Puppies need to urinate at least every hour or two and can urinate spontaneously when they get excited. Take your puppy out frequently if it has been active, playing or exploring. Repeat cue words like ‘wee wees’ and ‘poo poos’ or ‘be busy’ and ‘be clean’ while the puppy is actually urinating or defecating. Use different words for each action so that you will be able to prompt the puppy later on.

Always go with your puppy into the garden or outside so you are there to reward and attach the cue words to the successful actions! Fortunately, puppies are creatures of habit, so as long as you introduce the outside to your puppy as its toilet area early on, you should be able to avoid most of the common pitfalls.