How To Potty Train a Brittany Spaniel Puppy (5 Steps)

Having a Brittany Spaniel puppy in your home is exciting but can also be challenging at the same time. The biggest challenge comes during potty training because a puppy’s ability to control their bladder and bowel movements is low, meaning they may issue little or no warning whenever they need to ease themselves. So, you need to exercise a little patience during the potty training phase and commit more of your time.

Here’s how you can potty train a Brittany Spaniel puppy in 5 steps:

Create a routine and stick to it.
Keep an eye on your puppy to spot the signs.
Understand that mistakes happen.
Confine your puppy when you can’t supervise.
Make humane plans for when you’re away for long.

Don’t feel overwhelmed about potty training your charming, sporty Brittany puppy. In this guide, I offer a detailed outline of the essential steps you need to follow to train your pup like a pro. Keep reading!

1. Create a Routine and Stick to It

A successful potty training phase should start by creating a routine and sticking to it. Puppies work well with routines and schedules because they can easily tell when to feed, relax, pee, exercise, etc.

In a nutshell, a well-crafted routine makes house training less overwhelming for both you and your pup. So, here’s how you can establish a potty training routine:

Take Your Puppy to the Potty Area Frequently

As earlier mentioned, puppies lack full control of their bladder and bowel movements during their early days, meaning they issue little or no warning whenever they need to eliminate their waste. As a result, it can be hard for you to tell when to take your charming Brittany puppy to the potty area. Therefore, to reduce soiling accidents, you need to take them out frequently.

However, pet experts recommend that the ideal time to start potty training your puppy should be between 12 and 16 weeks old. By this time, they’re in a much better position to control their bladder and bowel movements.

If you aren’t sure when to take your puppy out, you can start with 30-45 minutes intervals before graduating to 1 or 2 hours. A rule of thumb used by puppy trainers and one which can guide you is, puppies can hold their bladder for hours equivalent to their age in months.

For example, a three-month old puppy can hold their bladder for a maximum of 3 hours. Beyond this time limit, the chances of messing up are high.

Therefore, as a part of your house training routine, be sure to take your little canine companion to the designated potty area at least after every two hours. Try doing this before bedtime, after waking up, after meals, and during or after play or exercise.

Stick to One Command

Taking your puppy to the potty area is one thing, but getting them to use the site is something else entirely. You need to instruct them to use the area by issuing simple commands.

Therefore, you should come up with a command such as ‘Potty’ or a body movement, such as squatting, that instructs him to use the potty area. Ensure you use the same command throughout the training phase. Uniformity makes it easy for your pup to associate the command or gesture with relieving themselves.

Whichever command or gesture you choose for potty training, let it stick there. Don’t use it to issue other instructions because this may confuse your sporty canine baby.

Stick to a Regular Feeding Schedule

Besides coming up with a schedule for your pup to relieve themselves, say after every two hours or so, you also need to develop a feeding schedule. Depending on your Brittany’s age, you may need to feed him three to four times a day.

When dealing with puppies, there’s a high possibility that whatever goes in on a schedule is also likely to come out on a schedule. Therefore, if you make it a habit to feed your puppy at the same time each day, they’ll most likely need to visit the potty area at a consistent time, making potty training easier for you.

So, before you begin potty training your Brittany Spaniel puppy, remember that a consistent meal plan is vital for a smooth training phase.

Stick to a Single Potty Area

To make the training easier for your furry canine friend, it’s best if you stick to one potty area.

Consider setting the potty area at an outside spot that’s easier for your pup to access on their own (when they get accustomed to it). Consider keeping the area clean and free from access by other dogs.

Restricting your puppy’s potty area from access by other dogs reduces contamination, making it easy for them to remember the smell of their pee. In doing so, they begin to associate the area with their ‘bathroom’ needs.

Whenever you take your little pup to their potty area, it’s a good idea to leash them so that it can be easier for you to keep them in a specific location.

Reward Your Puppy

Make it a habit to reward your puppy for every successful potty session through treats or praises. However, be sure to offer the rewards immediately after they’re done relieving themselves. Doing it before they finish may distract them, while doing it after you get back to the house may be meaningless in the sense that they may not really associate the reward with visiting the potty area. I used training treats by Wellness Natural when I trained my dogs and they loved them.

Through regular rewards, your puppy starts linking using the potty area with something positive. And since Brittany Spaniels love to please their parents, your puppy will always look forward to using the potty area to make you happy and get the reward.

Something outstanding about Brittany Spaniels is that they’re easy to train, meaning your pup will quickly learn and stick to what you want them to do.

2. Keep an Eye on Your Puppy To Spot the Signs

During potty training, it’s important to keep a close eye on your puppy. Therefore, your puppy should be in an area where you can easily monitor them, even if it means tethering them to nearby furniture.

Supervising your young canine friend makes it easy to monitor their behavior and tell whenever they need to use the potty area.

Watch Out for Notable Signs

As your potty training phase advances, your bond with your puppy grows stronger. Here, you can tell when they’re hungry, need to rest, or need to relieve themselves.

Some of the common signs that your pup needs to visit the potty area include:

Scratching
Sniffing
Whining
Barking
Circling

When you spot any of these signs, take your pup to their potty area immediately to reduce accidents and messy cleanups.

