The Dunbar Potty Training works especially well for a future service dog because it is so positive and it allows the puppy to succeed. Two things to remember are: 1. An eight-week old puppy has little control over their bladder and can only hold it in for a little over an hour (that's not very much!) Bring the puppy out potty BEFORE he/she needs to. 2. Crate-train the puppy (keep the puppy in their crate at night, for instance). While hard at first, this crate-training will solve a lot of future problems. Note that an eight-week old puppy cannot keep it in all night, so it's best to wake up at 3am or so, wake up the puppy, and take them out to potty.

When you take the puppy out every hour, use a specific cue, such as "go potty," when you take your puppy out to the designated potty area. This helps to establish a clear association between the cue and the desired behavior. When they do go potty, exclaim in glee (throw a puppy party!) and give the puppy three tiny liver treats as a reward.

In addition to taking the puppy out to potty every hour (and waking up the the middle of the night once to wake up the pup to potty), watch for signs that your puppy needs to go potty, such as sniffing around, circling, or whining. Take them out to the designated potty area immediately when you notice these signs.

Be consistent and patient. Potty training a puppy takes time and patience (they can only hold their bladder in for about an hour, and even then, will sometimes release their bladders in excitement because their sphincter muscles are so incredibly weak), but with consistency and communication, you can help your puppy learn to go potty in the designated area.

A suggested schedule:

3:00 am – Wake up Puppy and take him out to pee

7:00 am - Take Puppy out to pee

8:00 am - Take Puppy out to pee

8:40am – Put Puppy in his crate for 20 minutes where he can’t see you. (This prevents separation anxiety later on in life.)

9:00 am – Take Puppy out to pee

10:00 am – Take Puppy out to pee

11:00 am – Take Puppy out to pee

11:40am – Put Puppy in his crate for 20 minutes where he can’t see you.

12:00 pm – Take Puppy out to pee

1:00 pm – Take Puppy out to pee

2:00 pm – Take Puppy out to pee

3:00 pm – Take Puppy out to pee

4:00 pm – Take Puppy out to pee

4:40pm – Put Puppy in his crate for 20 minutes where he can’t see you.

5:00 pm – Take Puppy out to pee

6:00 pm – Take Puppy out to pee

7:00 pm – Take Puppy out to pee

8:00 pm – Take Puppy out to pee

9:00 pm – Take Puppy out to pee

10:00 pm – Take Puppy out to pee

10:00 pm – Take Puppy out to pee

11:00 pm – Take Puppy out to pee, then put him in his crate to sleep.

Note: Did you have 5 strangers hold the puppy today? Very important for socialization!