{"id":10945,"date":"2022-05-18T06:37:21","date_gmt":"2022-05-18T06:37:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/?p=10945"},"modified":"2023-08-22T10:33:11","modified_gmt":"2023-08-22T10:33:11","slug":"how-to-potty-train-a-german-shepherd-puppy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/how-to-potty-train-a-german-shepherd-puppy\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Potty Train a German Shepherd Puppy: Quick Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-14101bc2\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/How-to-Potty-Train-a-German-Shepherd-Puppy-featured-image.jpg\" alt=\"German Shepherd Puppy on alert\" class=\"wp-image-10959\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/How-to-Potty-Train-a-German-Shepherd-Puppy-featured-image.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/How-to-Potty-Train-a-German-Shepherd-Puppy-featured-image-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/How-to-Potty-Train-a-German-Shepherd-Puppy-featured-image-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/How-to-Potty-Train-a-German-Shepherd-Puppy-featured-image-705x397.jpg 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<nav aria-label=\"breadcrumbs\" class=\"rank-math-breadcrumb\"><p><span class=\"last\">Home<\/span><\/p><\/nav>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading post_title_h1\" id=\"sc-post-title\">How to Potty Train a German Shepherd Puppy: Quick Guide<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"post_info\"><strong><a   class=\"post-author-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/author\/alex\/\">Alex Vicente<\/a><\/strong> \u2022 Updated on August 22, 2023<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"disclaimers\">\n<li><span class=\"av-icon-char\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-av_icon=\"\ue822\" data-av_iconfont=\"entypo-fontello\"><\/span> This review contains affiliate links. Read more <a href=\"\/affiliate-disclosure\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"1481\">here<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span class=\"av-icon-char\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-av_icon=\"\uf0fa\" data-av_iconfont=\"fontello\"><\/span> Not a substitute for professional veterinary help.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Congratulations!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019ve got your first German Shepherd puppy and they\u2019re set to be the next member of your family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You must be very excited!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With that excitement, though, you find yourself having a lot of questions running through your mind right now, wondering about what you should feed your pup and how often they\u2019ll require exercise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the questions that might be concerning you the most is, \u201cHow to potty train a German Shepherd puppy?\u201d Don\u2019t fret.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With the aid of the information shared in this post, you\u2019ll be able to potty train your pooch and keep your home clean in a few simple steps.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h2>Table of Contents<\/h2><nav><ul><li ><a href=\"#potty-training-a-german-shepherd-puppy\">Potty Training a German Shepherd Puppy<\/a><\/li><li ><a href=\"#final-words\">Final Words<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"potty-training-a-german-shepherd-puppy\">Potty Training a German Shepherd Puppy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/German-Shepherd-Puppy-on-alert.jpg\" alt=\"German Shepherd Puppy on alert\" class=\"wp-image-10956\" title=\"German Shepherd Puppy on alert\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/German-Shepherd-Puppy-on-alert.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/German-Shepherd-Puppy-on-alert-300x185.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/German-Shepherd-Puppy-on-alert-768x473.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/German-Shepherd-Puppy-on-alert-705x434.jpg 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>German Shepherds puppies, like any living creature, will eat, play, sleep, and poop, so it\u2019s going to be up to you to train them not to do their business inside your home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s a simple yet tiring process, but once you get the hang of it, your furry friend will know exactly where to poop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Potty training a German Shepherd puppy involves the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Set a Schedule<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the main cornerstones of potty training for any dog is setting a schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your dog will understand and stick to the set schedule if you\u2019re consistent with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019ll need to plan your dog\u2019s mealtimes, and accordingly, you\u2019ll be able to schedule the walks your dog needs on a daily basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019ll need to take the puppy outside at least every 2 hours to make sure they poop outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s a lot, we know, but the little one\u2019s bladder is so small and they\u2019ll need to relieve themselves and unless you want that accident to happen inside you\u2019re going to have to walk them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your walks will usually be after certain points of the day, like after your pup has woken up, after&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cuteness.com\/13763722\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-feeding-your-puppy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"1482\">drinking and eating<\/a>, and after playtime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thankfully, puppies\u2019 power to hold their bladders increases by approximately an hour every month of age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, if they\u2019re 3 months old, they\u2019ll want to go every 3 hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If 4 months, then 4 hours, and so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Pick a Spot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As you\u2019re going on these walks with your pup, remember to keep them on a leash so that they don\u2019t go around and relieve themselves in a place where they\u2019re not supposed to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You want to pick a spot and establish that it\u2019s where your dog is supposed to poop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From this point forward, this will be the place they\u2019ll know as their bathroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Reward Your Pup<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>While your puppy is going about its business at the spot you\u2019ve chosen, you need to assign a command word that they\u2019ll later remember.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The more you utter this command word while your pooch is at the designated spot doing their thing, the more your pooch will associate that word with going to the bathroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After they\u2019re done,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cuteness.com\/13728318\/what-is-positive-reinforcement-training\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"1483\">reward them<\/a>&nbsp;or give them some praise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/German-Shepherd-Puppy-sleeping-on-his-bed.jpg\" alt=\"German Shepherd Puppu sleeping on his bed\" class=\"wp-image-10957\" title=\"German Shepherd Puppu sleeping on his bed\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/German-Shepherd-Puppy-sleeping-on-his-bed.