Now that you’ve opened your door to a new puppy, it’s important to start house training aka potty training your pup so they don’t mess everywhere in your home. But how on earth do you create a Pug puppy potty training schedule?
The Best Pug Puppy Potty Training Schedule
The most important thing is to get your puppy on a regular eating, drinking, and potty schedule, where she is taken out every several hours so she understands where she is allowed to take care of her business.
We understand the challenges of properly training your puppy. That’s why we’ve put together a huge resource for potty training Pugs to help you out because we know your precious baby is unique!

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This sounds pretty easy, but it can be challenging, especially with a stubborn breed like the Pug. While your pup is learning the housebreaking rules, dog crates and puppy pads can be useful training tools to help your puppy learn quickly.
Are you not sure how to start potty training your Pug? Learn how to potty train any dog in 7 Days or Less!
8 Week Old Puppy Potty Training Schedule?
The earlier you start training your puppy, the faster they will learn to understand where they can eliminate. Experts say you should begin house training your puppy when they are between 12-16 weeks of age because that’s when they can learn how to control their bladder and bowel movements.
However, there’s no reason why you can’t start implementing the schedule below if your puppy is younger. Just remember, a young 8-week old puppy is likely to have more accidents than a 12-week old puppy.
That being said, if your 8 week old puppy has an accident in the home, you don’t want to punish them, as they do not yet have control of their bladder.
3 Month Old Puppy Potty Training Schedule
You can start implementing this schedule as soon as you bring your puppy home. It’s important to take your puppy out far more often than an older dog, as they will need to pee and poop more often.
So how often should you take your new puppy outside to use the bathroom? Well here’s a guideline to follow to teach your puppy to potty on a schedule.
First Thing In The Morning
As soon as your alarm goes off and your feet hit the floor, you need to go to the dog crate and pick up your new Pug puppy and take her outside. Don’t make the mistake of letting her walk to the door herself, otherwise, she may pee on her way to the door.
Remember, her bladder is full after being asleep for the past 6-8 hours. So you’ll want to have someone take her outside right away. Be sure you’re taking her to the same designated spot during her training.
Once she gets older, she’ll have the opportunity to sniff around and pee anywhere in the yard. Don’t forget to keep her on the leash during the potty training sessions, so you can monitor her closely and react quickly.
After Eating
After your puppy has done her business, she’ll be ready for breakfast. It’s important to schedule all her meals at the same time everyday. This will create a regular elimination cycle, which will make potty training a lot easier.
This means that you want to feed her the same time 7 days a week, not just Monday through Friday because it works for your work schedule. You can’t expect your puppy to change her eating habits on the weekend, because you want to sleep in.
Instead, you need to set an alarm on the weekends to make sure your puppy is fed at the same time.
After the meal, wait between 10 – 30 minutes to take your puppy outside.
Why 30 minutes?
Well, all healthy dogs defecate after eating a meal, because their stomach is wired to the colon, which when full triggers a reaction to eliminate. (source). It normally takes 10-30 minutes for the stomach to notify the colon that it’s time to poop!
With a young pup, the sooner you take them outside after eating, the better off you’ll be. Just remember, to give them time to sniff around, as they wait on the colon to get the signal from their stomach to “go potty.”
Many new pet owners make the mistake of picking up their puppy after waiting for 5 minutes because they don’t think their puppy has to go. I know you’re probably in a hurry to get ready for work, but all dogs potty after eating, regardless of age!
After Drinking Water
It’s completely normal for a puppy to pee right after drinking water, especially, when they drink too much too fast. An eight-week baby pug will weigh around 2-4 pounds, has a small bladder that can’t hold a lot.
Therefore, they should be taken within ten minutes of drinking water. You may have to walk them on their leash, until they relieve themselves.
It’s best to leave them some fresh clean water throughout the day, even while you’re at work. This will prevent them from drinking too much too fast, which can lead to bloat and unwanted accidents in your home.
Right After Exercise or Playing
The other time you’ll want to take your young puppy outside to potty is after playtime. Pug puppies are very active and it’s not unusual for them to become overly excited while playing or exercising with people or other animals.
Playtime urination is a real thing, and it’s not uncommon for accidents to happen while training your canine friend. During playtime, the stimulation of your pet’s digestive tract can trigger the need for a potty break.
Excitement urination can also be triggered by lots of snuggling, petting, or an over exertion of positive attention.
Some signs to watch for that your pup needs to go outside can include wandering off by themselves, sniffing the floor or the carpet, whimpering or whining, experiencing the zoomies, running to the door.
If your pup displays any of these signs during playtime, you’ll want to scoop her up and take her to the designated potty training spot.
After Napping
Just like your pup needs to go outside after sleeping all night long. They need to be taken outside whenever they wake up from a mid-day nap.
I realize this can be challenging, especially, if you work a regular 9-5 job. Maybe you could have a friend or hire a pet sitter to let your puppy out during the day.
If you live alone and don’t know anyone you can trust with your pup, you’ll want to keep them in confined space in your room and lay down some pee pads so they can relieve themselves while you’re at work.
Before Leaving The House
When you go to work, run errands or anytime your puppy will spend a long time in the crate, you’ll want to plan ahead. You can’t expect your young puppy to hold their bladder for a whole day.
Young puppies shouldn’t stay in a crate for more than 3-4 hours at a time. They can’t hold their small bladders for that long, and it’s best to ensure that someone can come by and take them outside.
So how long can your puppy hold their bladder comfortably? Well, take the age of your puppy in the age of months and add one, this is maximum number of hours your puppy can go without a potty break.
For example, a two month old Pug puppy will only be able to hold their bladder for 3 hours.
When You Get Home From Work
Your puppy has likely been home all alone. When they see you or anyone in the family, they are going to be extremely excited.
They’ve likely been holding their bladder the entire time you’ve been away. So they’ll be ready for a potty break outside in their designated toilet spot.
If they’ve been without a potty break for several hours, you’ll want to pick them up and carry them outside, so they don’t make a mess on the way out.
Before Calling It A Night
The last thing you should do before you put your pup in the crate and call it a night is to take her outside for a potty break. Make sure you put her leash on, so she doesn’t try wandering off or think it’s playtime.
At night, you just want her to take care of her business, so you can take her back inside to her crate.
If she happens to fall asleep before you do, you’ll still want to wake her up and take her outside to potty, otherwise, she may wake up during the night whimpering and crying.
In The Middle Of The Night?
Keeping the crate in your room makes it easy to hear her whimper or whine throughout the night. A young puppy will cry during the night and it could be because they have to go pee, is bored or just wants attention.
If you hear your Pug puppy crying during the night, it’s best to get up and take her outside to relieve herself. Most young puppies will need at least one potty break in the middle of the night. Once she’s done, put her back into the crate immediately.
Once she reaches 16-18 weeks old, she should be able to go through the night without needing a potty break. If you’re potty training an older Pug, you most likely won’t have to take your pooch outside during the night, unless they have health issues.
Bottom Line
By creating a feeding, playtime, exercise, and other activities schedule, you’re wiring your pups brain to understand when and where to potty. While it won’t happen overnight, it will be a lot faster than NOT having a schedule.
Just remember to be patient with your new best friend!