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Search "puppy potty training Reddit" on any given day and you'll find a dozen new threads from exhausted owners wondering if their puppy will ever get it. The good news is: almost every puppy does. The bad news is there's a lot of conflicting advice out there, and following the wrong method can stretch potty training from weeks to months.
I've been through this with hundreds of clients, and I've spent plenty of time on Reddit watching what advice actually works versus what sounds good on paper but falls apart at 2am when your puppy needs to go out for the fourth time. Here are the 7 most-discussed methods, ranked by what professional trainers and successful Reddit owners actually recommend.
Crate Training Method — The Reddit Gold Standard
Ask any Reddit thread for potty training advice and the most-upvoted comment will almost always be crate training. It works because it leverages a dog's natural instinct not to soil where they sleep. A properly sized crate is cozy enough that your puppy sees it as a den, not a bathroom.
Here's the crate training potty method: your puppy stays in the crate whenever you can't actively supervise them. Every time you take them out of the crate, you go straight outside to the potty spot. If they go, praise and reward. If they don't, back in the crate for 10-15 minutes, then try again. No freedom until the puppy eliminates outside.
The crate should be just big enough for your puppy to stand up, turn around, and lie down. If it's bigger, they'll use one corner as a bathroom. Most crates come with a divider panel — use it. As your puppy grows, move the divider back.
Reddit's #1 crate training tip: Never use the crate as punishment. Your puppy needs to love their crate — it's their safe space, not a time-out corner. Feed meals in the crate, toss treats in randomly, and let them nap there with the door open. A puppy who hates their crate will panic and soil it, defeating the whole purpose.
Schedule-Based Potty Training
Puppies are creatures of habit. A consistent schedule is the single most important factor in how fast potty training goes. Every successful Reddit potty training thread has one thing in common: the owner stuck to a rigid schedule for the first 2-4 weeks.
Here's a schedule that works for most puppies 8-16 weeks old:
- First thing in the morning (6-7am) — out of the crate, straight outside. Most puppies need to go within 5 minutes of waking.
- After every meal — puppies need to eliminate 15-20 minutes after eating. Set a timer if you have to.
- After every nap — when a puppy wakes up, the first thing their body does is process waste. Don't wait. Pick them up and carry them outside.
- After play sessions — play stimulates the digestive system. When play naturally winds down, head outside.
- Before bedtime — one last potty break at 10-11pm, then straight into the crate.
- Middle of the night — puppies under 12 weeks old will need at least one night trip. Set an alarm for 2-3am, take them out on a leash, no play, no treats, straight back to the crate.
The rule of thumb for how long a puppy can hold it: their age in months plus one. A 2-month-old puppy can hold it about 3 hours during the day. At night, they can usually go a bit longer if they're crated. Don't push it — accidents in the crate set back training and teach your puppy that soiling their den is okay.
Bell Training: Teach Your Puppy to Signal
Bell training is one of the most popular methods discussed on Reddit, and it's brilliant when it works. You hang a bell by the door and teach your puppy to ring it when they need to go out. Instead of guessing or waiting for your puppy to scratch at the door, you get a clear signal.
To teach it: every time you take your puppy outside, guide their nose or paw to ring the bell before opening the door. Say "ring the bell" or "touch" as they do it. After a week or two of repetition, your puppy will start ringing the bell on their own when they need to go out. The key is consistency — you must use the bell every single time you go out for potty breaks.
The biggest mistake Reddit users report with bell training is the puppy learning to ring the bell for attention, not potty. They figure out that ringing the bell = door opens = outside fun. If your puppy rings the bell and then just wants to play, don't scold them — but do take them straight to the potty spot on leash, wait 2 minutes, and if nothing happens, bring them back inside and try again in 15 minutes. They'll learn that bell = potty only.
Pad Training: Pros and Cons from Reddit
Potty pads are controversial on Reddit. Some owners swear by them, especially for apartment dwellers who can't get outside fast enough. Others say pads teach your puppy that going in the house is acceptable, which makes the eventual transition to outdoor-only much harder.
Pros of Pad Training
- Great for apartment dwellers without immediate outdoor access
- Useful for owners with mobility issues or night shifts
- Helpful during extreme weather (blizzards, heat waves)
- Gives a controlled surface area instead of carpet or hardwood
- Can be a backup during the transition to outdoor training
Cons of Pad Training
- Prolongs the overall training timeline by 4-8 weeks
- Confuses puppies — is the rug okay? What about the bath mat?
- Requires an extra transition step (pads to outside)
- Some puppies chew and eat the pads
- Doesn't teach bladder control the way crate training does
If you do use pads, Reddit's best advice is to use them in a specific location (a puppy pen with a tray, not a pad on the carpet) and transition as early as possible. Move the pad closer to the door each day, then move it outside, then remove it entirely. The most common failure mode is keeping pads around too long — your puppy learns to prefer indoor potty spots, and breaking that habit takes weeks.
