# When is a puppy "housebroken?"



## Fbones24 (Aug 20, 2013)

So our pup will be 13 weeks Friday and he has been home with us for three weeks. The last two days he has had no accidents and has started going to the back door and jumping up when he has to go out. He has done this on 5 or 6 occasions already.

I know it is too early to declare him housebroken yet, but was wondering when it is safe to start letting him out on his own without treating every time? When and how do you make that determination?


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## jsca (Dec 10, 2013)

Fbones24 said:


> So our pup will be 13 weeks Friday and he has been home with us for three weeks. The last two days he has had no accidents and has started going to the back door and jumping up when he has to go out. He has done this on 5 or 6 occasions already.
> 
> I know it is too early to declare him housebroken yet, but was wondering when it is safe to start letting him out on his own without treating every time? When and how do you make that determination?


I personally never stop treating. My 3.5 year old boy still gets a treat when he comes back in. I use large pieces of dehydrated chicken; he gets a small piece of it just for going potty, and then the rest of it I make him go through his list of known tricks. 


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## Kyndall54 (Apr 26, 2013)

5 months. Reliably, at least for us.But Ammy peed in the floor this week because my fiancée and I have been crazy busy and while moving through the house I didn't notice her scratching the door.


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## Fbones24 (Aug 20, 2013)

jsca said:


> I personally never stop treating. My 3.5 year old boy still gets a treat when he comes back in. I use large pieces of dehydrated chicken; he gets a small piece of it just for going potty, and then the rest of it I make him go through his list of known tricks.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


This is a good point and an easy way to reinforce it. I guess I was just wondering when we had to stop going outside with him. I'm sure for every dog it is different but was wondering if there were certain indicators.


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## littlesoprano (Sep 21, 2013)

Cosmo is 6 months and we don't go outside with him. I stopped doing so last month, he knows going potty means he needs to go, and no playing until he does just that. Cosmo hasn't had any accidents since before Thanksgiving, and no matter where he is in the house, he will come find me and bark to tell me he needs to go. I consider him pretty much potty trained.


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## 3doglady (Jul 31, 2011)

You don't have to treat him every time. You've made a good impression on him with the potty habits he developed. Keep in mins that their bladders, etc. don't fully mature until about 5 or 6 months of age. Right now he's indicating that he has to go, (totally normal), but there will be times when he doesn't know he has to go until it's too late. Keep taking him out regularly, and treat randomly, or just praise him each time. I would continue going out with him for another 2-3 months.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

It's tough to say. I think a dog is housebroken when he actively avoids going in the house when left for a long-ish period of time. He has to go, but he doesn't, because he wants to go outside instead. It's really hard to test that though. I would say generally 5-6 months. My pup didn't have any accidents after 16 months or so, but I know that if I had let him go too long he would've peed in the house. At that age it was up to me to take him out often enough. 

I don't have a fenced in yard, so I still take him out on leash. I probably stopped treating him around 5-6 months and just used praise. He's always been very quick to go outside (typically on cue) so I didn't need to reward anymore. With a dog who was slow to go or still having accidents inside, I would keep treating.


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## Kyllobernese (Feb 5, 2008)

Kris is a year old on the 24th of Dec. and only has had one accident in the house since I got her at 11 weeks and that was the next morning after I got her, right at the door as I was not quick enough to open it and that was just pee. I have a small house and she was confined to my kitchen where I could always see her when I was home and outside or in her crate if I went out and did not take her with me. I gave her no chance to make a mistake. I even either put her outside or in her crate when I was having a shower until she was six months old.

She has always been quite mellow when in the house so if she got up and started wandering, I took her outside. She will head for the door if she has to go out but lots of times, I just ask her if she wants to go out. If she does she heads for the door, if not, she just looks at me. She is still crated at night and probably will be for a while yet as she is still a little nosy and would get into things if left loose.


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## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

elrohwen said:


> It's tough to say. I think a dog is housebroken when he actively avoids going in the house when left for a long-ish period of time. He has to go, but he doesn't, because he wants to go outside instead. It's really hard to test that though. I would say generally 5-6 months. My pup didn't have any accidents after 16 months or so, but I know that if I had let him go too long he would've peed in the house. At that age it was up to me to take him out often enough.
> 
> I don't have a fenced in yard, so I still take him out on leash. I probably stopped treating him around 5-6 months and just used praise. He's always been very quick to go outside (typically on cue) so I didn't need to reward anymore. With a dog who was slow to go or still having accidents inside, I would keep treating.


Pretty much this.

I don't really treat my dogs for housetraining, I never did Recon or Frag... But once I can expect them to hold it for a period of time over when they HAVE to go - usually somewhere around 6+ hours, they are reliably housetrained, to me. For Frag, that was at 4 months old. For Recon, it was closer to 11 mos.


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## Jen2010 (Feb 12, 2013)

Pepper could go outside on her own around 5-6 months old I would guess. But she wasn't fully housebroken until 8-9 months old.


