Potty Training

Potty training a new puppy can be a hectic time while trying to clean and manage a home. Not only is the pup getting into everything and chewing up your stuff, they have accidents in the house. Ughhh. Here are some tips for making potty training as mess-free as possible.

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Crate Training

Crate training can be a useful tool while the puppy is still little. Dogs don’t like to use the bathroom in spaces that they consider their own, so when the dog needs to be unsupervised, place them in a large crate with food, water, a bed, and toys.

As soon as you get back, pick them up and take them straight outside (many moms place the crate by the back door during this period). Praise them a lot when they go potty!

As they grow, you can begin to increase the area that is “theirs” with dog gates and doors. Eventually, the whole house is theirs.

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Hard Floors

When hanging out with your puppy, choose an area with hard floors, if available. Ceramic tile is so much easier to clean than carpet!!

Keep a spray bottle of cleaner, a spray bottle of enzyme cleaner, and at least two old towels on hand to quickly get the mess up. Here’s how:

  1. Use a general purpose cleaner first to remove the waste. Ensure the floor dries.

  2. Use an enzyme cleaner on a clean cloth to follow. Enzyme cleaners break down the odor causing proteins and bacteria.

This will quickly and easily remove the mess and the odor that accompanies it.

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Enzyme Cleaners

Enzymes are naturally-occurring biological catalysts that speed up chemical processes (like the breaking down of a protein, starch, or fat).

Protein in pee is what helps to make it stinky: bacteria feed on the proteins, digest them, and then the bacteria’s waste is what you are smelling. Gross.

When the protein is broken down, the bacteria have nothing to feed on, so they perish.

Enzyme cleaners need to be held at specific temperatures and out of direct sunlight, otherwise the enzymes will die and they won’t be useful anymore.

They also can’t do a lot of heavy lifting, so you will want to thoroughly clean with a general purpose cleaner first.

Most manufacturers in most grocery stores now carry enzyme cleaners- pick your favorite!


Amber Starling, Author
Founder and President of
Good Witch Cleaning Services, LLC
IICRC Journeyman Textile Cleaner

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