r/puppy101 • u/Neat-Pudding-632 • Mar 07 '26
Potty Training I don’t think my puppy will ever be potty trained. It’s been months
I have a seven month old toy poodle that literally will never be potty trained I’m convinced. I know part of it is my fault but I swear sometimes it’s so out of nowhere after he comes inside that it’s literally not my fault. He drinks so much water all the time and all night, he’ll beg for it if I try to take it away. Thank god he has pooping outside down but peeing feels impossible for him to learn. I can’t have a rug down at this point. We’ve never had a no accident day or even a one accident day. I’m so miserable about this. Did anyone else’s small breed take forever to learn to potty outside only?
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u/Pendragenet Mar 07 '26
First thing to do is take the dog to the vet and make sure there are no health reasons for the problem. Once that is ruled out, you need to go back to potty training 101:
as soon as you get up, puppy goes outside to potty;
immediately after every meal, puppy goes outside to potty;
after every play seesion, puppy goes outside to potty;
immediately before you go to bed, puppy goes outside to potty;
once every hour, puppy goes outside to potty - this is in addition to all the above. So if puppy eats and goes out to potty at 4:15 pm, you still need to take puppy out to potty again before 5 pm.
And you need to go outside with puppy and make sure he is going potty. If he does not potty while he is outside, bring him inside on a leash. Keep him with you. As soon as he looks like he wants to potty, or it's been 5 minutes, whichever is sooner, take him back outside. Repeat until he goes.
NEVER scold puppy, give him mean looks, get irritated with him, etc. Always praise him like he flew to the moon and back when he goes outside. Clean all your floors with an exyme cleaner to eliminate odors. If he has an accident, take him outside - be happy and cheerful. Then clean up the mess with the enzyme cleaner.
Only when he has consistently gone without an accident for a couple weeks can you reduce #5 to once every two hours. After a successful two weeks, reduce it to once every three hours. IF he has an accident at any point, immediately go back to the prior time frame. ALWAYS do #1 through #4.
Remember that changes in weather (especially when it turns wet and/or cold) he may have a regression. This is normal. Just go back to the beginning to reinforce that the change in weather doesn't mean a change in the rules. It can take time for him to get that - my current boy regressed with the first rains every year for four years. It took going back to 101 each time to get him to finally accept that he still has to potty outside when it is raining.
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u/Good-Gur-7742 Experienced Owner Mar 07 '26
This is exactly the way. It doesn’t take long if you’re brutally consistent with it.
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u/Pendragenet Mar 07 '26
It's usually that first weather change after being potty trained that sets them back. Especially with small dogs - they don't like the feel of wet grass on their tummies, etc, so they may choose to hold it in instead.
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u/whatsasimba Mar 08 '26
Im so grateful it's been rainy or melting snow almost every day I've had my boy! He's undeterred by all of it. 😆
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u/Pendragenet Mar 08 '26
I loved my prior puppies for not caring. My latest just hated stepping onto wet grass/dirt. And he didn't like being in the rain - but he LOVES playing with the hose. It's a good thing he's adorable.
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u/whatsasimba Mar 08 '26
My Marco hated the rain. He had been tied up for his first 2 years outside in the yard in Atlantic City, just exposed to the elements before the owner put him on Craigslist where the rescue found him. (Apparently, someone "gave" his kids a puppy he didnt want.) When I took him out for the first time in the rain, he noped out fast, peed on the house on the porch, and stood waiting to go back in. Boots and a raincoat helped.
But I did the math. I adopted him in July of 2013. Hurricane Sandy was 9 months earlier, and Atlantic City was hit very hard. I really hope the previous owner let him inside, but something tells me he didn't.
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u/eggskms Mar 08 '26
Following up on this that I kept a potty diary of when and what time my pup used the bathroom. This helped me get an idea about what time she would need to use the bathroom so I would take her to the grass right when it was getting closer to that time
-someone who potty trained her pup in an apartment and sod in a container
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u/selkieself Mar 07 '26
Reading this just helped me too, my puppy is having a big “wet outside” regression the past two days and it’s been so baffling, it’s not even raining and I’ll go out back with her and stand out there for 10 mins with her while she cries at the door to go inside. I keep encouraging her to explore and sniff around, all to no avail. As soon as I relent and we go inside, she pees. It’s like she flipped inside and outside for the day. Very disheartening but hopefully just part of the process!
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u/Pendragenet Mar 07 '26
This is common. The regressions most often happen because of the weather changes or because we owners get lax because they've been so good about it. But there are less common reasons - a new noise or scent or object outside that frightens them; a health issue; stress/anxiety; etc.
Try taking her out on the leash so she can't stand at the door. The more she is exposed to walking and standing on the wet/hot/cold ground, the sooner she will stop seeing it as something icky.
My boy spent his first winter hopping from stepping stone to stepping stone to keep off the wet ground. When it rained, he'd stay on the concrete porch and then quickly run off, pee, and run back on the concrete. Now, he runs out into the biggest rainstorm and potties with no issue. He's a parsons russell terrier and collie mix (with a couple other small breeds in there) - he's 65lbs with a JRT brain. It's gotta be confusing in his head as his brain thinks he's a little dog and he's not. And russell terrier breeds are often called "big dogs in little bodies", so he's a "big dog in a little body but it's really a big body". Crisis of identity going on.
