How often should I take my puppy out to pee?

Every time he wakes, eats, drinks, plays or comes out of the crate, plus every one to two hours in between while he is awake (VCA and the AKC both give that range). The AKC says that can add up to a dozen trips or more a day for a young puppy.

How long can a puppy hold its pee by age?

The AKC's common guideline is about one hour per month of age, up to about nine months to a year, so about two hours at eight weeks and four at four months. A second AKC page uses month-plus-one, an hour longer. Both are rules of thumb, and a puppy holds it longer asleep than awake and awake than playing.

How long after eating does a puppy need to go potty?

The AKC's timeline says to wait only 5 to 30 minutes after a meal, and less for a younger puppy. This schedule uses 10 minutes under 16 weeks and 20 minutes after that, which is our reading of that range.

Should I wake my puppy up at night to pee?

VCA says puppies may need overnight trips until about five months. The schedule marks where the rule of thumb expects one for your night length; whether you set an alarm or answer the first cry, keep it dull: out, potty, straight back to bed.

What is a puppy potty schedule if I work full time?

VCA puts the limit for a puppy crated alone at about three hours, and younger puppies need a break sooner. Enter your work hours and the schedule adds the visits that needs; if nobody can come, VCA's alternative is a pen with a resting spot and a toileting area.

Tools

Puppy Potty Training Schedule Maker

A puppy potty schedule is a list of trips out: on waking, after every meal, play and nap, before and after the crate, last thing at night, and every one to two hours in between while he is awake. Enter his age and your day to get today's trips by the clock.

WagYears Editorial · Rules checked against the AKC and VCA on 2026-10-26

Make today's schedule

Puppy's age (weeks)He wakes up atBedtime

Meals a day

Meal 1Meal 2Meal 3Meal 4

He is crated or penned while I work or go out

Trips out today: 17; wake-up to bedtime
Night trips: 3; night of 8 h 30 min
Awake: out every: 1 h; VCA: every 1–2 h
Longest in the crate: 2 h 30 min; holds it about 2.5–3.5 h (AKC)

Potty schedule for a 10-week-old puppy

6:30 amWake-up: straight outsideFirst thing in the morning, before anything else (AKC, VCA).
7:00 amMeal 1 of 4Fresh water with it; the trip out follows.
7:10 amAfter the meal: outside10 minutes after eating. The AKC says 5 to 30 minutes, sooner for a younger puppy.
8:10 amPotty break: after play, or as he wakes from a napEvery 1 h while he is awake at this age. VCA says every 1–2 hours awake; go sooner if he wakes or finishes playing first.
9:10 amPotty break: after play, or as he wakes from a napEvery 1 h while he is awake at this age. VCA says every 1–2 hours awake; go sooner if he wakes or finishes playing first.
10:10 amPotty break: after play, or as he wakes from a napEvery 1 h while he is awake at this age. VCA says every 1–2 hours awake; go sooner if he wakes or finishes playing first.
11:00 amMeal 2 of 4Fresh water with it; the trip out follows.
11:10 amAfter the meal: outside10 minutes after eating. The AKC says 5 to 30 minutes, sooner for a younger puppy.
12:10 pmPotty break: after play, or as he wakes from a napEvery 1 h while he is awake at this age. VCA says every 1–2 hours awake; go sooner if he wakes or finishes playing first.
1:10 pmPotty break: after play, or as he wakes from a napEvery 1 h while he is awake at this age. VCA says every 1–2 hours awake; go sooner if he wakes or finishes playing first.
2:10 pmPotty break: after play, or as he wakes from a napEvery 1 h while he is awake at this age. VCA says every 1–2 hours awake; go sooner if he wakes or finishes playing first.
3:00 pmMeal 3 of 4Fresh water with it; the trip out follows.
3:10 pmAfter the meal: outside10 minutes after eating. The AKC says 5 to 30 minutes, sooner for a younger puppy.
4:10 pmPotty break: after play, or as he wakes from a napEvery 1 h while he is awake at this age. VCA says every 1–2 hours awake; go sooner if he wakes or finishes playing first.
5:10 pmPotty break: after play, or as he wakes from a napEvery 1 h while he is awake at this age. VCA says every 1–2 hours awake; go sooner if he wakes or finishes playing first.
6:10 pmPotty break: after play, or as he wakes from a napEvery 1 h while he is awake at this age. VCA says every 1–2 hours awake; go sooner if he wakes or finishes playing first.
7:00 pmMeal 4 of 4Fresh water with it; the trip out follows.
7:10 pmAfter the meal: outside10 minutes after eating. The AKC says 5 to 30 minutes, sooner for a younger puppy.
8:05 pmPotty break: after play, or as he wakes from a napEvery 1 h while he is awake at this age. VCA says every 1–2 hours awake; go sooner if he wakes or finishes playing first.
8:55 pmPotty break: after play, or as he wakes from a napEvery 1 h while he is awake at this age. VCA says every 1–2 hours awake; go sooner if he wakes or finishes playing first.
9:50 pmLast trip before bedLast thing at night (AKC). Calm and quick.
12:10 amNight trip: out, potty, straight back to bedYour night is 8 h 30 min; at about 2.5 h of holding, the rule of thumb expects 3 trips. VCA says night trips may be needed until about 5 months.
2:15 amNight trip: out, potty, straight back to bedYour night is 8 h 30 min; at about 2.5 h of holding, the rule of thumb expects 3 trips. VCA says night trips may be needed until about 5 months.
4:25 amNight trip: out, potty, straight back to bedYour night is 8 h 30 min; at about 2.5 h of holding, the rule of thumb expects 3 trips. VCA says night trips may be needed until about 5 months.