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/German-Shepherd-Puppy-sleeping-on-his-bed-300x185.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/German-Shepherd-Puppy-sleeping-on-his-bed-768x473.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/German-Shepherd-Puppy-sleeping-on-his-bed-705x434.jpg 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Bedtime<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Puppies can go about 7 hours without the need to go to the bathroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So to prevent them from waking up in the middle of the night, you\u2019ll need to remove the water dish about 2 hours before it\u2019s time to sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Still, there\u2019s a chance that they\u2019ll wake up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If that happens, don\u2019t play with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just take them to their spot and then it\u2019s back to bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Accidents Will Happen<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>At the beginning of the little one\u2019s training, accidents are bound to happen inside the house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s important that you remain patient and stick to the training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you ever catch them in the act, you can try to distract them with the command word you\u2019ve associated with pooping and take them straight to the spot where they should be doing their business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Punishing them isn\u2019t recommended as it only pains them mentally and they won\u2019t understand where the problem is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. Repetition Is Key<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Dogs usually make a habit out of things they do over and over, and German Shepherds are intelligent dogs, so you can expect them to pick it up quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, remember that you also need to adhere to the scheduling to make sure that these accidents don\u2019t happen when you\u2019re not looking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">7. Minimize Damage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>After getting your lovely little furry friend, it\u2019s a good idea to confine them in a small area, such as a small room or big crate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dogs, in general, don\u2019t like to poop in areas they live in, so they\u2019ll try to avoid doing that in their crate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When it comes to a small room, if they\u2019re in it and need to poop, at least you\u2019ll know where the damage is going to be and minimize the possibility of it being in an unknown spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A short-term solution you can use is puppy pads, which is a way for you to introduce commands and for your pup to learn to go in a certain spot when they need to poop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/How-to-Potty-Train-Your-Puppy-With-Potty-Pads-1200x675.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10952\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/How-to-Potty-Train-Your-Puppy-With-Potty-Pads-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/How-to-Potty-Train-Your-Puppy-With-Potty-Pads-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/How-to-Potty-Train-Your-Puppy-With-Potty-Pads-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/How-to-Potty-Train-Your-Puppy-With-Potty-Pads-705x397.jpg 705w, https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/How-to-Potty-Train-Your-Puppy-With-Potty-Pads.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Teach them to use the pads in an easy to clean place so they can learn to poop on them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then, move the pads outside so they can progress there, and finally, remove them completely.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-bf01ede9\">\n<div class=\"gb-grid-wrapper gb-grid-wrapper-8deeea5f\">\n<div class=\"gb-grid-column gb-grid-column-d9845efa\"><div class=\"gb-container gb-container-d9845efa\">\n\n<p class=\"p_nomargin_bottom\"><strong>You may also want to read:<br><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/best-dog-food-for-german-shepherds\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"1484\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/best-harness-french-bulldog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"1485\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/german-shepherd-breed-info\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"1486\">German Shepherd Dog Breed Information: All You Need To Know<\/a><\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"gb-grid-column gb-grid-column-32f0d868\"><div class=\"gb-container gb-container-32f0d868\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-1 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-75 has-custom-font-size is-style-fill btn_read_more has-small-font-size\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-text-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/german-shepherd-breed-info\/\" style=\"border-radius:5px;background-color:#eaa802;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"1487\"><strong>Read More<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"final-words\">Final Words<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/man-holding-two-German-Shepherd-Puppies.jpg\" alt=\"man holding two German Shepherd Puppies\" class=\"wp-image-10961\" title=\"man holding two German Shepherd Puppies\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/man-holding-two-German-Shepherd-Puppies.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/man-holding-two-German-Shepherd-Puppies-300x185.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/man-holding-two-German-Shepherd-Puppies-768x473.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/man-holding-two-German-Shepherd-Puppies-705x434.jpg 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>German Shepherds are intelligent and loyal creatures that would make an excellent addition to any household.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As with any puppy, understanding and patience are going to be the steps needed to potty train them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When it comes to your puppies, repetition, and scheduling are imperative!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Puppies will give indications when they need to go to the bathroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s recommended that you pay attention to them so you can pick up on them when your puppy needs to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This will help limit potential accidents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Circling the room, crying out, looking anxious, sniffing the floor, and going to where the puppy pads used to be are all signs that they need to poop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you pick on any of them, it\u2019s time to go outside!<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are you wondering how to potty train a german shepherd puppy? Check out this quick guide with actionable and useful tips.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":10959,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[174],"tags":[26,194],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10945"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10945"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10945\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17910,"href":"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10945\/revisions\/17910"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10959"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}