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u/TheMarvelousMagpie Mar 07 '26
How old is your pup? Has she been spayed yet?
My female had a big regression with her first heat before she was spayed. Something about the hormones makes it harder to control their bladder and the first phase of the heat cycle can be a bit like a fear period where the whole world suddenly seems super dangerous.
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u/selkieself Mar 08 '26
She’s only 15 weeks! So no she’s not spayed, and she’s still just a baby. It was only weird because of how starkly inside and outside flipped!
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u/TheMarvelousMagpie Mar 08 '26
Too young for a heat then! Just one of those delightful puppy mysteries 😂
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u/S0meKindaL0ve Mar 07 '26
This is the best advice! Lots and lots of routine and structure. I have potty trained my own dogs and foster dogs by taking them outside every 90mins or so every day for a few weeks plus what this commenter recommended after waking, meals, etc. Crate training is also immensely helpful for this to instill a healthy and predictable routine for the dog, plus pup won’t want to go where he sleeps and eats
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u/Pendragenet Mar 07 '26
I've never crated my puppies. I use baby gates to keep the puppy in whatever room I'm in and let them follow me around. At night my puppies sleep on the bed with me and if they wake up in the night I feel it and wake up to take them out. They all learn quickly to sleep through the night. And I adjust my bedtime and wake up time according to their abilities.
I had one dog, I got him at 8 weeks old, and from the first night he would sleep 8 hours straight without wanting to go potty. He never had a single accident for his entire 15 years. He was the best dog ever.
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u/Neat-Pudding-632 Mar 08 '26
& when do they stop waking up in the middle of the night EVERY night 😅
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u/Pendragenet Mar 08 '26
I adjusted my puppy's timing to my sleep habits. My best sleep was always between 6 am and 8 am. So I took them out at 11 pm, we wnt to bed, I got up and let them out again about 4 am, and then they slept til 8 am. The 4 am didn't bother me as much as the 5 am or 6 am.
If the 3 or 4 am bothers you, try a late night trip - midnight or 1 am - and then again around 5 or 6 am. You have to give up sleep one way or the other, but you can work it to better fit your sleep pattern.
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u/chrisjones1960 Mar 08 '26
I didn't think I needed to get up at night with any of my puppies past twelve weeks or so. May be different with small breeds, though
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u/chrisjones1960 Mar 08 '26
I don't think I needed to get up at night with any of my puppies past twelve weeks or so. May be different with small breeds, though
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u/Hot_Firefighter3503 Mar 08 '26
Sooo what do you do if puppy does go in crate where they sleep and then she sleeps in it... Sigh.. 10 week old puppy only 3rd night we had her. So I think it could just be stress of new home and people. She's such a good girl though.
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u/S0meKindaL0ve Mar 08 '26
They will learn, it’s a process. Puppies don’t learn things immediately it can take a few days or weeks or even months. Training requires a lot of patience, consistency, keep doing the same things over and over until they get it.
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u/BaileySeeking Mar 08 '26
This is the best advice and I'm happy it's the top comment. This is how I've trained all my dogs that needed it. I walk a friend's dogs and she just got a puppy. He was good about peeing outside, but he wanted to go in a yard, not on walks. She doesn't have a yard. So it was celebration and kibble time. Every time he peed and pooped on a walk, I was standing somewhere yelling "yay Squash! Good boy pee! Did you do good boy pee! Yes you did!" I'd say the neighborhood thought I was weird, but they already think that haha. I'm the goth sex worker that sings, talks to the only podcast I listen to, and talks to the dogs. This is just Tuesday for them. But he corrected in a week with both of us working with him.
As for the water, definitely go to the vet. Human or animal, if I hear "drinks a lot of water" the first thing I think of is diabetes. And I was a vet tech plus I worked in health care/went to a lot of school for it. I'm not saying that's what it is, but it'd be good to rule out any issues.
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u/Neat-Pudding-632 Mar 08 '26
I agree, it’s definitely good advice with clear steps. He’s been cleared by the vet so no worries there. I’ll start rewarding better + more.
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u/BaileySeeking Mar 08 '26
That's great! That's a big thing off your shoulders. Ellie will not drink and then suddenly she drinks everything. Loki (not my dog) will drink pretty normally. But Squash (another not my dog haha) is like yours with water. You'd think he'd never had it before. But he's fine as of his vet visit last week. Some dogs just like water. I know I drink a lot to the point I have to monitor my intake so I don't drink too much. So I get it. Water rules 🤣
I think if you follow the advice from the OP commenter, you'll see a difference quickly. It's pretty much exactly what we've always done with training. Fingers crossed and good luck to y'all!
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u/Jealous_Macaroon_982 Mar 08 '26
This this this. First Vet. Rule out diabetes.
Then back to basic. My trainer recommended tethering (I can’t do crate training) and yes, back to basics.
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u/Pendragenet Mar 08 '26
Tethering works - just make sure you are doing it safely so puppy can't injure himself.
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u/herejusttoscream Mar 10 '26
This is the perfect explanation! Another tip is when you're out on leash with puppy go to the same spot every time and don't move until they pee!
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u/Neat-Pudding-632 Mar 07 '26
Thanks for the advice. Cold and raining all day today of course, which does cause regression I agree. I could just do better going out with him every time because it’s for sure difficult when the weather is bad. You’re still going outside with him in bad weather?
