As a general rule of thumb, your puppy will need to potty every hour or so, including upon waking and after he eats, until about four months of age. Because puppies are small, their bladders and colons are simply not mature or strong enough to hold for more than relatively short periods of time. By taking your pup out every hour, in addition to after naps and meals, you won't have to clean up countless potty accidents. Your pup consequently won't be conditioned to potty in the wrong places. This routine also gives you ample opportunity to show the pup where you want him to potty on a regular basis.

Doggy Doors

If you have a doggy door, it will probably take relatively little time to train the pup how to get outside to relieve himself. If you don't have one, simply take him out hourly. The downside to doggy doors is that it is a bit harder to train your pup to potty only in one area of the yard because you are not always outside with him. (It would defeat the purpose of the doggy door if you were.) The upside is that if you can attach it to your long-term confinement area, making it easy for the dog to go outside whenever he needs to when you're away for extended periods of time.

Ringing Bells

To use the bell ringing method, you simply hang a small bell on the door within the puppy's reach. In the early days of potty training, you ring the bell as you take the puppy outside. Eventually, the puppy becomes used to hearing the bell and associates it with going outside. When the pup is a little older, you can then encourage him to ring the bell before you go outside. When she learns to do this, praise mightily.

If you've been consistent in ringing the bell every time you've taken him out, it doesn't usually take too long for the pup to get the idea that he should ring the bell if he needs to go outside. Generally speaking, the puppy will try to give you some kind of clue pretty quickly to let you know that he needs to go outside to potty. The problem is that what seems like clear communication to a boxer puppy, often a look or grimace at you, is not always clear or you are not looking at him at the right time to see it. The bell gives the puppy a better way to communicate his needs to you.