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Potty Training Your Bulldog Puppy

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Welcoming a new bulldog puppy into your home is perhaps one of the most enjoyable life experiences that you can have. There is just something about looking at life through the eyes of a young puppy. Who only wants your love and attention. 

Shortly after the awe, laughs, and lots of licks and cuddles are over you realize that potty training is something you have to take seriously early on. Potty training a toddler is no fun. So just imagine how much fun training a bulldog puppy can be with no diaper on. It’s not as daunting as it may seem, let’s take a look. 

Potty Training Challenges

Potty training can bring a set of challenges that far surpass training your English Bulldog pup not to pee on your carpet. However, with discipline and dedication, a new bulldog puppy should master the potty training process in just a few weeks. We encourage you to be patient. All bulldog puppies are not the same, and some can take longer to potty train than others. 

As English Bulldog breeders we are focused on the health and well-being of our bulldogs. And potty training is a very important aspect of ensuring they are developing the way that they should. 

We encourage adopters to implement safe potty training methods that are focused on the instinctual patterns of your bulldog puppies. Sadly, many old methodologies were to use verbal or even physical abuse as a means to “make the bulldog do what you want it to do.” 

Instead, we support focusing on exactly what the bulldog puppy can do at the stage they are at in life. No matter how frustrating it might be to clean up number one or number two messes, we have to understand that the puppy might not be at the level of development to understand how to be pottery trained. And this is where age is an important factor to consider when wanting to potty train. 

The Best Time to Start Potty Training Your Bulldog Puppy

Knowing the right time to potty train your pup is a little like knowing when the right time to train your toddler is. It’s not always the same time and every experience is unique. 

According to the American Kennel Club, it is advisable to wait anywhere from 8-16 weeks before you start to potty train your puppy. Of course, every bulldog’s development level is different. And you should be able to gauge when is best for your young pup based on their growth.

Be patient during the first few months of their lives. They can pee and poop multiple times a day, even up to eight times. Sometimes they will relieve themselves before they eat. But the majority of the time you will find your bulldog puppy will go after they eat. So, be prepared after meal times to clean messes up.

Timing Potty Breaks

Now that you’ve decided now is the right time for your bulldog puppy to begin their potty training the best thing to do is start to gauge the time your pup needs to go potty. A ten-week-old bulldog puppy can hold its bladder for about 3-hour intervals. Start to build your consistent regimen around this time frame.  

Also, keep in mind that we should create a schedule that allows for new puppies to have outdoor access. About every 2.5 to 3 hours early on in their life. This will give them the chance to relieve themselves outside and be used to going out for their potty breaks. 

As bulldog puppies grow, so does their bladder capacity and needed potty intervals. The more consistent and dedicated we are to their potty intervals, the quicker a bulldog puppy will successfully become potty trained.

Crate Training For Bulldog Puppies 

Much like potty training a child, everyone in the world seems to want to provide advice on how best to do it. So much so that it can be incredibly overwhelming to know where to start. But, the number one way to potty train is by using a crate. 

One of the points we want to emphasize here is not to use the crate as a punishment for your bulldog puppy. If they know this is the place you send them only when you are angry with them, then they will never want to go. We want to reinforce the behavior that going to the crate is a good thing, not a bad thing. 

It is natural for your puppy to want to go to the bathroom away from its sleeping area. Using a crate for them creates a natural negative reinforcement. It forces the puppy to sit a little too close to their waste. Which is designed to be less than desirable. Your puppy will naturally want to avoid this. They will seek to hold off potty time until their next break outside.  

We recommend using a crate with a removable tray to help make this process as smooth as possible for yourself. No tray would provide a mess that could spill onto your carpet. Or run down the crate getting your puppy soiled. 

Be Consistent During Potty Training 

We cannot stress enough the importance of remaining consistent during potty training. Unfortunately, potty training isn’t Monday-Friday 9-5 pm. You’ll need to get up at least once a night to make your bulldog puppy go potty. 

If you work during the day and have a busy schedule, utilize a friend or family member to let your puppy out when you can’t be there. If no one can be there, the crate will serve as a natural teaching tool for your puppy to head there to relieve themselves. But, consistency is key when training. Taking a day or a night off can throw the whole training process off. 

Make sure to also use positive reinforcement every time your bulldog puppy goes potty. This can look like special treats, belly rubs, or even using positive verbal language like “Good boy\girl!” It’s not just a good idea, there’s a science behind it that proves positive reinforcement can help to modify behavior. 

We get it, going outside every few hours, getting up in the middle of the night, and dealing with accidents are no fun. But, by combining consistent intervals and tools like a crate, potty training is an attainable goal that can help their development skills blossom.

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