When it comes to housetraining any dog, the truth of the matter is it is simply going to take a little longer when you’re training a puppy.
This is for a number of reasons.
Older dogs are generally going to have better control of their bladders than would a puppy, as dogs only start to be deemed “fully developed” in their bladder control until roughly 5 months.
Older dogs are also going to have more “room” in relation to the volume of food and water they take in, meaning that they usually won’t be so demanding in terms of how frequent potty breaks need to be.
Lastly, puppies also have not had the advantage older dogs have of learning how to learn; it will simply take them more repetitions and a longer overall chunk of time before it starts to click.
There are considerations to take in regarding how to approach potty training puppies vs. potty training adult dogs.
Frequency of Potty Breaks in Puppies vs. Adult Dogs
When a puppy is very young (as in, younger than about 3 months) they will need to eliminate usually a couple of times per hour at least during the day. This is especially true of small breeds, who simply have smaller “parts” and will need to urinate more throughout the day.
Puppies will also need to go out more frequently around times that they have been more active. For example, if a puppy has been engrossed in chewing, running around and playing, training, or going for a walk, these are all times that you may find your puppy needs to go out.
Puppies will simply not have to go sometimes, and have to go other times. Sometimes this means that your puppy will not need to go during your scheduled potty break, but then need to go after a few minutes of being inside again. This is just how puppies are.
This can, understandably, be frustrating when you just took them out ten minutes before, but that is simply the reality of having a small puppy.
Older dogs, on the other hand, usually have much better control over their bladder. They may not understand the boundaries around the house when you first start out, but you will likely have more leeway because you will not have to helicopter around them nearly as much.
An older dog’s bladder will not fill as quickly, so housetraining an older dog will likely mean having to take them outside much less often than you would need to offer to a puppy.
Timing of Potty Breaks in Puppies vs. Adult Dogs
As mentioned already, a puppy’s digestive system will be more awake at times that the puppy is physically active, so be sure to take them out right after playtime or after they’ve gotten very excited.
A puppy’s tiny body will also tend to be more “active” at times like when they wake up in the morning, several hours later mid-day, as well as again in the evening. Scheduling around these times will provide extra safety for your floors.
Puppies should also go out directly after meals and having any water. Unlike after playtime, you do not have a “cushion” to wait around; your puppy should go outside immediately after finishing their food.
Older dogs, on the other hand, will usually need to potty on a more regular schedule. Of course it’s best to stay the course and take your dog for regular breaks whether they seem to need it or not. But older dogs will usually defecate once or twice per day, and urinate every few hours.
You can get a more predictable schedule in your puppy if you provide meals at the same time every day.
The guideline I learned and have always lived by is this: the number of months old a dog is is roughly the number of hours a dog can last. I usually apply a “modifier” to the rule based on breed size, as follows. I’ll use the example of a four-month-old dog for this example.
| Size | Age | Base Hours | Modifier | Total Hours |
| XS (yorkies, chihuahuas,etc.) | 4 months | 4 | -2 | 2 |
| S (boston terrier, french bulldog, etc.) | 4 months | 4 | -1 | 3 |
| M (border collie, beagle, cattle dog, etc.) | 4 months | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| L (golden retriever, labrador, german shepherd, etc.) | 4 months | 4 | +1 | 5 |
| XL (dane, mastiff, newfoundland, etc.) | 4 months | 4 | +2 | 6 |
This formula is a helpful guideline, but please also note that this is not a rule! You will need to adjust based off your individual dog to find their specific needs.
Also understand that the formula listed here is specifically for how long your puppy should be able to hold it while they’re confined in their crate. This is NOT how many hours you should wait between potty breaks while your puppy is out and about!
The given example should also be used as a maximum, not a goal. While your new Bernese puppy might be capable of holding it for a few hours, if you can give them more breaks throughout the day, that is always better.
Overnight for Puppies vs. Adult Dogs
Both adult dogs and young puppies can typically go longer without needing to relieve themselves when they are inactive or sleeping. Even puppies who have difficulty potty training will usually be pretty good about making it through the night, given that they sleep all the way through.
If your puppy has a tendency to wake up earlier than you, that is where the difficulty arises. Many puppies (and adult dogs, for that matter) can hold it all night, but can’t when they finally wake up in the morning.
If you’re encountering this problem, it might be time to set some early alarms to beat your pup to the punch. If you can take them out before they need to go, even if it’s miserable to do so, you may save yourself the much-worse misery of cleaning up a poopy puppy and nasty crate. Plus, once your dog relieves themselves, you can always go back to sleep and get back up at the usual time.
This can be the case in both puppies and adult dogs, though it’s much more common for puppies.
Always make sure to take your dog out first thing in the morning and last thing at night to avoid any issues while they are supposed to be sleeping.
