Have you ever tried going on a trip without directions to get to your destination? The same level of frustration occurs when you try potty training without a written puppy house training schedule!

Why You Need A Written Plan

Three compelling reasons are as follows:

The goal is to house break the dog as quickly as possible. A puppy house training schedule will help minimize accidents. The fewer the number of accidents, the sooner he will be house trained.

A young canine does not have the muscular maturation to hold his eliminations until he is about 16 weeks old. Before that, a schedule will help develop proper house training habits.

If there is more than one family member helping out, a schedule enables communication. It will also minimize finger pointing and assigning blame for accidents.

Activities You Can Plan

The major objection to a written list of timed activities - "I don't know when the dog is going to pee or poop!" Yes, you do - and here is a list of the times when you know the pup has to go out to eliminate:

- When he gets up in the morning.

- After he eats.

- After a nap (they are predictable).

- After he plays or exercises for more than a few minutes

- Before he goes to sleep for the night.

Depending on his age, he'll need to go out at night (the formula is every (puppy age in months plus 1) hours). So a 2-month old pup will go out about every 3 hours over night. Don't be alarmed, this is only a guideline.

Now it's up to you - jumpstart potty training with a puppy house training schedule or leave it up to the canine gods!