Also go out straight away when he wakes from any nap, after play or a chew, after a big drink, every half hour in rough play, and the moment he sniffs and circles (AKC, VCA). Reward outside the second he finishes.

A training timetable to start from, not a rule to enforce. If he needs out between the lines above, take him. Nothing you enter here leaves your browser.

Puppy potty schedule by age, at a glance

Computed by the schedule maker above for a nine-hour night (10:00 pm to 7:00 am). The hold column shows both AKC rules of thumb, the hours-equal-months guideline and its month-plus-one variant, because the two disagree by an hour. Read it top to bottom to see the schedule widen.

Puppy potty schedule by age: hold time, awake breaks, crate limit and night trips
Age	Can hold it about (AKC)	Awake: out every	Longest in the crate	Night trips (9 h night)
8 weeksabout 1.8 months	2–3 h	1 h	2 h	4
9 weeksabout 2.1 months	2–3 h	1 h	2 h	4
10 weeksabout 2.3 months	2.5–3.5 h	1 h	2 h 30 min	3
11 weeksabout 2.5 months	2.5–3.5 h	1 h	2 h 30 min	3
12 weeksabout 2.8 months	3–4 h	1 h 30 min	3 h	2
14 weeksabout 3.2 months	3–4 h	1 h 30 min	3 h	2
16 weeksabout 3.7 months	3.5–4.5 h	2 h	3 h	2
18 weeksabout 4.2 months	4–5 h	2 h	3 h	2
20 weeksabout 4.6 months	4.5–5.5 h	2 h	3 h	1
22 weeksabout 5.1 months	5–6 h	2 h	3 h	1
24 weeksabout 5.5 months	5.5–6.5 h	2 h	3 h	1
28 weeksabout 6.5 months	6.5–7.5 h	2 h	3 h	1
32 weeksabout 7.4 months	7.5–8.5 h	2 h	3 h	1
36 weeksabout 8.3 months	8.5–9.5 h	2 h	3 h	1
40 weeksabout 9.2 months	9–10 h	2 h	3 h	0
44 weeksabout 10 months	9–10 h	2 h	3 h	0
52 weeksabout 12 months	9–10 h	2 h	3 h	0

The AKC says the months rule runs to about nine months to a year, so the hold column stops growing at 9–10 hours. The crate column is the shortest of the lower hold figure, VCA's three hours alone in a crate and its four-hour resting break. The awake column is our reading of VCA's every one to two hours. Night trips follow the lower hold figure, the same rule as the puppy schedule planner.

A worked example: a ten-week-old puppy, crated 9:00 am to 1:00 pm

Up at 6:30 am, bed at 10:00 pm, four meals (the AKC count for this age), and four hours in the crate in the morning. At ten weeks the longest crate stretch is 2 h 30 min, so the morning needs 1 visit. That is 16 trips out between waking and bed, plus 3 at night.