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## Dags (Dec 6, 2006)

The rule of thumb is 3 months with no accidents at all indicates a house-trained dog. It sounds like your pup has already figured out the basics and communicates well, so you are off to a great start! I would not stop treating or being present just yet, but rather start fading the treats slolwy. Treat every 2nd or 3rd time he potties outside to start, and praise with attention and a marker word like "yes!" always. After a week go to every 5th time. And after that go to complete randomness. 

It is important to stay present through the early stages of puppy development because a lot is changing emotionally and physically for your dog. These things can effect his ability to hold his bladder and his association with going outside. He is super impressionable at this stage, so he may quickly begin to see outside as a bad place where he is left alone if you aren't there to praise him.

Of course all of this is entirely dependant on your dog's personality. It's possible he just adores outside whether or not you are there and will embrace going out no matter what. But if he is the clingy, needy, affectionate type already, I advise you to stay close until he builds his confidence, and treat on an intermittent schedule of reinforcement. Conditioning that verbal reinforcer ("yes!") will help you fade out treats and teach your dog that this word indicates success. 

Also keep in mind that your pup is about to hit the peak of their chewing & destructo-puppy stage. All the more reason to keep a close eye on those potty times to prevent any regression. Plus, if he eats something bad (which many puppies do) the first clue you will have is whether or not he can poop/pee and what the consistency is. You don't want to find out that he has been eating socks and christmas ornaments after 2 days of no pooping.


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

Fbones24 said:


> So our pup will be 13 weeks Friday and he has been home with us for three weeks. The last two days he has had no accidents and has started going to the back door and jumping up when he has to go out. He has done this on 5 or 6 occasions already.
> 
> I know it is too early to declare him housebroken yet, but was wondering when it is safe to start letting him out on his own without treating every time? When and how do you make that determination?


One of the reasons we prefer to go out with them is just to make sure they go. That way, you can afford to give them a little bit of freedom when they come back in, you can feel a bit safer, knowing they're "empty." 
We have wildlife, and occasionally, when our dogs were puppies, they would go out to potty, but, get distracted by a squirrel or deer, and then come back in without going. Then, we (thinking they had gone) wouldn't watch them AS closely, and we'd have an accident, because as soon as they came in they remembered they had to go and it was too late.

Puppies go through several developmental stages, and those stages can sometimes affect potty training. Teething can affect potty training, too. And, just like children, you may think they're done potty training, but, occasionally they'll have slip ups. So, 13 weeks, to me, seems a bit young.


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

jsca said:


> I personally never stop treating. My 3.5 year old boy still gets a treat when he comes back in. I use large pieces of dehydrated chicken; he gets a small piece of it just for going potty, and then the rest of it I make him go through his list of known tricks.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


If you treat when a dog comes back in how does your dog know he's getting treated for potty? It seems like he'd think he's getting a treat for coming back in. I was always told that a treat (or even correction) has to happen within 5-10 seconds of the behavior you're trying to reinforce (or correct). Unless, of course, you're using a clicker. Then, you'd click right away, and the treat can come after that. But, timing, as I learned it, was important when reinforcing.


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## Hambonez (Mar 17, 2012)

I was afraid to call Hamilton housebroken for a very long time after he actually was, looking back. I figure he was housebroken when his instinct became to ask to go out every time he needed to instead of just going indoors. I could not take him outside and wait for him to ask to go out, and he would without an accident. He was about 5.5 months old when this happened.



doxiemommy said:


> If you treat when a dog comes back in how does your dog know he's getting treated for potty? It seems like he'd think he's getting a treat for coming back in.


I was thinking that too. Hamilton DOES get a treat for coming back inside when he goes into the back yard by himself (I keep an eye on him from in the house). I specifically reward him for coming back in the house so that coming inside again isn't a bad thing and he wants to come back to get his cookie. He goes right to his cabinet and sits when he comes in so he can get his cookie. Haha.


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## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

doxiemommy said:


> If you treat when a dog comes back in how does your dog know he's getting treated for potty? It seems like he'd think he's getting a treat for coming back in. I was always told that a treat (or even correction) has to happen within 5-10 seconds of the behavior you're trying to reinforce (or correct). Unless, of course, you're using a clicker. Then, you'd click right away, and the treat can come after that. But, timing, as I learned it, was important when reinforcing.


It's a chained behavior that many dogs learn very easily. "I go outside, potty, come back in and get a cookie."

Just like so many dogs learn "I approach human, jump on them, then sit and get a cookie."


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

Honestly, I couldn't pinpoint when Kylie and Thud got housebroken; it just kind of crept up on me.

Kylie never had an accident in our house -ever- and she came home at 4 weeks old. Would I call her housebroken at that age? No. I'd call me vigilant and her cooperative. She'd started to waddle herself out the back door to pee on her own by 8 weeks old, but the door was open and she was only allowed access to the part of the house that led directly outside and we were always with her and with our eyes on her. Somewhere around 4 months old she'd take herself to or through that door from other areas of the house, but I don't think she could have held it very long if we weren't right there to open the door for her. 5-6 months old when she had to wait for us to get to her and she *DID* (including sometimes when we weren't at home with her) is probably where I'd call it.

