Schedule as Structure

An unpredictable schedule creates unpredictable potty habits. Dogs run on routine, so feed at the same times daily and the body will need to go at predictable intervals.

Most dogs need to eliminate at three moments:

• Within twenty to thirty minutes after eating
• Right after waking
• After play

Post the schedule where the whole household can see it. If one person takes the dog out every two hours and another waits four, the dog cannot learn a reliable pattern. Keeping a quick log of accidents — time, location, and circumstances — makes the patterns show up within a week.