6:30 amWake-up: straight outside
7:00 amMeal 1 of 4
7:10 amAfter the meal: outside
8:00 amPotty break: after play, or as he wakes from a nap
8:50 amBefore you leave: outside, then into the crate or pen
11:00 amMeal 2 of 4
11:10 amVisit: feed him, then outside
1:00 pmHome: straight outside
1:45 pmPotty break: after play, or as he wakes from a nap
2:25 pmPotty break: after play, or as he wakes from a nap
3:00 pmMeal 3 of 4
3:10 pmAfter the meal: outside
4:10 pmPotty break: after play, or as he wakes from a nap
5:10 pmPotty break: after play, or as he wakes from a nap
6:10 pmPotty break: after play, or as he wakes from a nap
7:00 pmMeal 4 of 4
7:10 pmAfter the meal: outside
8:05 pmPotty break: after play, or as he wakes from a nap
8:55 pmPotty break: after play, or as he wakes from a nap
9:50 pmLast trip before bed
12:10 amNight trip: out, potty, straight back to bed
2:15 amNight trip: out, potty, straight back to bed
4:25 amNight trip: out, potty, straight back to bed

How the schedule is built

Fixed trips first. Wake-up, a trip after each of your meal times (10 minutes after under 16 weeks, 20 after), before and after crate time, and last thing at night. Trips that land within 15 minutes of each other are merged into one.
Crate time gets visits. No stretch in the crate is longer than the shortest of the hold rule, three hours alone and four hours resting. A meal inside crate time becomes a visit, because someone has to be there to serve it.
Awake gaps get filled. Any stretch at home longer than the awake interval for his age (every hour under 12 weeks, every 90 minutes at 12 to 15, every two hours from 16) gets evenly spaced breaks. These are the trips that land after play or a nap.
The night is split by the hold rule. Your night length divided by the lower AKC figure, rounded up, minus one. From five months, the VCA cut-off, a puppy whose hold figure covers the whole night gets none.

It is a training timetable, not a health check. It never stretches the interval to fit a work day: a longer absence gets a visit, or a pen with a toileting area. If the schedule is not working, the AKC's chief veterinarian, Dr. Jerry Klein, says to have the puppy checked by a vet, since a urinary tract infection or another health issue can be the cause.

This page is the trips out. Naps, play and the rest of the day are in the puppy schedule planner, how much sleep to expect is in the puppy sleep schedule guide, and what to do once you are outside, from rewards to accidents, is in the potty training guide.

The rules the schedule uses, and how sure each one is

A puppy can hold it about one hour per month of age, up to about 9 months to a year. The AKC calls this a common guideline.
Rule of thumb · American Kennel Club — How to Potty Train a Puppy (Mara Bovsun, updated July 2026)
A second AKC page gives month-plus-one: a three-month-old about four hours. The two versions sit an hour apart; the planner uses the lower one.
Rule of thumb · American Kennel Club — Puppy Potty Training Timeline and Tips (Harriet Meyers, updated August 2026)
Out first thing in the morning and the moment he wakes from any nap.
Published guidance · American Kennel Club — How to Potty Train a Puppy (Mara Bovsun, updated July 2026)
After a meal, wait between 5 and 30 minutes, sooner for a younger puppy. The planner uses 10 minutes under 16 weeks and 20 from 16 weeks: our reading of that range.
Our reading of the source · American Kennel Club — Puppy Potty Training Timeline and Tips (Harriet Meyers, updated August 2026)
After play and chewing, and every half hour during active play.
Published guidance · VCA Animal Hospitals — Housetraining for Puppies and Dogs (Lindell, VMD, DACVB; Feyrecilde, LVT)
Every 1–2 hours while awake, on top of the triggers. The planner starts at the short end (every hour under 12 weeks), every 90 minutes at 12 to 15 weeks and every two hours from 16 weeks: our reading of VCA's range.
Our reading of the source · VCA Animal Hospitals — Housetraining for Puppies and Dogs (Lindell, VMD, DACVB; Feyrecilde, LVT)
At least every 4 hours even while resting.
Published guidance · VCA Animal Hospitals — Housetraining for Puppies and Dogs (Lindell, VMD, DACVB; Feyrecilde, LVT)
No more than about 3 hours crated alone. Longer needs a friend or sitter to stop by, or a pen with a resting spot and a toileting area.
Published guidance · VCA Animal Hospitals — Housetraining for Puppies and Dogs (Lindell, VMD, DACVB; Feyrecilde, LVT)
Last trip out last thing at night; restrict food and water for several hours before bed.
Published guidance · American Kennel Club — How Much Do Puppies Sleep? (Jan Reisen, updated August 2026)
Overnight trips may be needed until about 5 months. Puppies hold it longer asleep than awake.
Published guidance · VCA Animal Hospitals — Housetraining for Puppies and Dogs (Lindell, VMD, DACVB; Feyrecilde, LVT)