That's about the path Thud took, but with a few accidents right at the start because he was a sick puppy and he came home in winter. Otherwise, about 4 months for taking himself to the back door, 6 for being willing and able to hold it.

And to be honest... I've never rewarded for going to the bathroom outside, aside from a 'good job!'. I think it's a good idea, it just isn't something we've done. Our focus was always just on making going outside the only option they ever really had, so there was no chance that they'd develop a habit of going inside. Outside is just where they go, and have always gone.


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## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

CptJack said:


> And to be honest... I've never rewarded for going to the bathroom outside, aside from a 'good job!'. I think it's a good idea, it just isn't something we've done. Our focus was always just on making going outside the only option they ever really had, so there was no chance that they'd develop a habit of going inside. Outside is just where they go, and have always gone.


This! If you make sure your dog has no chance to go anywhere else, it just becomes habit and it's engrained into them. 

Frag had one half pee accident inside as a puppy (because he was interupted mid-stream and taken out!) other than the diarhea as a result of colitis which wasn't his fault, and he was never rewarded for going outside other than praise. And he's the best damn dog for holding his bladder and bowels to this day, loose in the house, even after eating a meal! 

Once they start having accidents inside I think you do have to start rewarding more outside to break the habit and make that more rewarding since they are already self-reinforcing going inside. >.<


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## Kyllobernese (Feb 5, 2008)

I never did give Kris treats for going outside. I kept a really close eye on her when she was in the house and never gave her the opportunity to go anywhere but outside. The only accident she had in the house was when I brought her home at 11 weeks, the first morning she went as I was opening the door to take her out after being in the crate overnight. I did take her out once during the night so it was about five hours since she had gone. After that, she always held it till I let her outside. Other than telling her to "go pee" when I was outside and telling her good girl she was never treated for going outside. She is still crated overnight to keep her from getting into things but is loose during the day when I am home.


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## briteday (Feb 10, 2007)

We are struggling with our new puppy a bit. Our past three dogs acquired as puppies would all alert when they had to go...dance on the rug by the door, bark, whine, whatever. The newest one only has one clue...she starts to sniff around in a particular corner of the family room. No whining or going to the door. We have learned to be quick to take her out when we see her in that area. She is also a bit like a male in that she can appear to empty her bladder outside and then come in and leave a little sprinkle on a rug. She always seems to have a bit in the tank no matter what, literally right after she comes in from a complete potty run.

That being said, due to unfortunate circumstances she came to us at only 4 weeks of age. So maybe she missed something and we failed to fill in the gaps at that young age. Also, the litter was being housed in a shed outside so the dogs could go to the yard anytime. In addition, within 2 weeks from the time we brought her home she acquired a stubborn UTI and struvite crystals which took 8 weeks to clear up. So during that time it was difficult to figure out when she could or couldn't wait to go out. And I suspect sometimes she had no warning. 

This one is quite the challenge. But it has been about a month since she has had an accident in the house. She is now 7 months old. I just don't see her making the connection that outside is where we urinate. We have her on a reasonable schedule of taking her out, crated when we are not home or asleep, and keep a close eye on her when she is given privileges in rooms beyond the tiled family room. Next week she goes to be spayed and I am concerned that she will revert a bit. Hoping she progresses to the bullet-proof won't pee in the house even if I turn yellow dog that most of our previouls dogs have been.


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## Flaming (Feb 2, 2013)

6 months old or 3 months with no accidents (outside of health issues or stupid things ingested) whichever happens last.


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## petpeeve (Jun 10, 2010)

I'd question whether a 13 week old pup has the capacity to 'chain' together a behavior such as this under these particular circumstances. Mmm maybe. Maybe not.

I think it's best to keep going outside with your dog to completely ensure that he eliminates. Once he does go, I would reward lavishly, _immediately_ afterward, and continue to follow this plan until roughly 5 or 6 months of age. Especially with the smaller breeds of dogs.

If a pup ever begins to regress in housetraining, sometimes even just once, it can be incredibly difficult to get back on track. And there goes all of your good work down the drain, no pun intended. I prefer to keep the ball rolling along until I know beyond any doubt it ain't never returning. Like the old adage, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.


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## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

petpeeve said:


> I'd question whether a 13 week old pup has the capacity to 'chain' together a behavior such as this under these particular circumstances. Mmm maybe. Maybe not.


Oh absolutely. Recon picked up before 15 weeks that he was to run, jump on human, then come back and get a treat. Puppies in my classes as young as 8 weeks do the EXACT same thing, and you can tell it is a chained behavior. Routine, and starting from a young age? No doubt they are chaining together that they only get a treat if they go out, pee/poop, then come back in.


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