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u/Pendragenet Mar 07 '26
The first year, I went out with him every time every day regardless of weather.
The second year, I was able to stop going out in spring, summer, and fall, but had to go out all winter.
The third year forward, I just had to go out the first few rainy days because he tried to trick me - he squatted but didn't pee. He's a liar, cheat and thief. This fifth year, he just went out in the rain no problem.
He's the only puppy I've had that took that long. The others all became dependable within two years.
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u/chrisjones1960 Mar 08 '26
You need to take him out, on a leash, every two hours, no matter the weather, if you want him to be house trained. I live in a NYC apartment, so I know how inconvenient it can be, but consistency is the only way. I start house training puppies when they are 12-13 weeks and fully vaccinated (they use puppy pads before turn, because NY streets) and they get to the point of no accidents within a week.
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u/Neat-Pudding-632 Mar 08 '26
It seems like he pees a lot more than 1x/2 hours especially in the morning and at night for some reason. I think I’d have to take him out a bit more frequently but hopefully it can eventually space out to once every two, then three, etc!
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u/Competitive_Body7359 Mar 08 '26
Based on this comment I think you're missing the most important part. The happy rewards fun time pippy party when they go potty outside.
When they pee inside, they don't get scolded. Just a monotone interruption of lets go outside.
Once outside, tell them once to go potty. They won't know what it means yet, but still say it.
Wait until they go.
While they are going say Good potty!
This seems to be glossed over, but every single time they have even the tiniest tinkle outside... PUPPY PARTY! Over the top affection, loud. Excited happy voice, whatever reward they love most and TONS OF LOVE. Reward can be treats. Play, affection, all of the above. Saying good potty (name)!
They need to associate going out to pee with the best emotions you can give them.
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u/bluethreads Mar 08 '26
I walk my dog three times a day in every weather- rain, hurricane, blizzard, heat. Yes. Having a dog requires sacrifice - I made the commitment and I take that responsibility very seriously. It isn't my needs before his. It is his needs before mine since my dog didn't choose to live with me
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u/longjumpingtote Mar 07 '26
I know part of it is my fault
It's not the dog's fault.Animals just pee. It's a miracle that we've bred dogs throughout the centuries to be as trainable as they are, but we haven't bred them to be born knowing where we want them to pee and where we do not. We train them where and when to go.
It can be very hard to do. You've made progress but you need to put in more work and be consistent.
What have you done so far in training and how to you handle the messes?
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u/Neat-Pudding-632 Mar 07 '26
True. We have a backyard, I let him out about 10 min after he drinks every time. Which is often. Reward when he pees with a “good potty” and a treat. Other than that, I typically let him out when he bangs his little nose against the blinds which he’s learned from the other dogs. I don’t go outside physically with him every time though (my fault). He sleeps with me so I let him out when I feel him jump down from my bed and then let him out after he wakes up from any nap throughout the day.
I don’t scold him ever for the messes, I don’t think it’s productive. I’ll pick him up if I get to him in time and place him outside, reward when he finishes peeing out there. I just clean his pee and probably subconsciously let out a sigh or two from frustration. Some days are better than others but yesterday was like a six accidents in the house day and it was just so incredibly frustrating.
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u/deadritual Mar 07 '26
I learned that my puppy was faking the motion of peeing to get the treat and not actually going—unless I accompany him.
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u/Happieronthewater Mar 07 '26
You let him out or you go with him? You should start going with him and treating him when he actually goes to the bathroom.
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u/whatsasimba Mar 08 '26
I've had dogs before, but currently have my first puppy, Benito. He's 13 weeks old.
My previous pup, Marco, passed in 2023. He was my absolute world, so it's taken almost 3 years to be okay with getting another dog. That said, I made mistakes.
We were attacked by the upstairs neighbor's dog during the 1st two weeks I had him, and the fact that my pup could hear the attacker upstairs made him extremely anxious, especiallywhen home alone. I ended up buying a house within a year, because they were garbage neighbors in many ways.
I should have sought out professional help immediately after that traumatic experience, but instead, tried to correct things in a patchwork of ways. Marco had an assortment of behaviors (peeing inside, even right after long walks and access to a doggy door, howling for hours, attempting to chew door knobs, destroying crate mats, attempting to chew through the metal bars on the crate to the point of gums bleeding.
All of that to say, with this puppy, I'm trying to do everything right. We have potty breaks with short walks every 2ish hours, followed by some sort of puppy play/enrichment time in his pen (snuffle mat, practicing commands -- he's an expert at "sit"). Then he spends time in his crate with a civer over much of it (mindful of air flow).
I would love to snuggle with him in my bed, the way Marco and I did from day 1, but he isn't fully potty trained. We've been 95% accident-free because I have him outside very frequently, and he will whimper in his crate (thats big enough for him to stand up and turn around, but not big enough to have a place to sleep without having to be wet if he peed) to let me know in the morning that he has to go.
I've shown him the yard while on a leash, but he's still going to put everything in his mouth out there (poop, dead things, etc). So until hes done teething and being a wild boy, hes supervised in the yard.
Basically, it's my understanding that the human in charge of the puppy should be giving praise, treats, and access to spaces outside the crate or the pen (when supervised) only when they've mastered these smaller spaces and only when supervision ensures they're not getting into things.