Common Potty Training Mistakes Reddit Warns About
Some mistakes show up over and over in Reddit potty training threads. Avoid these and you'll save yourself weeks of frustration.
Punishing accidents. This is the most common mistake and the most damaging. If you find a puddle and scold your puppy, they don't learn "don't pee in the house." They learn "don't pee when my owner is watching." This creates a puppy who hides to go potty — the opposite of what you want. Clean up accidents calmly with an enzymatic cleaner and move on.
Not using an enzymatic cleaner. Regular household cleaners don't break down the enzymes in urine and feces. Your puppy can still smell it, which tells them "this is a potty spot." Nature's Miracle and Simple Solution are the two brands most recommended on Reddit. Use them on every accident spot.
Giving too much freedom too fast. Your puppy doesn't earn full house access until they've gone 4-6 weeks without an accident. Until then, the rule is: if you're not watching, the puppy is in the crate or a confined puppy-proofed area. Every accident is a sign you gave them more freedom than they could handle.
Ignoring the signs. Reddit threads are full of posts like "my puppy just peed on the floor even though I took them out 20 minutes ago." The puppy probably gave signs — sniffing, circling, whining — and the owner missed them. Watch your puppy like a hawk during potty training. The moment you see circling or sniffing, pick them up and head outside.
The 10-minute rule: After your puppy eats, drinks, wakes up, or finishes a play session, set a timer for 10 minutes. When it goes off, take them outside. Most accidents happen in that 10-20 minute window after an event. If you learn to watch the clock, you'll catch 90% of potential accidents before they happen.
How Long Does Potty Training Take?
This is the question Reddit users ask most, and the honest answer is: it depends. On Reddit, you'll see success stories of puppies trained in 2 weeks and war stories of 6-month holdouts. The breed, your consistency, and your puppy's individual temperament all play a role.
Here are realistic timelines based on what trainers see and what Reddit data confirms:
- 8-12 weeks: Minimal bladder control. Expect accidents daily. Nighttime trips are mandatory. Success is your puppy going outside 60-70% of the time.
- 12-16 weeks: Better control. Most puppies can hold it 3-4 hours during the day. Nighttime might still need one trip. Success is 80-90% outdoor elimination.
- 4-6 months: Most puppies are reliably house-trained with occasional accidents during excitement or disruption to routine. Nighttime holding is usually solid.
- 6 months+: Full bladder control. Accidents at this age usually mean a medical issue (UTI), not a training problem.
Small breeds tend to take longer than large breeds — their bladders are smaller and their metabolisms faster. A Chihuahua puppy may take 5-6 months to be fully reliable, while a Labrador might be solid at 4 months.
Troubleshooting Setbacks When Nothing Works
You're doing everything right — crate, schedule, enzymatic cleaner, watching for signs — and your puppy still has accidents. What's going on? Setbacks happen, and they're normal. Here's what to check.
Medical causes. If your puppy is consistently having accidents despite good training, a urinary tract infection is the most common culprit. Puppies with UTIs can't control their bladder and often have accidents in their crate — something a well-trained puppy would never normally do. Other signs: frequent squatting with little output, bloody urine, or excessive licking. A vet visit rules this out.
Schedule disruption. Did you change your work schedule? Did your puppy start daycare? Did someone go on vacation? Any change in routine can cause regression. Most puppies recover within a week if you go back to basics — strict schedule, crate management, frequent potty breaks.
The adolescent rebellion. Around 6-9 months, some puppies "forget" their potty training. They know what to do but choose not to. This is usually a management issue, not a training failure. Go back to treating your puppy like an 8-week-old: crate when unsupervised, scheduled breaks, rewards for outdoor potty. They'll remember within a week.
Submissive or excitement urination. Some puppies pee when they're excited (guests arrive, you come home) or when they feel submissive (scolded, approached by a stranger). This isn't a potty training problem — it's an emotional response. Don't punish it. Instead, lower the excitement level: greet your puppy outside, keep greetings low-key, and ask guests to ignore the puppy for the first few minutes.
If you've tried everything: Go back to the crate for 48 hours. No exceptions. 1 hour in the crate, 10 minutes outside for potty (leashed, boring), 15 minutes of supervised play, back in the crate. The reset period rebuilds the habit from scratch. Most Reddit success stories after a long setback involve a crate reset — it's boring for you, but it works.
Potty training is exhausting. You will clean up accidents at 3am. You will wonder if your puppy will ever learn. But they will. Every single client I've worked with who stuck to a consistent schedule and crate training was successful. The ones who struggled were the ones who gave up on the crate or skipped the midnight potty breaks. Stay boring. Stay consistent. Your puppy will get there.
