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What's the potty schedule for a 10-week-old puppy, day and night?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

How often would a 10 week old puppy need to go out to pee, especially at night? When could the time be extended?

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Debi Matlack

Veterinary Technician

Published on March 5th, 2015

You can reasonably expect a puppy to hold its bladder and bowels for as many hours as they are months old. Keep your puppy on a consistent daily feeding schedule and remove food between meals. Keep the puppy on a consistent schedule. Puppies should be taken out every hour, as well as shortly after meals, play and naps. All puppies should go out first thing in the morning, last thing at night and before being confined or left alone. Know where your puppy is inside at all times. Watch for early signs that he needs to eliminate so you can prevent accidents. These signs include pacing, whining, circling, sniffing or leaving the room. If you see any of these, take your puppy outside as quickly as possible. If you can’t watch your puppy, he must be confined to a crate or a small room, door closed or with a baby gate. Gradually give more freedom, starting with a small area, and gradually increase it. If he eliminates outside, give him some free time in the house (about 15 to 20 minutes to start), and then put him back in his crate or small room. If all goes well, gradually increase the amount of time he can spend out of confinement. Accompany your puppy outside and reward him whenever he eliminates outdoors with praise, treats, or play. Take your puppy to the same place each time because the smells often prompt puppies to eliminate. If you catch your puppy in the act of eliminating inside, clap sharply twice, just enough to startle but not scare him. Immediately run with him outside, encouraging him to come with you the whole way. Allow your pup to finish eliminating outside, and then reward him with happy praise and a treat. If he has nothing to eliminate when he gets outside, don’t worry. Just be more watchful of him inside. If your puppy has an accident but you don’t catch him in the act and only find the accident afterward, do not punish him. He cannot connect the punishment with something he did minutes, let alone hours ago.

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37Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Other Answers

  • Image profile

    Answered By Debi Matlack

    Veterinary Technician

    Published on March 1st, 2015

    You can reasonably expect a puppy to hold its bladder and bowels for as many hours as they are months old. Keep your puppy on a consistent daily feeding schedule and remove food between meals. Keep the puppy on a consistent schedule. Puppies should be taken out every hour, as well as shortly after meals, play and naps. All puppies should go out first thing in the morning, last thing at night and before being confined or left alone. Know where your puppy is inside at all times. Watch for early signs that he needs to eliminate so you can prevent accidents. These signs include pacing, whining, circling, sniffing or leaving the room. If you see any of these, take your puppy outside as quickly as possible. If you can’t watch your puppy, he must be confined to a crate or a small room, door closed or with a baby gate. Gradually give more freedom, starting with a small area, and gradually increase it. If he eliminates outside, give him some free time in the house (about 15 to 20 minutes to start), and then put him back in his crate or small room. If all goes well, gradually increase the amount of time he can spend out of confinement. Accompany your puppy outside and reward him whenever he eliminates outdoors with praise, treats, or play. Take your puppy to the same place each time because the smells often prompt puppies to eliminate. If you catch your puppy in the act of eliminating inside, clap sharply twice, just enough to startle but not scare him. Immediately run with him outside, encouraging him to come with you the whole way. Allow your pup to finish eliminating outside, and then reward him with happy praise and a treat. If he has nothing to eliminate when he gets outside, don’t worry. Just be more watchful of him inside. If your puppy has an accident but you don’t catch him in the act and only find the accident afterward, do not punish him. He cannot connect the punishment with something he did minutes, let alone hours ago.

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    70Pet Parents found this answer helpful

  • Image profile

    Answered By Debi Matlack

    Veterinary Technician

    Published on August 22nd, 2020

    You can reasonably expect a puppy to hold its bladder and bowels for as many hours as they are months old. Keep your puppy on a consistent daily feeding schedule and remove food between meals. Keep the puppy on a consistent schedule. Puppies should be taken to the pad every hour, as well as shortly after meals, play and naps. All puppies should be encouraged to eliminate first thing in the morning, last thing at night and before being confined or left alone. Know where your puppy is inside at all times. Watch for early signs that he needs to eliminate so you can prevent accidents. These signs include pacing, whining, circling, sniffing or leaving the room. If you see any of these, take your puppy to the pad as quickly as possible. If you can’t watch your puppy, she must be confined to a crate or a small room, door closed or with a baby gate. Gradually give more freedom, starting with a small area, and gradually increase it. If she eliminates on the pad, give her some free time in the house (about 15 to 20 minutes to start), and then put her back in her crate or small room. If all goes well, gradually increase the amount of time she can spend out of confinement. Accompany your puppy to the pad and reward her whenever he eliminates there with praise, treats, or play. Take your puppy to the same place each time so she learns to associate that area with the act of elimination. If you catch your puppy in the act of eliminating inside not on the pad, clap sharply twice, just enough to startle but not scare her. Immediately run with her to the pad, encouraging her to come with you the whole way. Allow your pup to finish eliminating on the pad, and then reward him with happy praise and a treat. If she has nothing to eliminate when he gets to the pad, don’t worry. Just be more watchful of him inside. If your puppy has an accident but you don’t catch her in the act and only find the accident afterward, do not punish her. She cannot connect the punishment with something she did minutes, let alone hours ago.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Bette Isacoff

    Dog Trainer

    Published on May 5th, 2018

    First, giving Oreo treats rewards him for going, but he does not differentiate between indoors and outdoors. He only knows that he peed or pooped and got a goodie for his efforts. Also, you say you "walk him" 2-3x/day. Are you actually taking him for a walk? If so, he may incidently do his business somewhere along the way, but he does not know that this is why he is walking. Designate a "bathroom spot" in your yard. Put him on a leash and take him directly to it. Do not walk around! Stand still and let him have only the length of the (six foot) lead. When he starts to circle or sniff, say a phrase such as "go pee!" and repeat every few seconds until he starts to go. While he is going, say the phrase with "good dog!." Then bring him directly back into the house. This way, he will know specifically why he is out there. This last part is the toughest. If he was not trained to go outside by his former owner, how would he know enough to do it now? This is not knowledge that automatically comes with age and maturity. He needs to be taught. Further, every time he goes inside and is not IMMEDIATELY (that is, within one second of the act) corrected, he will not realize that he is doing wrong. This means that he must be watched or confined at all times at home for the time being. When you are home, keep him on a leash and secure the end to your belt loop. This will keep him with you but keep your hands free as you go about your day. As soon as he starts to circle, sniff, or lift his leg, say a sharp "NO!" and go out with him to his spot right away. Do as suggested above. DO not take him off-lead just because he has gone. You don't want to allow him to make any mistakes. When you are not at home, or are unavailable to watch him, he should be confined to a crate (such as overnight). He should not automatically know enough to do his business outside, especially if he wasn't trained by his former owner. Dogs need to be taught what to do. The knowledge does not automatically come with age and maturity. Once you start his training, you may have additional questions. If so, you can click on the prompt to start a consult, where we can discuss the situation. Good luck with this! One last thing: do not ever, ever scold him for mistakes he's made while you've been out. As I said above, corrections must be given within one second of the error. He will not remember what he did (even if, heaven forbid, you bring him over and show him or, worse, put his nose in it--please don't ever do that). If you come home, see a mess, and scold him, he will start to connect a scolding with your coming home, and may even pee or poop out of anxiety. He will think he is being scolded because you came home, and get anxious every time you go out. Good luck with this!

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    2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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