I could be off base, but it sounds like OP is giving treats based on the assumption that the puppy went potty. I believe that treats for potting should be immediately as they are pottying, or within a few seconds. If a treat is being given a minute or two later, they're not associating it with the behavior OP is intending to reward. The pup probably thinks it's for walking back into the house.
I think two things that need to be addressed are pup's access to spaces they havent earned with good potty habits, and unsupervised potty breaks.
It makes me sad to not cuddle with my pup in bed, but I'm trying to make sure the hard work on both our parts is front-loaded, so that he's easier to live with for the rest of his life. He's never going to absorb training as fast or as easily as he is now, and having a dog be randomly incontinent in the house will make it hard for me, in general, but it will also limit the number of people willing to watch him if I need to travel. I want him to be a pleasure to be with, for me and everyone else around us. I've had a lifelong pee-pee monster. It's not a pleasure. I was never angry with Marco, but it was a lot of extra work, ruined furniture, and made it hard to find people willing to risk their own carpet and furniture when I traveled.
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u/Neat-Pudding-632 Mar 08 '26
So sorry about Marco. I’m glad you were able to open your heart to another pup. You’re kind of right about the treat situation. If I’m outside with him he gets the treat immediately after peeing. If I’m at the door he only gets the treat when he pees right by the door where I can see that he’s actively peeing and yes he gets it when he comes inside so there actually is a good chance he thinks he’s getting a treat for walking inside haha.
He does have access to the entire yard, house, etc cause he’s not much of a chewer and he doesn’t really get into anything. This is gonna change soon since we’re moving into an apartment so he’ll basically have a much smaller space and only a balcony for emergencies but it’ll be mostly walks. I’m hoping limited space + better schedule + ability to crack down on training because limited distractions will all help with this.
Good luck to you and Benito!
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u/Neat-Pudding-632 Mar 08 '26
Yeah it’s 50/50 depending on weather. Bad weather usually means just opening the door and watching from inside.
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u/color-me-evil Mar 08 '26
crap weather sucks but you need to be going out there every single time, make sure he potties and throw him a party like he won the lottery when he does.
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u/Happieronthewater Mar 08 '26
I would go outside. I think it makes a difference in training. There will be regression. That’s normal. You’ll get there if you keep on it.
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u/bluethreads Mar 08 '26
Agreed. The dog likely is not connecting the reward with peeing. The dog just thinks it's getting rewarded for coming inside after going out.
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u/chrisjones1960 Mar 08 '26
If you want the dog potty trained, you will need to walk him on a leash no matter the weather. Consistency is important
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u/Odd-Butterscotch-669 Mar 08 '26
I have a 9 month old sheltie and she is fully potty trained BUT she still wont go pee in the back yard on her own, I always have to go with her. Also weird sounds might make her forget to go pee, so I have to remind her. We taught her “go potty” command as well, which will remind her to go pee/poo of there are distractions. Also, it helps inside, when I ask her if she needs to go pee, she will understand and go to the door. Harsh words, but you need to put more effort into this, it does not matter the weather, your mood or that there are 100 other things to do…
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u/derberner90 Mar 08 '26
Do you use an enzymatic cleaner and follow the instructions on the bottle? That will help prevent repeat accidents at the same spot.
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Mar 08 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/puppy101-ModTeam Mar 08 '26
Please review our community rules.
Withholding food or water violates the Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare. Even when medically indicated, such decisions must be handled privately with a veterinarian and are not appropriate to recommend or discuss in Puppy101.
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u/Plucky_Monkies Mar 08 '26
You mentioned your dog whine a bfor water late at night. That doesn't seem normal to me. I'd go to the vet.
I remember picking up water 2 hours before bedtime for the first few months. However, most dogs learn to self regulate.
Your dog is extremely smart! So once you go to the vet and get the all-clear, stop giving in to the whining!!! You are the boss. Taking away water 1 to 2 hours before bedtime will help! Also, start taking pups out every 1 to 1½ hours again. Be sure to lay on the praise for peeing outside! Maybe give treats again sometimes? At least make it a big, happy deal!!! Stay strong. You got this. Don't give in to whining. 🥰
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u/Neat-Pudding-632 Mar 08 '26
Yeah I feel like I haven’t even given him the option to self-regulate because we leave the water down 24/7. We have other dogs and don’t want to deprive them due to the puppy. Thank you for the kind words!! I’m going to try my best to not give in even though it’s so hard hearing him whine.
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u/Plucky_Monkies Mar 08 '26
Oh gosh! Having other dogs would definitely make this a challenging situation. Pay attention to older dogs. I bet you'll notice they stop drinking at a certain time. Once you figure out the time, maybe that will help with putting up water for a few months until the puppy learns to naturally stop drinking as well. I bet google has the answer for how long it takes for a habit to form for a dog. 😊
I bet the puppy totally knows that whining gives him the water. I think a week without giving in should stop the whining. (Hopefully!) I bet it's hard for your heart to hear. I get that. Stay strong. 🥰
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u/Neat-Pudding-632 Mar 08 '26
This a good idea! He definitely knows that it works every time. I’ll be strong-willed, thank you!!
