“Can An 8 Weeks Old Puppy Be Potty Trained? Yes, but up to an extent only! At 8 weeks old, you can potty train the puppy to the extent of setting good habits only. Your goal should be teaching manners. It will take you more time to get him fully potty trained because he must have weak bladder muscles and very less understanding of what he is expected to do.” Potty Training an 8 Week old puppy is more like setting good habits. The actual training starts when he is around 12-16 weeks old.
Potty training your puppy is a straightforward process. There is only a clear-cut guideline to follow:
Never allow your puppy to relieve itself in an inappropriate location; always reward her when she relieves in an appropriate area.
When do you have to take your 8-week-old puppy out to potty?
Puppies can’t hold their bladder for longer.
As a rule of thumb, they have to relieve every hour for every month of their age, so a 2-month-old (8-weeks-old) puppy needs to go every 2 hours.
But you must take her outside to potty at these times:
- Immediately after waking up in the morning.
- Following each meal.
- After a nap
- Every 10-15 minutes during the playtime (play makes pee).
- Just before going to bed.
How to potty train an 8 weeks old puppy?
Potty training is a simple but tiring process, and 8-week-old puppies can have a hard time. This is because they need a bathroom break every couple of hours, and a person needs to be with them all the time.
Here’s how you will potty train your 8-week old puppy:
- You will keep an eye on him and note down
- that after how much time of eating, drinking, or playing he needs a toilet break
- After how much time of play session he goes
- what signs does he show before going to the toilet, like barking, circling, or staring?
- For how long he can hold his bladder
- what are the most common time and spot for your puppy to pee
- You will take him to the toilet on a leash whenever it’s time for him to go
- Praise for doing the deed in the right place
- When he has an accident, you can’t yell at him. Instead, clean up the mess with a good enzyme cleaner and note down the time and place of the accident. Be careful next time.
- This cycle will be repeated for several months until your puppy learns to go on his own.
It was a quick summary: You will find these articles helpful:
- Complete guide to potty training a puppy!
- When to start potty training a puppy?
- Common puppy potty training mistakes to avoid
For How Long An 8 Weeks Old Puppy Can Hold His Bladder?
The very first thing to consider when you try to house train an 8-week-old is how long he should be able to hold the bladder.
As a rule of thumb, puppies can hold their bladder for one hour every month of their age. So, an 8-week-old puppy should be able to hold it for 2 hours, ideally.
But in reality, these young puppies don’t really try to hold it. They will pee immediately when they feel the urge. So keeping a goal of taking him to the toilet every hour or so should be a good idea.
8 Weeks Old Puppy Potty Training Schedule
It should be usual practice to take your puppy for potty immediately after they wake up, right after they play, 5-30 minutes after eating and drinking, and whenever they show the cue. (as we mentioned in our guide to puppy potty training).
Let’s specify these details for an 8-week-old pup; This is how often you should take your pup to the potty.
- Within a minute of waking up, pick him up and take him to the potty spot.
- After Eating: At this age, your puppy needs a meal 3-4 times a day, and you should take him to the potty 5 minutes after the meal. If he does go, that is great. If he doesn’t, repeat after every 5 minutes until you know that this buddy goes to the toilet after how much time of eating. (usually, puppies poop within an hour of eating)
- After drinking: At this age, puppies need around half a cup of water every 2 hours, and you need to take them to the bathroom immediately after drinking. If he does, great! If he doesn’t repeat, until you know his schedule.
- Right after the play session, take him to the toilet. If you are playing with him and suddenly he goes away from you, understands that this is the sign; he needs to go.
- Right before the nap time. An 8 weeks old puppy may take a nap many times a day. It depends on the routine you have established for him.
- Whenever he shows the cues like sniffing the ground, circling, staring or changing position. (all the details are there in the house training guide) take him to the potty spot.
- When nothing above is happening, take him every 1-2 hours. If the puppy is of a large breed with strong muscles, you can enjoy a 2 hours break but for other puppies, take them every 1- 1.5 hours.
In short, You will be taking your puppy to the toilet all the time. This is why we recommend consciously starting training at 12 weeks old.
How to potty train an 8-week-old puppy at night?
About the night;
- Remove his water bowl 2 hours before bedtime and take him to the potty right before putting him to bed.
- When he goes to sleep, wake him up after 1.5-2 hours for a potty break. You will have to wake him up every 3-4 hours to go to the toilet.
