06/27/2025
POTTY TRAINING MYTHS & TRUTHS‼️
❌💧 MYTH: Limiting water will help prevent accidents.
✅💧 TRUTH: Limiting water can actually cause more potty problems (and possible health problems). When you limit water intake, a dog will drink a whole lot when the dog does get access to water. This then fills up the kidneys quickly and therefore the body will eliminate it more frequently. When the dog has water at all times (yes even when in a confined space) they will learn to regulate their intake and will then be able to regulate their urine outflow.
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❌👃🏼 MYTH: Rubbing your dog's nose in it will teach the dog that it's wrong to go inside the house.
✅ 👀 TRUTH: This has to be the oldest trick known to dog training but is 💯 horrible advice! However, this is very inaccurate advice and will not help during potty training. In fact, it often causes your dog to sneak away and potty when you aren't looking.
Rubbing your dog's face in the potty accident or pointing out the accident to the dog and telling her she is bad does nothing to help your dog connect the dots. Dogs learn by association and timing is everything. If your dog isn't caught literally "in the act," then anything after that is pointless, and quite frankly your fault for not paying closer attention to your dog.
Instead, take your pup out frequently and keep an eagle-eye on him when he's out and active. 🙈 Potty accidents on your watch are actually your fault, not the puppy's!
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❌ 🐾🚪 MYTH: A doggie door and/or another dog will teach your dog to go outside.
✅ 🐾 TRUTH: A doggie door is a way for your dog to get outside and back in, nothing more. If you have not taught your dog that going outside is the appropriate place to potty, then the doggie door isn't going to do that for you.
Your dog has to be taught where the appropriate location is to go potty. This involves you going out with your dog for each potty break and then praising him for going outside after he’s finished.
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❌ 😈 MYTH: Dogs can p*e or p**p out of spite.
✅ 🕵🏼 TRUTH: If your dog is going potty as a new behavior and you think this means your dog is "mad at you" then we need to evaluate what's going on. Dogs don't possess the ability to be spiteful.
The most common reasons a dog will start to potty inappropriately
😰 anxiety and/or stress
😷 medical issue that's not been diagnosed
😕 dog is simply not fully potty trained
You should always have your pup checked by a veterinarian as a starting point. If it is anxiety, you’ll want the proper professional to be able to help you with that.
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❌ 📆 MYTH: All dogs should be potty trained reliably by 6 months of age.
✅ 🕰 TRUTH: There is no age that your dog will magically be potty trained. Some breeds take longer than others, so to put a blanket statement on a time frame would be inaccurate.
Size often isn't a factor either. I know that Greater Swiss Mountain dogs are a breed that can take some time to potty train according to breeders and owners of these large gorgeous dogs. They are usually 85 lbs and up to 120 lbs. So they are large dogs! While Great Danes are famously known for their ease and sp*ed of potty training.
Smaller breeds are notoriously known for taking longer, some more than others, such as Bichons and Yorkies. I do believe their very tiny bladders don't help them out in this area either. However, this isn't an excuse for a dog to take longer to potty train. There are definitely many small breeds that are easy to potty train quickly.
The reality is that you have to be diligent, consistent and proactive. This is the only way to potty train your pup reliably regardless of breed, size or age!
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❌ 🧮 MYTH: Puppies can hold it for one hour for each month of their age.
✅ 🧘🏼 TRUTH: There is no magic equation for a dog’s ability to hold it for any length of time, just patience & consistency. There are some dogs that can hold it for long periods at a very young age and some dogs that cannot do that for quite some time, regardless of age.
If potty training were as easy as a math equation this would be much easier but alas this is a sentient living being that cannot be predictable in that manner. Each dog is different and should be treated as such, respectfully.
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Stacy Greer, CPDT-KA
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