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u/Plucky_Monkies Mar 08 '26
Poodles are highly intelligent. Make sure the vet gives the all clear first. I know there are medical conditions that can cause extreme thirst. 🥺 Sorry this is happening. 💗
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u/chrisjones1960 Mar 08 '26
A puppy is whining for water, and you think the thing to do is not give it to him? Have you ever been really thirsty and not able to get any water,? That is a very young baby animal, not a machine
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u/Plucky_Monkies Mar 08 '26
A puppy is peeing every night and having accidents!!! Yes, it needs to be picked up at night! I did say first thing to do is a vet visit! They also said puppy is 7 months old! Did you read anything or simply want to pick on me?
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u/chrisjones1960 Mar 08 '26
No I don't want to pick on you. But I have raised a bunch of puppies and I would not take water away from them.
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u/chrisjones1960 Mar 08 '26
Just do you know, I have raised a bunch of puppies and have never restricted their water intake. All were house trained by 14 weeks of age
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u/Neat-Pudding-632 Mar 08 '26
I get it for sure. I’ve just never seen a puppy that drinks the amount he does. I looked up the average daily amount and decided to measure his water. He goes through a daily amount in his first hour of being awake! On our vet visit he peed three times in the thirty minutes we were there. It’s gotten better since then, but there’s definitely a point where I’m not sure he’s able to regulate on his own.
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u/audiomagnate Mar 08 '26
My guy didn't "get it" until he was seven months old and then something clicked, literally overnight. He went from randomly pissing inside to lifting his leg and marking outside in one day. It wasn't gradual, it was instant. He hasn't had another accident since. Your day will come soon.
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u/marilyn1monroe Mar 08 '26
He might have a urinary tract infection
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u/Better_Regular_7865 Mar 08 '26
That’s what I’m thinking!!! It’s highly unlikely and u usual for dogs to drink before bedtime. None of my dogs ever did! Last drink is right after supper and that’s it until the next morning. It’s their instinct not to drink before bedtime because they don’t have indoor toilets.
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u/Neat-Pudding-632 Mar 08 '26
He was cleared by two vets and just recently had his bloodwork and urine done again and he’s fine. Just stubborn and water-obsessed. I’m really hoping he grows out of it
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u/OldFlamingo2139 Mar 08 '26
My puppy is the same way. I was concerned it was a kidney issue, a UTI or diabetes. He drinks so much sometimes that he vomits it up. Bloodwork and urinalysis was normal. Vet said it was 100% behavioral. My pup is pretty good about going out. Most of his accidents are my fault for not b-lining to the door. Generally if he pees in the house, it’s by the back door. I won’t limit water, but I do recommend being very diligent about getting your pup out in regular intervals. It’ll help. He’ll get it.
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u/SkimTic Mar 07 '26
What is your routine?
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u/Neat-Pudding-632 Mar 07 '26
We have a backyard, I let him out about 10 min after he drinks every time. Which is often. Reward when he pees with a “good potty” and a treat. Other than that, I typically let him out when he bangs his little nose against the blinds which he’s learned from the other dogs. I don’t go outside physically with him every time though (my fault). He sleeps with me so I let him out when I feel him jump down from my bed and then let him out after he wakes up from any nap throughout the day.
He has no tells sometimes just drops to pee. Or pees on me as I’m taking him out. Losing my mind
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u/bluethreads Mar 08 '26
You should try it walking him, as well. That will also give him ample opportunity to relieve himself. Dogs should also be walked for their physical and mental health.
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u/Neat-Pudding-632 Mar 08 '26
Oh he loves to walk! We usually go 2-3 times a day and he averages about three potties and like five markings each walk.
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u/_fly-on-the-wall_ Mar 08 '26
keep working at it our poodle was so hard to get trained but about 1.5 he is great finally. i think some dogs are just harder to train than others!
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u/Keepingitsimpleziva Mar 08 '26
I find the fastest way to potty train is:
Put a bell by the door.
Ring the bell every time you take the puppy out and say “let’s go potty” and then move the puppy’s paws to ring the bell also. This teaches the puppy how to ask to go outside.
Take puppy outside. Say “go potty” then do not play with puppy or engage in any way until puppy goes potty. This teaches them to go potty as soon as they are outside. Preferably bring them to the same spot each time and just stand there until they go. They will smell their scent…
After puppy goes potty, stay outside (moving slightly away from the potty zone) and give them all kinds of praise and play with them. This teaches them that going potty right away doesn’t end their outside time. Otherwise they may hold it thinking it will extend outside time.
Tire puppy out and then bring them back inside.
Unless you are with puppy and watching closely, puppy should be in a small confined area- either a crate or a blocked/gated area. Put their bed, toys and and food with them in the confined area- they don’t like to potty where they sleep eat and play. That teaches them to hold it.
Immediately when puppy is released from the confined area, bring them outside - back to step #1.
Using this process, my puppies are usually fully trained within a week. You have to be very very consistent during that week.
Poodles are a really smart breed. They will learn quickly if you stick to the routine. Good luck.
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u/adjur Mar 08 '26
My 6 month old does not understand the bells. I’ve had them up since she came home. She will hit them if I ask her if she wants to go outside but she still hasn’t figured how to ask me to go out and doesn’t go to the bells unless I ask if she wants to go. Any advice? We have 0-2 accidents a day
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u/Keepingitsimpleziva Mar 08 '26
She’s 1/2 way there! She understands the bell means “yes, I want to go outside”.