How Long Does It Take to Potty Train An 8 Weeks Old Puppy?
It usually takes around 4-12 weeks to potty train a puppy, and sometimes, it may take up to a year to house train him completely. But for an 8-week-old puppy, things are different.
If you have started to potty train your puppy at 8 weeks and are waiting for the final results, the bad news is; that it will take longer and much more effort. It may take more than 12 weeks to house train 8 weeks old. Because the starting point is quite early.
Actually, it depends upon your expectations. Starting early is better if you are just trying to develop good habits and not counting the days. Because when you start the training, it will take much less time.
And if you have started counting the days, “It has been more than 12 weeks since I started training this guy but he is not getting it.”
Learn more: How long does it take to potty train a puppy? What factors affect it?
Tips to potty train an 8 weeks old puppy:
Potty Training a puppy is hard, but training an 8-week-old puppy is even harder.
Of course, you need much more patience, hard work, consistency, and a spy eye.
but here are some tips to assist you with that.
- Don’t Start too Early: Begin potty training during the 8th week, not before; it’s just useless. You will just waste your energy.
- Use a Spy Eye: Please keep a close check on your puppy at all times and look for signs that she may need to go potty, such as circling, sniffing. Don’t leave that 8-weeks-old alone.
- Beat Distractions: Because a puppy is easily distracted and an 8-weeks-old puppy can’t stay at one place for a few seconds, you’ll have to ensure that she completely empties her bladder when you take her to her potty area.
- Make sure she has a good fifteen minutes outside (10 minutes for older puppies) to “let it all out.” She may need to go potty more than once when you take her outside.
- Give another chance: Puppies don’t know how to empty the bladder in one go. So it’s a better idea to give them another chance. Otherwise, he may do it again after entering the home, and that’s what you don’t want him to do.
- The bathroom location should be designated in the backyard: Take your puppy out the same door and to the exact spot every time she needs to pee or poop.
- Congratulate her on her accomplishment: Attach a leash to your canine’s collar and place her on the ground. Walk her around the selected area while softly saying “go potty” (or whatever words you want to use for your puppy). After your puppy has gone potty, discreetly congratulate her on her accomplishment.
- If your puppy has an accident in the house, properly clean it up with an enzymatic cleaner (Always use an enzymatic cleaner) before leaving the house.
Find out the perfect enzyme cleaner for dog urine.
Here’s how to clean a puppy’s pee and poo accidents perfectly.
Super constant supervision is the most effective method of quickly potty training your puppy.
Do’s and Don’t of 8-week old puppy potty training:
If you’re potty training your puppy, keep the following suggestions in mind:
What about punishing for having accidents?
The practice of punishing your dog for having an accident is strictly prohibited. It instills a sense of fear in your puppy’s mind.
Read more: How to stay patient with your puppy while potty training him?
What if you catch your dog doing the act?
If you catch your young dog in the act, clap loudly to let them know that they have done something wrong.
Don’t do this if your puppy is from a puppy mill or is in fear. In this case, just reach him out politely and take him to the proper space.
What if you catch the evidence of a previous accident?
It is not appropriate to respond furiously if you have discovered evidence but did not witness the deed. You should avoid yelling or rubbing their nose in it. Puppies are not intellectually capable of making the connection between your rage and their mishap.
Staying outside with your puppy for a more extended period of time may assist in reducing accidents. They may require more time to explore.
Conclusion: Can an 8-week-old puppy be potty trained?
When it comes to potty training 8-week-old puppies, we recommend waiting for at least a few more weeks. Because at this stage, you may not see the results you want. That may cause you to lose your temper and it can affect your bond with the puppy because you may become guilty of yelling at that cute little creature.
Set up good habits, and prevent accidents but don’t try to train him fully. Set realistic expectations.
However, if you still want to potty train him, these tips may help. But don’t expect him to be fully potty trained. Just expect some preventions.
Faqs:
Is it hard to potty train an 8-week old puppy?
An 8-week-old puppy is very young, and if you aim to start setting good potty habits from the beginning, then yes, it will be hard. You will have to take him to the potty spot several times a day. You can say after every 1-2 hours.
What age are puppies usually potty trained?
Usually, potty training a puppy starts at around 12-16 weeks of age and it takes around 4-12 weeks to make them fully potty trained.
Of course, the time taken depends upon several factors.
