House Training a Puppy in an Apartment

House training is a scheduling problem more than a training problem. A puppy's bladder capacity in hours is roughly its age in months plus one.

The schedule

Take the puppy out immediately on waking, after every meal, after play, and every hour or two in between. Go to the same spot. Wait quietly. Reward within two seconds of finishing — not after coming back inside, or you reward coming inside.

Accidents

Never punish, rub the nose in it, or scold after the fact. A puppy cannot connect a telling-off to something it did five minutes ago; all it learns is to hide and to fear you. Clean with an enzymatic cleaner so no scent marker remains.

Nights

Expect one or two wakings until about 4 months. A crate near your bed helps — most puppies will not soil where they sleep, and you will hear them stir.

Pee pads: a caution

They teach a puppy that indoors is an acceptable toilet, which then has to be untaught. If your building makes outdoor access impractical, use them deliberately in one fixed place rather than scattered.

House training is a scheduling problem more than a training problem. A puppy's bladder capacity in hours is roughly its age in months plus one.

The schedule

Accidents

Nights

Expect one or two wakings until about 4 months. A crate near your bed helps — most puppies will not soil where they sleep, and you will hear them stir.