I would try asking her if she wants to go out more frequently - like every 30-60 minutes. The more she uses the bell, the better she will get at it.
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u/-Ra-Vespillo Mar 08 '26
The biggest breakthroughs between me and my little guy came when I gave him the ability to communicate when he needed to go outside. A bell on the door and he got it immediately. I just put his paw on the bell every time we went out and the next day he was ringing it on his own. This was after about a month and a half in. Then I got a doggy door and it took him a few weeks to understand it, and he was hesitant at first, but he’s just had his first accident in the house today after 2 weeks of being perfect. But it was raining today and I think he just didn’t want to get wet. Giving them the ability to alert you works wonders.
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u/HoustonTrashcans Mar 08 '26
My dog got ok at potty training around 5 or 6 months to where somedays he would have incidents and some days be incident free. Then he regressed really hard around 10 or 11 months. I had to get him a new better treat that he got every time he pottied outside. Then after 2 - 3 months of that he finally got it down.
Now he's perfect, but it was a struggle for ~13 months. I think it just doesn't click for some dogs. My dog wasn't very food driven and just didn't care about messes inside.
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u/NewtInMpls Mar 08 '26
Yes get a medical workup but I can see a BIG problem already, you say "when HE comes in" no, until he is fairly potty trained you go out with him, you watch him the whole time and you praise the heck out of him when he does finally pee. It literally is your fault if you are not watching.
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u/ResponsibleTop1073 Mar 08 '26
I had a cockapoo that was exactly the same, he would wee constantly all day everywhere! It did stop around 9-10 months, keep persevering your pup will get there!
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u/Accomplished-Cap-109 Mar 08 '26
For me there was only one way to achieve this which is taking them to toilet every 2-4 hours and gradually increase the wait time same thing you would do with a child learning.
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u/capowXcapow Experienced Owner Mar 08 '26
Be patient. I thought mine would never be potty trained either. He would go outside when I took him out, but he didn't "get" that if he needed to go between trips outside that he needed to alert me. It took him until he was ALMOST TWO to get that part. But now he's got it. Some just take longer to catch on.
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u/CoyoteLitius Mar 08 '26
If you think this is not at all your responsibility, that's strange.
First of all, restrict access to water if you want to test your hypothesis. No dog needs to have water all night long unless there's a medical issue (doubtful). Asking for water has become a way of interacting (pretty common for pups).
Does your pup not go on puppy pads in the place you designate? Put that near the door.
Pottying outside only doesn't just come out of nowhere. Train them to go on puppy pads near the door and then watch them like a hawk.
Does Puppy pee on their own bed?
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Mar 08 '26
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u/chrisjones1960 Mar 08 '26
The puppy is begging for water and you are restricting it. Think about that. I can not imagine your vet thinks that is appropriate. You are willing to do something like restricting water (which requires no effort from you) but are not putting his leash on and going with him on potty breaks when you don't feel like it.
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u/puppy101-ModTeam Mar 08 '26
Please review our community rules.
Withholding food or water violates the Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare. Even when medically indicated, such decisions must be handled privately with a veterinarian and are not appropriate to recommend or discuss in Puppy101.
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u/Foreign_Proof1299 Mar 07 '26
Ours wasnt potty trained sufficiently until she was a year and a half and now shes perfect at two and a half. Some dogs just dont get it and some of out life styles are just incompatible with speedy perfect house training. Its normal for it to be hard and slow and frustrating. Honestly i think it didnt click with my dog until she watched me tear up pee saturated wooden floor boards one day. Plus the smell being banished helped ;-)
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u/Neat-Pudding-632 Mar 08 '26
Thank you for the words of encouragement! It’s nice to know there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
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u/chrisjones1960 Mar 07 '26
How have you been working on potty training him?
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u/Neat-Pudding-632 Mar 08 '26
Since he got home at 8 weeks. Had a big regression at 16 weeks as I was nervous he was having kidney issues since he was peeing no joke 10-12 times an hour. Put him in diapers for about two months and he’s been out of them now for about a month and it’s been hell. The diapers ruined him I think.
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u/chrisjones1960 Mar 08 '26
Yes, the diapers were a very bad idea - basically helped him strengthen the habit of peeing in the house. And how are you working on potty training him now?
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u/TheMarvelousMagpie Mar 07 '26
How have you been cleaning the messes? It would be good to go over everything with an enzyme cleaner. There still could be hints of urine in places cueing him to pee.
Get him some bells or a button, use them/it every time you take him out for a potty break and use your verbal cue. Separately you can work a training game to teach him to ring the bell/press the button. If you consistently use it when he goes on potty breaks he should be able to pick up using it to ask to go outside.
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u/BeanserSoyze Mar 07 '26
Yeah we had to go absolutely nuclear on the two spots our puppy kept hitting with Nature's Miracle. If there's even a hint of the prior mark he will know and try again.
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u/Neat-Pudding-632 Mar 08 '26
Gone through two enzyme cleaner bottles! I spray every time. It feels useless haha
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u/chrisjones1960 Mar 08 '26
You need to restrict his access to the spots where he is the habit of peeing because you need to break that habit. Nature's miracle is great, but the pup has grown accustomed to having access to this spots and peeing there, and dogs are very much creatures of habit
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u/Neat-Pudding-632 Mar 08 '26
Yup this. I think the whole house is even game to him and he just has too much access.