What makes the schedule easier to keep

Nature's Miracle Stain & Odour
An enzyme cleaner for the accidents the schedule does not catch. A spot he can still smell is a spot he uses again.
Buy on Amazon
Amazon Basics Training Pads
Pads for an apartment, a high floor or the weeks before outdoor access, and for the toileting corner of a pen.
Buy on Amazon
MidWest 30-Inch Exercise Pen
A pen with a bed at one end and a toileting area at the other: VCA's answer when you are out longer than he can hold it.
Buy on Amazon

The crate is a sizing question: size it from the maker's chart, divider included, so he cannot use a far corner. More on the potty training shelf. We earn a commission if you buy through these links; we do not test products.

Questions about a puppy potty schedule

How often should I take my puppy out to pee?: Every time he wakes, eats, drinks, plays or comes out of the crate, plus every one to two hours in between while he is awake (VCA and the AKC both give that range). The AKC says that can add up to a dozen trips or more a day for a young puppy.
How long can a puppy hold its pee by age?: The AKC's common guideline is about one hour per month of age, up to about nine months to a year, so about two hours at eight weeks and four at four months. A second AKC page uses month-plus-one, an hour longer. Both are rules of thumb, and a puppy holds it longer asleep than awake and awake than playing.
How long after eating does a puppy need to go potty?: The AKC's timeline says to wait only 5 to 30 minutes after a meal, and less for a younger puppy. This schedule uses 10 minutes under 16 weeks and 20 minutes after that, which is our reading of that range.
Should I wake my puppy up at night to pee?: VCA says puppies may need overnight trips until about five months. The schedule marks where the rule of thumb expects one for your night length; whether you set an alarm or answer the first cry, keep it dull: out, potty, straight back to bed.
What is a puppy potty schedule if I work full time?: VCA puts the limit for a puppy crated alone at about three hours, and younger puppies need a break sooner. Enter your work hours and the schedule adds the visits that needs; if nobody can come, VCA's alternative is a pen with a resting spot and a toileting area.

Sources

American Kennel Club — How to Potty Train a Puppy (Mara Bovsun, updated July 2026) — The common guideline that a puppy can hold it about one hour per month of age, up to about 9 months to a year; the trigger list (morning, last thing at night, after naps, crate time, meals, drinks, chewing and play); trips every one to two hours while awake.
American Kennel Club — Puppy Potty Training Timeline and Tips (Harriet Meyers, updated August 2026) — The month-plus-one variant of the rule, the 5 to 30 minute wait after a meal (sooner for younger puppies), holding it longer asleep, and Dr. Jerry Klein's advice on when a lack of progress is a vet question.
American Kennel Club — How Much Do Puppies Sleep? (Jan Reisen, updated August 2026) — Naps about every hour, restricting food and water for several hours before bedtime, and night potty breaks being normal for young puppies.
VCA Animal Hospitals — Housetraining for Puppies and Dogs (Lindell, VMD, DACVB; Feyrecilde, LVT) — Breaks after meals and big drinks, on waking, every half hour in active play, every 1–2 hours awake and every 4 hours resting; overnight outings until about 5 months; no more than 3 hours crated alone, and a sitter or a pen with a toileting area for longer.

Last checked: 2026-10-26. Every page above was opened and read on that date. We are not veterinarians and this is a training schedule, not veterinary advice.