Interrupt Accidents

Before your Brittany gets accustomed to their potty cycle, there’s a probability that they may have accidents. Remember that Brittany Spaniels are always eager to please and wouldn’t soil your indoors intentionally. Therefore, keeping a close eye on them helps you spot accidents and interrupt them.

If you see your canine baby start soiling indoors, be quick to interrupt them by saying a specific word such as ‘Stop’ or ‘Outside,’ calling out their name, or clapping. Once they’re distracted, lead them to the potty area.

However, your puppy may not always respond well, especially if they’re defecating because, given that their control over their bowel movement is still not fully developed, it may be hard to stop once they’ve already started.

However, be careful not to startle them in a way that scares them or instills fear in them. Be gentle!

3. Understand That Mistakes Happen

You can’t expect your puppy to learn without making mistakes. Therefore, you should understand that accidents are bound to happen during potty training, and your favorite Brittany can unintentionally soil your house. If this happens, act calmly and address the issue gently. Never correct your puppy’s mistakes by harassing, shouting, or abusing them physically.

If you find your puppy going potty in the house, startle them and lead them outside to their designated potty area.

If you find a soiled area, it might be too late to lead your puppy outside (that’s why it’s important to keep a close eye on him). So, just clean the area immediately. You can use soap or a cleaning detergent to mask the smell. Rocco and Roxie Professional Strength Stain and Odor remover is a fantastic product for this. Remember, puppies are attracted by the smell of their waste, so your Brittany may continue soiling the same spot if it isn’t thoroughly cleaned.

4. Confine Your Pup When You Can’t Supervise

Sometimes, due to unavoidable circumstances, you’re unable to keep a close eye on your pup. In such a case, if you’ll be away from your puppy for only a few hours, consider confining them in a crate or a small restricted area. Check out Bed and Crates in my recommended product page.

Ensure the crate or location you choose for their restriction is just big enough for them to stand, lie, and turn around comfortably.

In this case, your pup will view the crate or small area as their new den. And since canines don’t like soiling their dens, they’ll be reluctant to soil it and will most likely hold their bladder or bowels until you return.

However, before confining your canine friend, take them to the potty area first and ensure that you won’t be gone for long. If you’re away for long, probably more than four or five hours, look for an alternative.

5. Make Humane Plans When You’re Away for Long

Confining your pup in a crate or a restricted area works when you can’t be with them for, at most, four hours. However, if you’ll be gone for more than that, consider making more humane plans for them.

Below are some humane plans that you can employ:

Leave Your Brittany in the Hands of a Responsible Person

Get a person such as a professional sitter or responsible friend or family member to attend to your pup’s needs. Be sure to instruct the person on your puppy’s schedule, and guide him or her on your puppy’s designated potty area and when to take them for potty breaks. This helps continue with the training even when you’re away.

Teach Your Puppy To Eliminate Hygienically Indoors

If getting a person to take care of your puppy seems overwhelming to you, you can also consider teaching your dog to relieve themselves in certain spots indoors.

Here, you can set a secluded spot covered in old newspapers or tattered boxes and teach them to use it as a potty area whenever you’re gone for long. However, this isn’t the best way to handle your puppy’s needs whenever you’re away because they might develop bad habits that may be hard to correct in the future. Amazon has their own brand of puppy pads that work great for this method.

For example, your puppy might develop a lifelong habit of eliminating their waste on any idle box or newspaper they find lying on the ground. Besides, teaching your puppy to relieve themselves indoors (when the situation calls for it) can also prolong the house training period.

So, the best thing is to leave your puppy in the hands of a responsible person.

By following these steps, you’ll be closer to having a successful and smooth housetraining phase.

Dos and Don’ts When Potty Training Your Brittany Spaniel

Now, let’s look at a few of the most common dos and don’ts of potty training.

The Dos of Potty Training Your Brittany Spaniel

Here’s a rundown of some of the things you need to do during potty training:

Be consistent. Maintain regular feeding times, potty breaks, potty area, and use the same commands or instructions throughout the training period.
Give your puppy time to learn.
Offer rewards. Make the potty sessions lively and rewarding.
Always distract or startle your puppy in a gentle way whenever you find them messing indoors.
Always keep a close eye on your puppy.
Always clean a soiled area immediately with detergents that mask the urine or feces smell completely.

The Don’ts of Potty Training Your Brittany Spaniel

Here are a few things you should avoid when housetraining your little canine companion:

Don’t scold or physically abuse your puppy whenever they have accidents.
Don’t put too much pressure on your puppy. While Brittany Spaniels are fast learners, different puppies may take different times to get through the potty training phase. So, never compare your puppy to others.
Never leave your puppy alone for long, whether in a crate or a restricted space. Your puppy shouldn’t be alone for more than four or five hours, depending on how long they can hold on to his bladder and bowels.
Don’t clean the soiled area with an ammonia-based cleanser because urine contains ammonia. Therefore, the smell of ammonia from the cleanser can attract your puppy to urinate on the soiled spot again.

Bottom Line

Potty training a Brittany Spaniel puppy may seem overwhelming, but if done correctly, it doesn’t have to be.

Just be ready to commit your time, effort, and a little patience when potty training your little Brittany if you’re looking forward to having a good experience with your dog.

No more stressful potty training! Adopt the simple steps outlined above, and you’ll be pleased by the outcome.

Good luck potty training your Brittany Spaniel puppy!