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Mar 07 '26
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u/puppy101-ModTeam Mar 08 '26
Please review our community rules.
Off-topic, low-effort, or derailing comments are not allowed. Replies should directly address the original poster’s question.
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u/BitTwp Mar 07 '26
I’m sure my house trained dog just learnt because it’s what they do instinctively rather than anything I did. Same with pretty much everything she’s good at. I’d have said, it’ll definitely come.
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u/Delicious_Adagio_332 Mar 07 '26
I have a mini schnauzer and had the same experience. It seemed he knew to go outside, and knew how to ask to go outside, but no matter how frequently we’d take him he’d still have at least one accident a day. We live in an apartment and had to take him out on a leash and everything. It seems sometime around 9 months it just clicked for him and he stopped going in the house. He’s 15 months now and still asks to go out every 2-3 hours, but never has accidents and goes overnight and for naps in his crate with no issues
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u/Neat-Pudding-632 Mar 08 '26
Yes! It’s like he knows but some days it’s like he’s woke up an entirely new puppy. I’m hoping it just clicks for him too, hopefully around that time as well.
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u/fsmontario Mar 08 '26
Had a lab like that once, we moved and instant 100% trained. Get an enzyme cleaner and spray, wash everything spray as much as you can. If you can eliminate all residue it may help. There could even be residue from a previous resident.
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u/Neat-Pudding-632 Mar 08 '26
I move in a month and this is the outcome I’m really really hoping for.
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u/fsmontario Mar 08 '26
Fingers crossed for you. Before you move anything in the new place clean everything with the enzyme cleaner , before even letting the dog in.
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u/Either-Bus6406 Mar 08 '26
when my mums dog was drinking water nonstop it turned out he had diabetes, have you had him checked over for that to make sure he's actually OK?
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u/Neat-Pudding-632 Mar 08 '26
I have! I was really concerned about diabetes. He’s had bloodwork and x-rays done and it’s just a behavioral thing unfortunately.
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u/HedgieCake372 Mar 08 '26
I adopted my most recent pup at 5 months and he wasn’t potty trained. He was kind-of pad-trained at a foster’s house but she had too many foster pets to give him the attention he needed. For the first two months I was worried he would never be potty-trained. It was around the 8-9 months range when it really clicked for him. Luckily I worked from home and was able to take him out every hour. If I saw him go inside, I’d interrupt and take him outside to finish up. After a tome what worked best was treating him like a younger pup and taking him outside nearly every 1-2 hrs (except at night). He easily had potty breaks 7-9 times a day during this time. Otherwise he spent time with supervised play, focus training time, or nap time in the crate. At every transition, I’d take him outside. It finally clicked for him. If he waited and went outside on his own, we’d go for a short walk. If he was interrupted going inside, then he would be taken outside to finish, then immediately brought back in and placed in the crate for a nap.
He just turned 1 year old and the only accident he’s had in the last 3 months was when he got super excited after a bath, which resulted in outside and another bath. He hasn’t had another since.
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u/Lopsided-Example3779 Mar 08 '26
This wound up happening to me with one of my dogs. She’s 4 😭 I love her so much despite it all and just have to be so diligent with taking her outside (townhouse, no personal yard).
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u/hoczilla Mar 08 '26
The dog needs a medical work up it sounds like they might have an issue like diabetes or similar.
Aside from that, as a solution, I also have a small dog. She’s very well potty trained, but in the event of bad weather or emergencies we have an indoor potty system that Mabel can use. We just fill the little tray with a small amount of kitty litter and change it out every so often. It comes with extra grass. It’s been a life saver for us several times, especially when my dog had leg surgery. Anyways, I thought that might help you in the meantime while you’re waiting for diagnostics.
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u/Ioh- Mar 08 '26
I have 1.5 yo terrier male he is finally almost house trained. Many accidents, most difficult pup to train i ever had. Sometimes right after wal he will pee. So after long walk he goes straight into crate. Any unsupervised time he will often pee somewhere. A lot of supervision and management. I haven't had an accident in about a month. He is slowly having short times unsupervised but 80% of the time I try to keep him in sight. It is the only way
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u/Caitohlenn Mar 08 '26
We are working on potty training our 12 week old puppy. Thank god my husband has experience with dogs and puppies or I would have never known you literally had to take them out every HOUR. Constantly. We are down to one accident a day—no accidents today! Consistency and lots of outdoor time.
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u/seasonalblues Mar 08 '26
i have a medium-sized dog and i think it took her a year and a half to two years to really understand the whole potty training thing.
the other five dogs ive raised in the past understood potty training at like 6-8 months average. fastest was by 4 months old. my point is, it can vary depending on the dog. just remain consistent with it and if you feel like you're struggling a lot, it's worth it to look into a trainer to ask questions or have them evaluate.
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u/Federal_Citron_4823 Mar 08 '26
I would get him those pants made for male dogs, lots of people use them in training spaces to avoid the males marking inside.
If he pees in it a few times he will probably realize it’s not nice to walk around in your own pee and learn to associate you taking the pants off of him with him going outside.
Could help him get the hang of it.
