How to potty train a puppy with a busy work schedule
Puppies need frequent outdoor trips to learn where to go, which clashes with long and irregular work shifts. Because accidents happen repeatedly inside the house while you are away, the puppy gets confused and cannot figure out that they are supposed to go outside.
Core Friction Pattern
Analysis of 12 peer accounts across online developer and community forums reveals that “How to potty train a puppy with a busy work schedule” repeatedly surfaces due to edge-case mismatches between standard defaults and real-world environments. Standard troubleshooting frequently falls short, compelling practitioners to develop custom workarounds.
+25 alternative community-tested workarounds cataloged below.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- People have been saying this in most months since September 2026.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
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How to potty train a puppy with a busy work schedule
- 1Getting an older dog or rescue that is already house-trainedDid this help you?
- 2Relying on family members at home to let the puppy out for potty breaksDid this help you?
- 3Using crate training combined with dog walkers or doggy daycareDid this help you?
- 4rewarding her when she goes outsideDid this help you?
- 5coming home for an hour and a half at middayDid this help you?
- 6hiring someone who can drop by to let the puppy outDid this help you?
- 7using multiple pads for potty trainingDid this help you?
- 8taking the puppy out every 30 minutes when at home instead of using padsDid this help you?
- 9taking her out frequently after sleep, playing, and eatingDid this help you?
- 10waiting for the puppy to decompress and get used to the new environment over a few weeksDid this help you?
- 11checking if the puppy is eliminating somewhere out of sightDid this help you?
- 12Keeping the puppy on a tight scheduleDid this help you?
- 13Tethering the puppy to oneselfDid this help you?
- 14Taking the puppy out repeatedly on a set routineDid this help you?
- 15Putting puppy pads inside the crate and roomDid this help you?
- 16Considering toilet training outside despite concerns about the cold and catsDid this help you?
- 17Staying outside and waiting him out with no play or attention until he goesDid this help you?
- 18Bringing him back inside after 5-10 minutes and trying again shortly afterDid this help you?
- 19Carrying the puppy around outside beforehand to get them used to the areaDid this help you?
- 20Taking the puppy to a quiet spotDid this help you?
- 21Taking the puppy to the exact same spot every time to help them understand what the place is forDid this help you?
- 22Waiting for the puppy to mature and naturally develop full bladder capacityDid this help you?
- 23Thoroughly cleaning accident spots with an enzymatic cleaner so the dog cannot smell previous spotsDid this help you?
- 24Getting rid of carpets or rugs where the dog frequently peesDid this help you?
- 25Using the doorknob bell method to teach the puppy to signal when they need to go outDid this help you?
- 26Taking an older, already-trained dog outside at the same time to model the behaviorDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“this little guy just isn’t getting it. Or it seems we take 3 steps forward and two steps back.”source ↗
“turn your back for a second and he will go on the floor. I am so defeated.”source ↗
“Being at it for almost 3 months now is exhausting”source ↗
“So I’ve just gotten my puppy who is male and just 13 weeks, he’s so amazing and I love him to bits already!”source ↗
“But I can’t seem to get him to pee on the puppy pads and I don’t know what to do, I have carpet in my room which doesn’t help but I which he would just wee on them instead of everything else, even in his crate when I put his puppy pads in there he will still wee on his blankets”source ↗
“I did want to try and get him to pee outside but I’ve heard mixed reviews on toilet training outside because of the cold, and also I’m a little worried as I live with my family and they have cats that mostly like to chill outside”source ↗
“I will appreciate any advice, I’m unsure of what to do”source ↗
“Once outside, he gets distracted and wants to sniff, chew grass/leaves, and play instead.”source ↗
“we’ve had 2 accidents in his playpen where he peed only a few minutes after we had just taken him outside and he didn’t go.”source ↗
“doesn't go outside and will still go inside, sometimes very shortly after she comes back in but sometimes at very random times.”source ↗
“part of the reason is that the outside is just so big and exciting and we live in a busy area so people walking by or sounds and smells are distracting her.”source ↗
“At 5 months my puppy was still having accidents in the house. It did settle around 6-7 months until he started marking in the house around 8 months.”source ↗
“My golden wasn’t potty trained until 7 months and still had accidents here and there.”source ↗
“Potty training frustrations are very frustrating. It took about 2 years to fully potty train my hound mix.”source ↗
“The only thing stopping me is that I would have to potty train them.”source ↗
“I'm struggling with potty training.”source ↗
“Since she goes in the house so many times everyday of course it makes it way harder for her to understand she's supposed to go outside.”source ↗
“i have chronic pain and having to constantly chase and supervise him is no easy task”source ↗
“I'll be gone for work in the afternoon from 3 to 8:15 pm with a small 50 min break that allows me to go back home, eat, take care of my pain (aka use ice or heating pads) and check on him.”source ↗
“I feel like I used to be better at dog training and have lost my way...”source ↗
“like how am i supposed to teach her potty with rewards outside if she doesnt do it enough... in two days she pooped 3 times and peed 5”source ↗
“how often should they go potty? im so lost here”source ↗
“the main issue is the potty training. I feel like I have tried everything and nothing is sticking. It’s been super frustrating and I don’t know what to do anymore.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 5How to balance college and a new puppy alone
- 4Why does my rescue puppy pee inside right after going outside?
- 24Puppy too scared and overwhelmed on walks
- 7Why does my dog police my bedtime?
- 11Where can an unvaccinated puppy safely go to the bathroom outside?
- 38Puppy blues and regret when training isn't working