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How to Potty Train an Inside Puppy

by Janice Fahy

Overview

Many dog owners keep their dog indoors much of the time. Inside puppies must be trained to eliminate in an appropriate area. Puppies have a small bladder and they must be given ample opportunities to urinate and defecate. As a puppy matures, he will not need to go to the bathroom as often.

Potty train an inside puppy with ease.

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Step 1

For your puppy, buy a dog crate that is comfortable but not much larger than the puppy. Choose an area in your home that will serve as permanent spot for the crate. Just like children, puppies need consistency. Keeping the crate in one spot will help not only with potty training but also with other training tasks.
Step 2

Decide on a place where you are comfortable with your inside puppy eliminating when he needs to go. Hard, easily cleanable floors are the smartest choice because your puppy will have accidents. Many puppy owners choose an area in the kitchen or the bathroom as an appropriate elimination spot.
Step 3

Put down three or four sheets of newspaper--or one absorbent puppy training pad-- in the area where you want the puppy to urinate and defecate. Do not place the paper near the puppy's water and food bowls.
Step 4

Place the puppy on the newspaper about once every hour in the beginning of your training. Praise him if he does his business on the paper. The puppy also should be placed on potty paper in the following circumstances: 1) the first thing in the morning; 2) when he wakes up from a nap; 3) about 10 to 15 minutes after he eats; 4) immediately after he has drunk water; and 5) after he has engaged in rambunctious activity.
Step 5

Put the puppy in the crate whenever you leave the house and at night when you go to sleep. While he is potty training, he cannot be allowed to have free run of the house unless he is being closely supervised.
Step 6

Clean up the puppy's mess as soon as he goes to the bathroom, but it is best not to let him see you doing this. Whenever he eliminates, remove the top layer of the newspaper and put down another one. The smell on the bottom newspapers will attract him to eliminate in that same area the next time.
Step 7

Learn to look for signs that the puppy needs to go to the bathroom. Those signs include pacing, sniffing, circling the floor and acting restless and agitated. If you are consistent in taking him to his potty area, it should not take more than a few weeks for the puppy to learn to eliminate in that place only.

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Puppy Crate Newspaper or paper potty pads from a pet store
Puppy
Crate
Newspaper or paper potty pads from a pet store
When the puppy has and accident (and he will), make certain to clean the area well with an enzyme-based odor remover. If you don't, the dog will return to the area of the smell when he needs to go potty.
When the puppy has and accident (and he will), make certain to clean the area well with an enzyme-based odor remover. If you don't, the dog will return to the area of the smell when he needs to go potty.
Spanking or hitting your puppy or sticking his nose in the residue of an accident will not help him learn to eliminate in one place. In fact, that could make him neurotic and slow down the potty training process considerably.
Spanking or hitting your puppy or sticking his nose in the residue of an accident will not help him learn to eliminate in one place. In fact, that could make him neurotic and slow down the potty training process considerably.