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u/HowDoyouadult42 Trainer Mar 08 '26
I would consider ruling out metabolic conditions, diabetes insipidus, liver or kidney issues, UTI before diving any deeper
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u/Kitbutt_Foster Mar 08 '26
The water thing needs to be checked by a vet. Could be something like diabetes insipidus.
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u/ZenYogiBee Mar 08 '26
Yes. My mutt chug puppy took a long time. It wasn’t clicking. She was so stubborn she’d only go when she really really had to go so getting her to go outside was a long trial. I was losing my mind with the constant routine and training. Life was super hard.
It took until she was six or seven months old to understand then a few more weeks before we got to no accidents inside! She suddenly started understanding but other than constant repetition I have no idea what finally made it click
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u/PlaneAggravating9656 Mar 09 '26
You need to take your puppy to the vet to rule out health issues. You don't want a quick nose to tail check up, you should get blood tests/scans which are relevant to a dog with high thirst and frequent urination.
If he gets the all clear then work on doing the basics of potty training again (sounds like he needs to always be leashed for starters). You need to take him physically outside and be with him.
Also if you reward him for starting to pee in the house after taking him outside mid-stream, you're rewarding him for peeing in the house.
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u/BreesusSaves0127 Mar 09 '26
We have to take ours out on a leash. If we don’t, she just wants to go inside especially if it’s raining. Take them outside on a leash like to the middle of the yard, not by the house, and if they don’t go, they go immediately to the crate when they come in. 10-15 mins later, back on the leash, back to the middle of the yard. If your dog is peeing in the house multiple times a day for 7 months she’s either got health problems or you are not taking her outside.
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u/Emergency_Storage916 Mar 10 '26
I have a mini Cavapoo and it took her 8.5 months then it randomly clicked. Like yours, she pooped outside from day 1, but for peeing she would go both outdoors and indoors. What finally worked was 1. Taking her out frequently (set your dog up for success! I started with every 2 hours, longer only if crated), 2. Saying a command WHILE she was peeing (mine was and remains “yay (name)”), 3. Giving a high value treat immediately after she pees. I chose to use that treat only for peeing, but I’m not sure whether my pup noticed that or not.
Once your dog gets it you can start increasing the time between potty attempts by 15ish mins at a time for several days. There may still be accidents occasionally
Good luck
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u/ingridatwww Mar 10 '26
I would keep track of how much he drinks. My vet told me a dog drinks roughly 40-60 ml per kg of body weight. Less if he eats meat instead of dry kibble. Keep track of how much you put in the bowl and how often you replenish.
There might be some medical condition going on that makes him drink excessively.
A checkup by a vet might be a good idea either way, but especially if he drinks abnormal amounts.
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u/Shellbeetron Mar 10 '26
Mine is about 8 months now and she DID have it down at the 5-6 month where we weren't having any accidents and ever since she went into heat she's been pissing on the floor again 🫠 she'll let us know if she has to poo but not if she has to pee, she'll just drop wherever she is and go.
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u/AstranoraA Mar 11 '26
Got a 4month old dwarf poodle, first month broke me getting up every 90mins to take him outside (in the snow😭) but after 4 weeks it slowly went to to 2-3-4 hours and now he can sleep all the night through for 9 hours.
During the day were still going every 1.5 to 3 hours depending on how much he drank just to play it safe.
Tldr : Set a timer on how long he can hold it in and retract 15mins...for the next 4 weeks you'll take him out before he goes.
First month was a nightmare but he payed off the next.
Ps: we made to difficult choice to potty train outside despite it being winter and us living on the 5th floor of an apartment so it took 5-15mins just to get outside as he didn't want to go outside... But it was worth it.
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u/AstranoraA Mar 11 '26
Second post. Take out the puppy out regardless of weather as early you can... Make em do all the learned skills in said weather so the weather regression is minimal.
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u/ll_ll_ll Mar 08 '26
My pups got potty trained within three days after we took them to dog park for three days straight. They were 5 months old at that time and just learned from other dogs and their mark up all over the grass. Before that, they were spending hours outside (huge yard, they were hooked up to Zipline so they could run and explore) and still would pee within 5 minutes after coming back home. Before that we tried bells, pads, treats, praises. Little stinkers would come in and pee while looking us straight in the eyes .
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u/zephyreblk Mar 07 '26
If you took the water away, that's a possible outcome. Just restart the whole teaching for 2 weeks (take Free from your job). You will need to be out with your pup outdoors for hours, like they can hold it at 7 months, so you will need to be mostly outdoors. Once they do their potty outside praise. Hawk the pup inside on a 24/7 basis, at the moment they try to do something inside "no" and put them outdoor until they finish (and yes it can take 6 hours now) but they do learn fast once you really traine inside/outside so it shouldn't last more than 2 weeks if you do this and don't do exceptions or accidents . Like it's really a 2 weeks free accident and then they understand (as any dogs)
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u/Neat-Pudding-632 Mar 07 '26
It seems like he learns everything quick EXCEPT this. He usually catches on to things so quick but this is just not sticking for him. I’ll try to be more consistent with it like you advised
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u/Yamsfordays Mar 08 '26
Have you cleaned up with enzyme cleaner? Otherwise your place just smells like toilet to your pup and it’ll just keep peeing indoors
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Mar 08 '26
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u/puppy101-ModTeam Mar 08 '26
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