Potty Training a Dog

by Matt
(St Louis )

How long is potty training a dog supposed to take?


I have a 3 month old pitbull. I've had him since 6 weeks old and have been taking him out every hour. He no longer potties in his cage and only goes in the house every once in awhile.

How long does it take for a dog to actually be fully trained? I think the only reason there isn't a lot of mistakes inside is cuz I take him out every hour--not so much that he knows not to potty inside. Plz help!

Gale's Reply:

As to how long--there's no set time. It's different for individual dogs. It takes as long as it takes.

However, I do have a suggestion for you to speed things up. You need to reward him whenever he does his business outside. If he has an accident in the house, just clean it up and don't make a fuss. But, when he gets it right--treat him. That way, he'll begin to distinguish between indoors and outdoors.

You've been doing a good job up to now though. The fewer mistakes there are, the less there is to unlearn. Here's a more detailed article on potty training a dog that you may also find helpful.

Good luck. Feel free to post back here if you have other questions.

For more information on obedience training, visit our Pit Bull Training page.

For help with behavioral problems, check out our Dog Behavior Training page.