than a puppy can, he may have little to no experience with potty training, or may have been pottying in a kennel out of necessity. Implementing a management plan similar to the above puppy plan will help set him up for success in this totally new environment!