This year’s group of pups has been determined to be potty trained! At 5 weeks of age, they began going outside for fresh air. Instinctively, they would scurry off to potty and after a few minutes would poop. Now at 6.5 weeks old, they no longer poop inside their puppy pen (except for the middle of the night/early morning . . . I’m not waking up to take them out!). Each time they go outside, most of them manage to produce a poop, and all of them will squat to pee.

Inside however, it’s a different story. Puppies have a bladder of 15 minutes . . . so every 15 minutes they need to pee! They have been running loose through the house in the afternoon for an hour, and I’m forever running after them dabbing up pee spots (our new house will have vinyl wood floors!).

By the time they are 8 weeks old, they will be mostly trained to potty outdoors. All you’ll have to do is teach them to use the bell, and you’ll be all set! Tomorrow I’ll introduce the bell = going outside. I can’t make each pup ring it (5 puppies all holding their pee are NOT patient!), but they will get used to the sound, and then going outdoors. Currently the big dogs and cats will ring it, so it IS a familiar sound.